Stuff You Missed in History Class

Episode: Jean Baptiste: Grave Robber at Large

Air Date: January 7, 2026
Hosts: Holly Fry & Tracy V. Wilson

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the chilling historical case of Jean Baptiste, a gravedigger in 19th-century Salt Lake City whose shocking crimes of grave robbing came to light in 1862. Holly and Tracy guide listeners through his confounding origins, connections to the LDS church, the details and aftermath of his notorious crimes, the reaction of the Salt Lake community, and his mysterious disappearance. The story raises questions about justice, memory, and how communities process traumatic events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Origins of Jean Baptiste (03:45–07:45)

• Mysterious Roots: Jean Baptiste's birth year (1814) and place (often cited as Venice, Italy, though some say France) are both subject to dispute.
• Elusive Early Life: Little known about his background until the 1850s.
• Australian Gold Rush: Baptiste is drawn to Victoria, Australia, amid the gold rush, where moral decay is rampant and missionaries from the LDS Church are active.

"He had been raised Roman Catholic, but he had problems with the church and he left that church to join the Church of England. He was not happy in the Anglican Church, and then he moved on to the Methodist Church." - Holly Fry (04:27)

2. Conversion and Journey to Salt Lake City (05:41–08:23)

• Baptiste meets LDS missionaries, donates his self-built chapel to them, and immediately seeks baptism.
• Plans to bolster the new Salt Lake settlement lead Baptiste to emigrate, though a shipwreck delays his journey.
• Settles in Salt Lake City by 1859, taking the post of gravedigger at the city cemetery, marrying, and opening a tailoring shop.

3. The Crime Discovered: Moroni Clawson and Initial Investigation (08:23–14:54)

• In 1861, Baptiste buries Moroni Clawson, a local outlaw. Clawson's body, when exhumed, is found to be lacking burial clothes.
• Triggering the Investigation: Officer Henry Heath, who paid for Clawson's burial suit, investigates.
• Baptiste's house reveals a trove of stolen burial garments, implicating him in mass grave robbing.

"Judge, if you can, our horror and surprise when we discovered that this clothing was the funeral robes of people who had been buried in the city cemetery for several years past." - Henry Heath (13:33)

• An emotional Heath fears for his daughter's grave:

  “When I tell you that I had a short time previously buried an idolized daughter, and when I feared that her grave, too had been desecrated...perhaps you can partly comprehend it.” - Henry Heath (14:07)

4. Public Outrage and Police Action (14:54–17:53)

• Baptiste confesses to many thefts under duress—over 300 graves estimated as disturbed.
• Mass public panic ensues; families rush to exhume loved ones and identify burial clothing displayed in the courthouse.
• Police ultimately bury the unclaimed grave clothes in a large communal grave.

“Yes, it was a sorrowful spectacle to see a mother identify and weep over an article of clothing which belonged to a darling child long since dead...” - Henry Heath (17:30)

5. Alternate Versions and Further Controversy (17:53–19:36)

• Later accounts suggest the case broke not from Clawson’s exhumation, but from a woman recognizing her infant daughter’s dress in Baptiste’s shop window.
• Raises questions about shifting public memory and the evolution of "official" narratives.

6. Motivation and Fallout for the LDS Community (19:36–20:57)

• Baptiste claims he sold the clothes for money, both in Australia and Salt Lake, even using proceeds to fund the chapel in Victoria.
• Deep distress for LDS followers, especially due to religious concerns over burial rites.

7. Brigham Young’s Address to the Flock (20:57–25:34)

• Brigham Young delivers a prominent sermon responding to the crisis (February 9th, 1862).
• Emphasizes that the spiritual welfare of the dead is unharmed, urging the community to remain calm.
• Dismisses hanging or shooting Baptiste, instead wishing him to become a "fugitive and vagabond upon the earth," yet his intent is ambiguous.

"To hang a man for such a deed would not satisfy my feelings. What shall we do with him? Shoot him? No, that would do no good to anybody but himself..." - Brigham Young (21:24)

• Young also addresses ghostly visitations:

  “Some I have been informed can now remember having had singular dreams...imagined that they might have proceeded from the spirits of the dead calling on their friends to give them clothing for they were naked... I have little faith in these wrappings.” – Brigham Young (24:09)

8. Baptiste’s Punishment: Exile (27:23–29:27)

• No trial is held; authorities, fearing public lynching, secretly banish Baptiste to Fremont Island in the Great Salt Lake.
• Before exile, Baptiste is tattooed on his forehead ("Branded for robbing the dead" or simply "Grave Robber") and possibly has his ears cut off (per some later accounts).
• He’s left with cattle and minimal supplies in isolation on the island.

“...to give him a chance for his life, to save him in reality, from an exasperated public, it was decided to banish him. And a well-stocked island in the Great Salt Lake was chosen for his future home.” – Albert Dewey (27:23)

9. The Great Disappearance (29:27–31:33)

• Roughly six weeks after exile, local ranchers discover Baptiste has vanished. Evidence of a makeshift raft from cattle hide and dismantled shack suggests an escape attempt.
• Baptiste is never conclusively seen again, though rumors abound (fleeing to Montana, San Francisco, or even back to Australia).

10. Later Theories and the Search for Closure (31:33–36:00)

• In 1893, a skull and shackled skeleton are found near the Jordan River; a newspaper claims it’s Baptiste, cementing a local legend.
• Direct witnesses (Heath and Dewey) refute this, saying Baptiste was never shackled.
• The episode highlights differing versions and embellishments in the retelling of history.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Community Terror:

  "It was a sorrowful spectacle to see a mother identify and weep over an article of clothing which belonged to a darling child long since dead..." – Henry Heath (17:30)

• On the Nature of Justice:

  "To hang a man for such a deed would not satisfy my feelings... What I would do... I would make him a fugitive and a vagabond upon the earth." – Brigham Young (22:13)

• Musing on Ghosts:

  “Some I have been informed can now remember having had singular dreams and others have heard rapping...and have imagined... spirits of the dead calling on their friends to give them clothing for they were naked... I have little faith in these wrappings.” – Brigham Young (24:09)

• On Speculation and Mystery:

  “Where's the guy with the tattoo on his head? We don't know.” – Holly Fry (36:14)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• Origins & Australian Gold Rush: 03:45–07:45
• Conversion & Emigration: 05:41–08:23
• Discovery of Grave Robbing: 08:23–14:54
• Community Reaction: 14:54–17:53
• Brigham Young’s Sermon: 20:57–25:34
• Exile to Fremont Island: 27:23–29:27
• Disappearance & Theories: 29:27–36:00

Episode Highlights & Takeaways

• The Jean Baptiste saga illustrates how shocking crimes ripple through communities, challenge religious and social beliefs, and become embedded in local legend.
• It demonstrates how history is reconstructed over time, with contemporary sources often diverging dramatically from later “tidying up” narratives.
• The unresolved nature of Baptiste’s fate keeps the story a tantalizing “history mystery,” combining fact, rumor, and folklore.

For listeners fascinated by historical true crime, unsolved mysteries, and the cultural aftershocks of community trauma, this episode is an engrossing exploration—and a reminder of the power of narrative in shaping collective memory.