The Shasta courier., 1854-12-30
Desperate Fi1ht.


We are indebted TO Messrs. Adams s. Co. for
the Mountain Democrat-Extra, of the 23d inst,
which gives an account of terrible fight said to
have occurred in Rock Canon, Ell Dorado county,
on the 10Th inst. The tale has wild look about
it, nevertheless we are not prepared to dsbe-
lieve it. The following account is given by three
miners who witnessed the whole scene, al
though too far off to give aid in any way:-
| On Yesterday, the 10Th inst, three men, who
afterwards proved to be MIR. James G. McDon-
aid, of Alabama, (now deceased,l DR.. Boliver
A. Sparks, of Miss, and a Capt. Jonathan R.
Davis, of South Carolina, were travelling on foot,
on trail within mile of our camp, to prospect
a vein OF gold-bearing quartz, some twenty or
thirty miles north OF this. As they were passing
| at the base of a mountain. three of the under
signed being out on a hunting excursion on it's
| side. saw a party of eleven men who were con.
| cealed in the bushes near the trail spring up
and commence shooting at them Mr. McDon-
aid had fallen dead ere he fired pistol, or was
| even aware of his danger. He and bis party had
| nothing but their revolvers.
| DR.. Sparks shot twice at the banditti, and then
fell severely wounded. In the meantime, Capt
Davis, (who was the first to commence shooting
in defence of himself and party in an instant af-
ter the first voley from the robbers being still
unhurt kept up an incessant firing upon them
| with his revolvers-every ball forcing its victim
to :. bite the dust'-until all the loads of both
parties seemed to have been discharged The
only four surviving robbers made charge upon
| Capt. Davis, three with bowie knives and one
with short sword or sabre. Capt. Davis stood
firmly on his ground until they rushed np abreast
| within about four steps of him lie then made
spring upon them with large bowie knife,
warded OH their blows as fast as they We're aim
ed at him-gave three of them wounds that SOON
] proved falkland having wounded The other
one, Git seemed very slishtly) and dsarmed
him by throwing his knife in the air in warding
OFT blow, generous impulse seemed to force
| him not to lnt1lct another wound npon him and
and to spare his life. AS this last man expressed
i'm tone OF gratitude before his death Captain
Davis went to work at once, tearing up his own
shirt. aud binding up the wounds of the living
-of both his friends and his enemies-to stop
their bleeding !!
! Mr.. John Webster, writing about the same
affair, says the band of robbers was composed
of two Americans, one Frenchman, five Sidney
men, four Mexicans and two men from London
| He adds antaH
Though we counted twenty eight bullet holes
through Capt Davis hat and cothes-I7 thro'
his hat, and III through his coat and shirt-he
received but two very slight flesh wounds.
| Capt. Davis served in the Mexican War in the
Palmetto Regiment. He is evidently some in
| fight, if the above account is true,-and that it
is true we the more disposed to belive for
the reason that he was, at the time of the at
| tack, i'll the continuation of bad streak of
| luck which commenced two years back, and of
| course was in most ferocious mood and we
therefore avail ourselves of this, the earliest op-
portunity, to suggest him as candidate for
Gov ernor