Comments on: An Act of Mormon-on-Mormon Violence: The Whitecapping of William Birdsall

By: Jeff Johnson

Jeff Johnson — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 05:37:31 +0000

I am glad to find none of these men were members of my family. I was concerned since my great grandfather was on the High Council which looked into Cora Birdsall’s troubles. And I thought I knew every detail of Aurora’s history, but did not know about this. I wish my grandmother was still alive, she would know the details of what happened in Aurora. Seldom, can you help me find it. What was the newspaper and the date.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:39:07 +0000

Note: This post originally dated this incident as 1893 (and in fact was “correcting” the Tribune version that dated it as 1898). As Justin pointed out in private email, all the contemporary news reports *are* 1898.

Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain, the one whose red eyes are held open by toothpicks after too many straight hours of staring at a computer screen.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:38:56 +0000

I know of no good reason for such speculation, Seldom. Might as well speculate that William Birdsall had been stealing the Mortensen chickens, or that the Aurora victim had committed incest with his mother, or that either or both of them were suspected of arson but without enough proof to prosecute. It’s unfair to attach a speculative stigma to someone’s name without evidence.

In Birdsall’s case, one of the whitecappers’ explicit justifications for their action was an accusation of intimacy with Mrs. Mortensen, which would be odd if he were suspected of homosexuality.

By: Seldom

Seldom — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:26:35 +0000

A search of Utah Digital Newspaper website indicates that another whitecapping incident occurred a few months later in nearby Aurora. The victim of second incident was a 40-year old man that lived with his mother. It’s pure speculation on my part, but I wonder if both victims might have been homosexual. It might explain the reluctance of community and the families to assign a motive to the attacks.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:45:59 +0000

And kevinf, I think you should break the news to the Collings family. Take notes and report back!

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:42:10 +0000

My editor had the same question, by the way!

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:41:41 +0000

Think Ku Klux Klan and their headgear. The term comes from the wearing of hoods or other disguises, by nightriders whose main purpose is to intimidate.

By: Mark B.

Mark B. — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:41:45 +0000

I had the same question as Steve. What’s the answer, Ardis? : )

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:21:49 +0000

Ardis,

What is the origin of the term “whitecapping”?

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:19:56 +0000

The descendants of Richard and Emma Collings, Lyman’s parents, have a family website. They note the birth of Lyman, a few other short references, but otherwise a blank page about him and his family. He did marry, have a couple of children, but a quick google search reveals little of anything else about him.