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Show MAY BE ERADICATED. 193 cated. He claimed a preemption right to the property, which the Mormons refused to recognize, and the churchy or the city, or Brigham Young, or all combined, also claimed the ownership, and held possession of the property. Taking into consideration these facts, together with that of his be ing a Gentile, and a kind, gentle and popular man, without personal enemies to the knowledge of any of his friends, is well calculated to cast suspicion upon the Mormon author ities. The Gentiles who have lived longest in the city, and ought to understand the people best, are strongly of the opinion that there was complicity on the part of some of those who every Sabbath occupy seats in the pulpit at the Bowery. On the other hand the Mormon press most violently de nounce the murder, and Brigham Young, and the principal of their merchants, have become subscribers for a reward for the arrest of the murderers. This the anti- Mormons pronounce to be in keeping with the acts of saints generally under such circumstances, and done to divert suspicion. About the time of the Robinson murder, several other citizens of Salt Lake narrowly escaped the severe vengeance of the Mormons, for an offence which is the only one Dr. Robinson is known to have committed against them that of claiming public lands in the vicinity of Zion. These lands have not been surveyed, nor brought into market, and the parties that settled upon them considered that they were subject to the same laws that govern other unsurveyed pub lic land. Several small tracts of these were preempted and occupied. Among other settlers was Dr. Williamson, who-had erected a temporary building on a quarter section near the Jordan. A raid was made on all such about the same time, and their buildings destroyed. Some of the parties came near being roughly handled, and among them the doctor,, who was caught, tied, and wrapped in an old tent, preparato ry to making a literal Jordan his entrance way into eternity v but he was not the least disconcerted by their conduct, and very cdolly informed the mob that he would prefer that they should " shoot him as they would a dog, rather than drown |
