well liked in Farmington and the idea of coming home after a mission to be reunited with family and friends thrilled all.

Ezra T. and Mary had worried at times about his health, especially when given an account of his physical well-being by a returning missionary, Elder Hubbard, almost a year earlier.3 Ezra James was down to 129 pounds, and on his 6-0 frame it was obvious to the returning elder that his health was not strong.4 Even a modest weight gain since that time had not dissipated health concerns. But those worries were past. He
was almost home. 

The major hurdles seemed to be over with. Ezra James had survived England's intemperate climate and the voyage across the Atlantic. He would ride home in luxury on the train all the way from New York City to Laramie. His dad had arranged the trip from Laramie to Farmington with one of his finest teams.5 

The accounts go silent as to how Ezra Thompson and Mary Stevenson Clark or any of their children dealt immediately with the tragedy.

Community aroused

Stayner suggested in his weekly report to readers in the Greater Salt Lake area that the feelings of all were "aroused" by the casually transmitted news.

Besides the casual manner in which the tragic news had been received, there was no formal closure to the tragedy either as his body was buried somewhere in New York.

There is no indication who drove Ezra Thompson's team to Laramie for the anticipated happy ride home. It could have been one of his older sons still at home, Joseph or Hyrum, or a hired hand. Regardless of who drove the team it must have been a bittersweet time for the family to have the team return safely from Wyoming without Ezra James but with at least some of his things, including two pocketsize leather missionary journals. The team probably would have returned to Farmington sometime in late August when accounts detail the arrival of

3 Mission Journals of Ezra James Clark, page 62

4 Mission Journals of Ezra James Clark, pages 52-53

5 Biography of Ezra Thompson Clark, page 32

3