The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-14
FACT AND FICTION MIXED
THE THRILLING TALE PUBLISHED
By a CHICAGO PAPER.
pictured by the journal as Roam
ing Over Church Island, IN
Great Salt Lake, "a Savage. Un-
kernpt and Weird Being"

of fact and fiction, the portion re-
latinp to the Frenchman's life on the
island and the idea that the aforesald
island is haunted being a fine speel-
men OF purely imaginary writing
The article is as follows:
SALT LACE CITY, Nov. SIN the
center Of the Great Salt lake IN Otah
is large body of land known as
Church island. This land consists OF
mountains and valleys, with trees and
4 vegetation, and has always been useu
ASS herding ground for cattle belong,
- ing to the Mormon church several
years ago the water on the east SIDE
of the island was shallow, and cattie
could BE- driven across easily; but
now the water is deep and everything
must be conveyed to and from the
land in boats A distance of about
five miles covered with salt water
must be gone over by canoes TO get
to or from the island. On this famous
spot, amid millions of pellicans, sea-
gulls and other fowls, Wanders wild.
hlonely old man. without clothing and
Z devoid of language or any of the in
stincts of humanity. He was banlshed
years ago by the Mormon church on
the charge of rObbing the dead.
Jean Baptiste was a Frenchman,
who came to Salt Lake City, young
man, nearly forty years ago. He grew
up among the Saints and, after mar
rying, was made sexton of the small
cemetery. His duties were light and
his remuneration correspondingly
small. He resided in little cabin on
the mountain side overlooking the city,
and spent mis- time, when not employed
IN the cemetery, in collecting junk and
trading and traffcking with few
Jewish secondhand clothing dealers,
who had the hardihood to engage in
business among the Mormons regi-
ment of United States troops was then
campeG near the city. and the Gentiles
engaged in business were assured pro-
lection.
> The little Frenchman was an avar-
3ciOus man. and was noticeable be-
cause of his picking up every cast
away article and carrying it to his
home. Old dry goods boxes, barrels,
lin cans and other packing articles
cast away by the soldiers. were es-
pecially we'll cared for by Jean Bap-
tiste, the sexton. He dressed as
scaVenger and resembled the modern
saloon loaier who is always searching
the slums for barrels and boxes of
garbage and cast-off garments. The
actions Of the sexton created some
comment, and not little curiosity was
skGrouSed among people who had &C.
1easion to visit his residence on the
mountain side overlooking the city.
Had Robbed the Dead.
One day Jean appeared on The
streets dressed in an elegant suit of
broadcloth. A few days before a
wealthy stranger had died and was
buried in the cemetery. The suit in
which the body was dressed resembled
that worn by the sexton. An examina-
H. /
found to have been robbed of it's
clothing. A committee waited upon
the sexton and made a most startling
discovery. The grave clothes of over
two hundred persons We're found in
the baskets and boxes slowed away in
his ghoulish cabin. Excitement ran
high in Salt Lake City The boxes of
clothing we're emptied and the contents
taken TO the city hail. where many a
fond mother Identified the burial robes
Of her child. Elegant silk dresses at
mat time luxury even to the rich
l-xyere found in the various bundles.
I've man was arrested and cast i1sto
prison, PURSUED by an Infatuated mon
who sought his life.
Brigham Young, then governor and
general dictator in Utah, ordered the
man to be branded with a hot iron
and banished to Church island Dur-
ing the quiet hour of midnight Jean
PaptiSte was taken from the Jail. and
mis- whole forehead was scared with
the following inscription: Branded
for RObbing the Dead Two men
escorted the quivering, naked form
from the city Of vengeance. A canoe
was entered near the CITY. and the
doomed prisoner was taken in chains
to the island which in future was To
be his home. Without clothing or food
he was landed upon the shore, the boat
returned TO the mainland, and the
EhOul remained a hopeless exile. He
could not leave the island because in
>Stant death 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.
Island is Stunned BY All.
The island was soon known as the
lZnd of Punishment. People Stunned
1 shores as they would a haunted
Nouse. Many persons were lost upon
The lake while rowing in canoes
against heavy winds. The general sup
position of all was that those unfortun.
ates drifted to the island and were de-
voured by the wild man. Even the
fearless cowboy has ever refused to
intrude upon the home land of the
exile Wild horses roam over its acres
of broken canyons. rugged cliffs and
grassy meadows. The seaguils and
other birds find a home undisturbed
on the desert SHORES. All the natives
including Indians. warn newcomers OF
the fate of scores Of pleasure seekers
who have been dfifted upon the shores
of the fated island The craggy bluffs.
dark caVerns and lonely canyons warn
every boatman nearing the shore to
keep away from the hidden dangers.
In a dark cave about half mile
from the shore lives the wild man.
His home is strewn with the wrecks of
boats, bones of victims and other can't
balistic indications. Away back in the
deep darkness of the cavern is his
sleeping place, made from clothing
stripped from unfortunate victims
shipwrecked on the fatal shore A col
lection of leaves, grasses and branches
from the trees of the island forms the
foundation of the bed in which this
hgpian monster spends most of his
TYNE. Several hunters and explorers
hive recently viewed the man. He is
described as old, STOPPING, destitute of
clothing. incapable of speech and
covered with long hair Upon the APP
weird Shrek and rushes to the cavern,
from which he cannot be induced OF
forced to return. Many daring ex-
plorers of Church island have at
tempted to capture the wild man, but
Ell efforts have thus far proved USE
less; for the island contains numerous
deep and anexplored caVernS, and in
them are many dark crevices. No man