The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-10

Copyright.
New York, Nov SIN the center of the
great Salt Lake in Utah is a large body of
land known as Church Island. This land
consists of mountains and valleys, with
trees and vegetation and has always been
used as a herding ground for cattle be-
longing to the Mormon church. Several
years ago the water on the east side of
the island was shallow. and cattle could
be driven across easily; but now the wa
ter is deep, and everything must be con-
veyed TO and from the land in boats. a
distance of about five miles covered with
salt water must be gone over by canoes to
set to or from the island. On this famous
spot, amid millions of pelicans sea-gulls
and other fowls. wanders a wild. lonely
old man. without clothing and devoid of
language or any of the instincts of hui
manity. He was banished years ago by
the Mormon church, on the charge of rob-
bling the dead.
Jean B1Dtiste was a Frenchman who
came to Salt Lake City, young man,
nearly forty years ago. He grew up
among the saints. and, after marrying
was made sexton of the small cemetery.
His duties We're light and his remuneration
correspondingly small He resided in a lit
tie cabin on the mountain side overlook
ing the city. and spent his time, when not
employed in the cemetery, in collecting
junk and trading and trafficing with a
few Jewish secondhand clothing dealers,
who had the hardihood to engage in bust
ness among the Mormons. A regiment of
United States troops was then camping
near the city, and the Gentiles engaged in
business were assured protection.
The little Frenchman was an avari-
cious man, and was noticeable because
of his picking up ever cast away arti-
Gle and carrying it to his home. Old dry
goods boxes, barrels, tin cans and other
packing articles cast away by the soldiers,
were especially well cared for by Jean
Baptiste. the sexton. He dressed as a
scavenger and resembled the modern sa-
loon loafer, who is always searching the
Sums for barrels and boxes of garbage
and CASTOR garments. The action of the
sexton created some comment, and not
little curiosity was aroused among peo-
pie who had occasion to visit his resi-
dence on the mountain side overlooking
the city.
one day Jean appeared on the streets
dressed in an elegant suit of broadcloth.
few days before a wealthy stranger
had died and was buried in the cemetery.
Inc suit IN which the body was dressed
resembled that worn by the sexton. An
examination was ordered and the corpse
was found to have been robbed OF Its
clothing A committee waited upon the
sexton and made a most startling dis
covery. The grave clothes of over two
hundred persons were found in the bas-
kets and boxes slowed away in this ghoul-
lsh cabin. Excitement ran high in Salt
Lake City. The boxes of clothing were
emptied and the contents taken to the
city nan, where many a fond mother
identified the burial robes of her child
Elegant silk dresses, at that time a lux
ury even to the rich, were found in the
various bundles. The man was arrested
and cast into jail, pursued by an infuri-
ateu MOB who sought his life.
Brigham Young, then governor and
man to be branded with hot iron and
banished to Church Island. During the
quiet hour of midnight Jean Baptiste was
taken from the Jail, and his whole fore
| head was scared with the following in
scription Branded for Robbins the
Dead. Two men escorted the quivering
A canoe was entered near the city and
the doomed prisoner was taken in chains
70 the island which in future was to be
his home. Without clothing or food, he
was landed upon the shore, the boat re-
I turned to the mainland and the ghoul
remained hopeless exile. He could not
! would follow should he be seen by any
| OF the inhabitants of the Mormon land
| OF Zion. He was forced to seek food and
! shelter amid the wild animals, the birds
and reptiles
The island was soon known as the land
OF Punishment: People stunned it's shores
| as they would haunted house. Many
1 persons were lost upon the lake while
| rowing in canoes against heavy winds
4 The general superstition of all was that
/ those unfortunates drifted to the island
| and We're deVoured by the wild man. Even
I the fearless cowboy has ever refused 10
| intrude upon the home land of the exile
! Wild horses roam over its acres of broken
! canyons rugged cliffs and grassy mead
| ows. The sea-gulls and other birds
deserted shores. All the natives, in
! Guiding Indians, warn newcomers of the
/ fate of scores of pleasure-seekers who
/ have been drifted upon the shores of the
! fated island. The craggy bluffs, dark
| caverns and lonely canyons warn every
/ boatman nearing the shore to keep away
i from the hidden dangers.
In dark cave about half a mile from
/ the shore lives the wild man. His home
/ is Strewn with the wrecks of boats bones
| of victims and other cannabalistic indi-
| cations. Away back in the deep darkness
! of the cavern is his sleeping place, made
! of clothing stripped from the unfortu-
nate victims shipwrecked on the fatal
i shore. A collection of leaves, grasses and
/ branches from the trees of the island forms
/ the foundation for the bed In which this
! human monster spends most of his time.
1 Several hunters and explorers have re-
/ Gently viewed the man. He is described
4 as old. STOPPING, destitute of clothing, in
/ capable of speech, and covered with long
4 hair. Upon the appearance of man he.
/ utters a wild. weird Shrek and rushes to
! the cavern, from which he cannot be in
/ duced or forced to return. Many daring
! explorers of Church Island have attempt
! ed to capture tho wild man, but all efforts
/ have thus far proven fruitless; for the ISL
4 and contains numerous deep and uney-
! plored caverns. and in them are many
4 dark recesses. No man has dared to per-
/ citrate any of the hidden passages except
/ for very short distance.
! The wild man finds the fresh water
/ springs at the base of the crags, and so
i quenches his thirst, while his food must
! evidently consist of such birds and ami
mails as he can catch. Thousands of guls
4 pelicans, and other sea-fowls make nests
/ in the cliffs, and the old man subsists part
! ~ on their eggs. Many stories are told by
/ cowboys who have camDed on the island
/ of the midnight yells and antics of the
famished creature He has crept up TO
/ the camps and carried away almost every
/ thing, food, guns, pack saddles, and other
/ camp equipage. The burros hover around
! the camp fire at night, as though afraid
! to leave the protection of man.
The Indians who visit the lake never
! remain after shutdown near the island be-
! cause of fear of evil spirits. The MormCns
1 also look upon the island as a haunted
! spot, and keep away from it as much as
/ possible. Several supposed relies of the
4 banished man have been discovered re-
/ Gently, and the old story of his ghoulish
/ practices revived. In a window of one of
T the leading business houses Of Salt alra