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Under the Banner of Heaven examines the 1984 Utah murders of Brenda Lafferty and her baby daughter Erica by Brenda’s Mormon Fundamentalist brothers-in-law Ron and Dan Lafferty. It’s an intriguing case, even for someone, like me, not typically inclined to crime novels. What’s more fascinating, though, is Krakauer’s extensively researched exploration of the Mormon Church, from it’s founding by Joseph Smith in 1830’s New York to the present.
One of the historical events that I was unfamiliar with was the Mountain Meadows massacre of 1857, the conclusion of which is described by Krakauer here:
The next morning, September 11, [Mormon John D.] Lee sent an English convert named William Bateman toward the encircled emigrants under a white flag; Bateman was instructed to tell them that the Mormons were there to intercede with the Indians on the Arkansans’ behalf, and would escort them to safety past the hostile Paiutes if the emigrants would hand over their weapons. After Bateman indicated that the emigrants were willing to parley, Lee approached the emigrant stronghold to “arrange the terms of the surrender.”
“As I entered the fortifications,” Lee reported, “men, women, and children gathered around me in wild consternation. Some felt that the time of their happy deliverance had come, while others, though in deep distress, and all in tears, looked upon me with doubt, distrust and terror.” It took Lee at least two hours to win the emigrants’ confidence, but eventually, seeing no alternative, they agreed to his terms and gave up their weapons.
The youngest children and several of the wounded were placed in a wagon and driven away. They were followed on foot by the emigrant women and the older children. A few hundred yards behind this group, the men of the Fancher party were led away in single file, with each emigrant escorted closely by a Mormon guard. After approximately thirty minutes, Major Higbee, bringing up the rear on horseback, discharged a firearm to get the Saints’ attention. “Halt!” he ordered according to a prearranged plan. “Do your duty!”
At this infamous command, each of the Mormons immediately fired a bullet point-blank into the head of the captive under his purview. Most of the emigrant men died instantly, but one of the Saints recalled seeing an apostate Mormon — one of the “backouts” who had joined the Fancher train in Utah and was a close acquaintance of the Mormon executioners — lying wounded on the ground, pleading to Higbee for his life. According to a Mormon witness, Higbee told the apostate, “You would have done the same to me, or just as bad,” and then slit the apostate’s throat. [pp. 224-225]
Krakauer regularly begins the chapters of his books with relevant quotes of academics and artists. Under the Banner of Heaven, being much broader in scope than his previous novels, also makes extensive use of quoted material throughout those chapters. I found the following one, selected from William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience, particularly interesting.
There can be no doubt that as a matter of fact a religious life, exclusively pursued, does tend to make the person exceptional and eccentric. I speak not now of your ordinary religious believer, who follows the conventional observances of his country, whether it be Buddhist, Christian, or Mohammedan. His religion had been made for him by others, communicated to him by tradition, determined to fixed forms by imitation, and retained by habit. It would profit us little to study this second-hand religious life. We must make search rather for the original experiences which were the pattern-setters to all this mass of suggested feeling and imitated conduct. These experiences we can only find in individuals for whom religion exists not as a dull habit, but as an acute fever rather. But such individuals are “geniuses” in the religious line; and like many other geniuses who have brought forth fruits effective enough for commemoration in the pages of biography, such religious geniuses have often shown symptoms of nervous instability. Even more perhaps than other kinds of genius, religious leaders have been subject to abnormal psychical visitations. Invariably they have been creatures of exalted emotional sensibility. Often they have led a discordant inner life, and had melancholy during part of their career. They have known no measure, been liable to obsessions and fixed ideas; and frequently they have fallen into trances, heard voices, seen visions, and presented all sorts of peculiarities which are ordinarily classed as pathological. Often, moreover, these pathological features in their career have helped to give them their religious authority and influence. [pp. 309-310]
Returning to the present day, Krakauer’s recounting of the sentencing of Ron Lafferty for the double murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty is especially vivid.
Judge Steven Hansen called the court to order on May 31 to impose a sentence. Before doing so, he asked Ron if there was anything he wanted to say. Ron replied to the judge, “Go ahead and do what you gotta do, you little political punk, because that’s all you are is a fucking punk, Stevie Wonder.” Ron continued in this vein for several minutes, calling the judge, among other things, a “fucking idiot” who “comes to work in a dress.”
When Judge Hansen calmly inquired if Ron had made his final statement, Ron said, “Well, my final statement is you can kiss my butt, pal. . . . That will pretty well cover it. Wouldn’t do any good to go any further. Hell, I’m talking to myself right now, probably.”
After confirming that Ron had finished addressing the court, the judge declared, “It is hereby adjudged and ordered that the defendant be sentenced to death.” He then asked Ron whether he preferred to be executed “by firing squad or by a lethal intravenous injection.”
“I don’t prefer either one,” Ron answered. “I prefer to live. That’s what I prefer.”
“If you don’t indicate to me what you prefer,” Judge Hansen explained, “I’m going to impose lethal injection as the method of execution.”
“I’ve already had the lethal injection of Mormonism,” Ron barked back. “And I kind of wanted to try something different this time. . . . I’ll take the firing squad. How’s that? Is that pretty clear?”
“That’s clear,” said the judge, and then sentenced Ron to be shot to death for his crimes — underscoring the fact that Mormon Fundamentalists are by no means the only modern Americans who believe in blood atonement. [pp. 310-311]
If you enjoyed these select passages, you can purchase Under the Banner of Heaven
1 Comment
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Support Barack Obama
Vice President Julie My Love - it has a special ring to it.
And read the book - simply fascinating.
Oh and PS - Love the “SHAME” banner - well done Yorkie.