27^th [FIGURES]

One of the most Damniable, Diabolical, Satanical, Helish
Sacraleges has been committed upon the bodies of the
Dead Saints in the burial Ground East of this city and
brought to light this day that was ever known or
recorded in the History of man. Clawson who
was shot dead a few days since while resisting the
officers of Justice He was buried by the Citiesy authorities
some of Clawsons friends obtained permission from
the sextion to take up the bodiesy and remove it to the
Big Cotton Burying ground they took up the coffin
containing the body of Moroni Clawson and when
they opened the coffin they found the corps Naked
which was cloathed when it was buried this led
to a careful inquiry & Examination. Jesse C. Little
the Sexton had imployed a Man b[y] the name of
John Baptiste to dig the graves & bury the dead from
1859 up to the present time the police immediately

went to his house and made a serch and they found
many Bundles of graves cloathes about his house in
various parts they also found a large Box filled full
of the clothing of the dead from little infants to the aged of
both sexes. Mr Baptiste was at the grave yard at the
time the poliece went up to him and he was picking up
cobble stones & took him up to the grave of Clawson
and accused him of Robing the dead body He denyed
it but after being choaked a while He confessed it and
then confessed that th he had been robing the dead for
Two and a half years they then took him down to prision
and all of the clothing of the dead found in his possession
was taken to the Court House and there Exhibited so
that any persons who had buried friends since He had
been diging graves might se if they could recognize the
grave clothes Mrs Woodruff & myself went down to
se if we could recognize the grave cloths of Father Woodruff
but we could recognize Nothing as the Aprons were all
destroyed and the robes taken to peaces. There lay the grave
cloths of fifty persons or more some twenty pair of little
childrens stockings and the clothing of all ages male
& female which that man had striped from the dead
Bodies of Saints & sinners. He done his work mostly
nights He had a house nearest to the grave yard so that no
person had detected him in his diabolical work. The anoun-
cement of it to the public created great consternation through
the city. On Being questioned Baptiste acknowledged that
He had been carriying on this Hellish work for three years and
a half his ownly motive was to seell the clothing He said the
devil was in him which I think was true

I would probably range from One to three Hundred some
10 graves were opened to day several of them were found robed
He gave a list of some 15 Names which he had robed of late
some of those graves have been opened & the bodies found
Naked. John Baptiste was Born in Venace in 1814. What will
be done with the man I do not know

It was afterwords reported that John Baptist was branded in
the forehead as A Robber of the dead, & croped & placed upon
Millers Island, & he undertook to cross onthe Lake on a frail
Raft & was drowned as supposed as he never was heard
of after. He robed the dead in Australia to such an Extent
that he built a methodist meeting house with the avails of his
robery so he testified.

27 I met at 1 oclok at the 17 ward school House to attend
the meeting of the Jordon Irrigation Company for the purpose
of the organization of the company. Presidents B. Young & D H.
Wells was present. W. Woodruff was appointed President G A
Smith Treausurer, R. L. Campbell Secretary, Alonzo H Raleigh
Enoch Reese George B. Wallace John H. Rumell & Hiram B
Clawson a Board of 5 directors. I spent the Evening at the
Historians Office with the board of Directors