The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-22
COULDN'T BE MADE A MORMON
Capt. John Tobin Tells of the Famous
MassacreS in Utah.
NeU York World Kansas ctr rettor

MaSSaCroS IN Utah.
NeaD York World Kansas CITY Letter
had the pleasure of chat with the p.
markable old hero of the Mountain Mo-
ows massacre and of the Santa Clara ma SEQ
ere today man Capt. John Tobin wbn
was for years a member of Bripba,n
Young's household. He has now q srit
pending in the court at Salt Lake CITY which
involves the title to some Of the best pronsr-
ty in that city.
"Will you not give me an account Of tho
Santa Clara massacre~ l asked. and he
quickly replied as follows: AZ
81 went to Salt Lake CITY in 1879 for H.
first time, and while there met the cbarn,
ing daughter of Bringham, now the wa AZ
known eldest daughter, remembered h,
reason of her tragic death years ago fron1,
the light that has since come as to 49,
causes that led to her self-destruction 7 ha
came engaged to her, and the conditions 20
the marriage were announced by Brioban,
Young to be that | must join the MoTmon
church. Not caring much what church
belonged to and being very anxious to
marry, | consented, and all arrangemants
were made for my union. | was firnishaJ
suit OF clothes called an endowment roho
and the saints gathered around and began q
solemn song service in the Tabernac1a 7
was to be Amounted in oil. Well. this was
not so much to me as the thing which fol-
lowed, and which was the origin of the ami
mostly which led to the Santa Clara masSa-
ere. When the oath of allegiance was read
to which was to subscribe, found il IN bs
nothing less than solemn declaration that
| would aid and abet the enemies of tbs
United States government and that Womb
never again go into the army. positively
declined to sign such an oath. There wasa
scene, and the wedding was indefinitely post
poned. [ was at once notified that I must
get out of the Mormon district | had a
party of brave soldiers-some twenty men
and in a few days we started, and when
we had gone as far as Santa Clara comfy
we were overtaken by a party of ARMED
Mormons, horseback. They pounced down
upon us with all the ferocity of savages. and
every man was penetrated with bullets. il,
Guiding myself. but l was the only man nj
killed. l was stunned and left unconscious
on the field, the Mormons thinking that
was dead. When l awoke, after som
hours, made my way to some passing emf
grant wagons, and made safe my escape to
Oregon, where l took part in the Indian
wars
"What became of Alice Youngw asked.
swell" said the veteran. "Tney told her
that l was killed in the massacre and she
then became respondent and after few
weeks she took arsenic and died. That was
the end of the life of the girl whom | first
loved and [ shall never forget her gentle
memory"
"What is the origin of the lawsuit now
about to be commenced in the Salt Lake
courts in which you are the plaintiff, de-
manding large tract of land"
"Well | was the first white man who
was over at the now famous Warm Sulphur
Springs. [ heard the Indians tell of its
wonderful qualities, and | followed the
mountain streams until | came to the spot.
| then obtained from the Norman Council
permission to erect house there at which
visitors might be dined andlodged. l made
some improvements, an subsequently gotta
patent from the government for itand other
land adjacent. | was driven away, how
ever, as have indicated, and the statute of
limitations has been at work against me
for thirty years. Ny attorneys think that
| will win on the ground that the courts out
there have not always been open to litigants
and that the church, which was almost the
whole temporal and spiritual power, had
condemned me to die. 1 have for years
been warned by the United States attor-
neys not to come there under the penaltyof
death Do you know how they put to
death men who have divulged the secrets
of the church, 1t is by being disembow-
eled and having their Threats cut from ear
to ear"
In more detail conversation relative to
the methods of the Normans in ante-bellum
days, Capt. Tobin said that, so far as his
own case was concerned, he had been
thought for years to be dead, and the lead
ers thought whenever they heard from him
that it must surely be some impostor as
Stunning the name of Tobin to worry them.
When it was at last learned to a certainty
that he was in the full bloom of good health,
he was offered rewards to come to the Ter
ritory and patch up the differences between
them, but. knowing that the sole object was
to secretly assassinate him, he never went
near them at ALL and to that fact henow at
tributes his existence to-day.
Capt. Tobin says that when he lived az
the home of Brigham Young he learned
many of the methods of the prophet. he
had many noisy love affairs which he had
to spend great deal of money and exer-
else great amount of strategy to keep
quiet. In the night time he would often
have wine parties at the great Lion House
when the other good saints were abed, ana
often the prophets late slumbers we're al
tributed to over zealousness and prayer
when they arose from dissipation and drink
ing III the night time.