Item Detail
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17217
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21
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20
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English
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"Pursue, Retake & Punish" : The 1857 Santa Clara Ambush
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Utah Historical Quarterly
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Winter 2005
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73
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1
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Salt Lake City, UT
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Utah Historical Society
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64-86
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John Tobin, John Williams, John C. Petro and one unidentified man, while traveling to California, were attacked by a barrage of gunfire along the Santa Clara River (Utah) on February 17, 1857. Tobin, the only Latter-day Saint, was wounded in the face and taken to California by mail carriers. Although newspapers carried accounts of Tobin's apostasy, he returned unafraid to Salt Lake City in early 1858, belying reports of his deviancy. He was married to Sarah Jane Rich, daughter of Charles C. Rich. Tobin was called on a mission to Scotland where he was excommunicated due to drunkenness and other objectionable behaviors. Perpetrators of the "Santa Clara Ambush," in which Tobin was wounded, have never been identified, but the author believes the gunmen were whites, not Indians. The attack was likely due to mistaken identity, probably intended for two ex-convicts traveling through the Utah Territory. Brigham Young warned the settlers along the route to California to be wary of these ex-prisoners in case stock were stolen. The excitement of the Mormon Reformation and the Utah War, in addition to Brigham Young's warnings recorded in two letters, could have created circumstances where extra-legal action, such as the attack along the Santa Clara River, was considered appropriate by local settlers.
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