The Martyrdom of Joseph Standing (1886)

As federal impact heightened in Utah, antagonism outside the territory was also evident. Anti-polygamy legislation was enforced by federal appointees leading eventually to the infamous Utah Commission and the disfranchisement of LDS men from the political system. Antipathy towards Mormonism was mounting from other religions, financial interests and from federal government officials. Spurring national sentiment against the Saints, the Republican Party boasted that it would eradicate the "twin relics of barbarism:" first slavery and then polygamy. Following the horrors of Missouri and Nauvoo, other killings took place after members of the Church moved west - notably those of Parley P. Pratt and Joseph Standing. In this book, John Nicholson retells the murder of Joseph Standing from the vantage of Elder Standing's missionary companion and future Apostle Rudger Clawson - who eventually went to the United States Supreme Court and argued the First Amendment "test case" in favor of the freedom to practice polygamy. Information for this book was gleaned while the author and Elder Clawson were serving time together in the Utah Penitentiary for practicing plural marriage. Following the account of Joseph Standing, the author reviews the cases and personalities of the LDS prisoners incarcerated with him. 160 pages