h/o Sarah Ann Hoopes.

John Pratt Kennedy Bird

Suicide at Mendon— The following is the result of an inquisition holden upon the body of John Bird, who committed suicide in Mendon on Wednesday morning: Territory of Utah, County of Cache, Mendon Precinct. An inquisition holden in Mendon precinct, Cache county, this tenth day of March, 1886, before me, Christian Sorensen, a justice of the peace in said precinct in said county, upon the body of John P.K. Bird, now lying dead before us jurors whose names are hereunto subscribed, the said jurors upon their oaths, so say that the said John P.K. Bird came to his death by premeditated suicide, by a gun shot administered by his own hand. In testimony whereof the said jurors have hereunto set their hands the day and year aforesaid. Joseph Baker, Jens Jensen, Jeremiah Baker, In testimony whereof I have this day set my hand and affixed my signature, Christian Sorensen. Justice of the Peace in and for the precinct of Mendon. Mendon, March 10th, 1880. ~The Journal, March 13th, 1886, page 3.

Mendon has Hardly— recovered from the shock caused by the suicide of John Bird. The deceased was fifty-nine years old instead of fifty-five, as stated by telegram. He was an honest and hard working man and although a number of accounts have stated there was no known cause for his rash act, yet here in town the whole story is generally known and commented upon, and if the facts are such as is spoken of and brought out by the inquest, it would seem that remorse, regret, aching hearts and sleepless nights must be the lot of some of those nearest to him. Family trouble or domestic infelicity was the cause of the fearful deed. He told many that he saw no other way out of his difficulty than suicide and took a solemn oath that he would do it inside of one week if things did not change, the day before he slew himself. His affairs were all straight, all his debts paid. He borrowed a Spencer rifle from one of his brothers, and some cartridges of another, under the pretense of shooting some dogs that had been worrying his sheep. His trouble, as near as known, is some year and a half or two years old. The writer of this heard him a year ago say that he was a broken hearted man and had lost his grip on account of domestic trouble, and tears filled the old man's eyes as he, in a calm voice, spoke partly of the course of affairs. ~The Journal, March 17th, 1886, page 3.

Determined Suicide at Mendon, Utah— Special to the Democrat. Mendon, Utah, March 10th. John Bird, aged fifty-five, suicided about 6:30 this morning, in his stock-yard, by shooting himself in the left breast with a rifle. He was dead when found. The particular cause of the act is not known. He leaves a wife and thirteen children. ~Salt Lake Evening Democrat, March 10th, 1886.