The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-03
JUROR JACK DAVIS
BE Was Such an Honest Man That
All the Lawyers Wanted Him
HAD PLENTY OF MONEY
Proved to Be the Greatest Stage
Robber on the Pacific
Coast-Was a Good
Poker Player.

the other day. "of playing poker with
one OF the greatest stage robbers that
was ever turned out on the Pacific
coast and / think the man who COM
mitted about the first train robbery In
the history OF the United States
1T was years ago. I think the year
was 1870. that 1 knew him best. His
name was Jack Davis. 1t was In the
days when Virginia City, New. was In
that condition that we call all right
I say the fellows name was Jack Da-
Wis. Pardon me. his name was Mr. A.
j. Davis. Hon A. ]. Davis. W you
please. for he was one OF the solid
men OF Virginia City. Everybody liked
Jack Davis. He was what people CALI
ed a man. There was something about
his every act which made him the big
man of the community. His great rep
utation was for honesty. In those
| days. you know. II wasn't the easiest
thing in the world to find an honest
man. and Jack Davis was supposed to
be one of the few honest men OF Vir-
ginia City.
"Of course he was a miner. Every
body was a miner in the 70's' We
used to have a great many big suits
over mining claims and the biggest
| lawyers OF California were involved in
them. II was the one great desire OF
| those lawyers when they came to Vir-
| ginia City to try a big case to get Jack
Davis on as a juror. He was such an
honest man. they said. Either side
would accept him. so that IL he were
on the jury list. you bet he served as
Juror In criminal cases the state al
| ways wanted him. because IL was
| we'll known fact about the community
that II the state made out any kind OF
| a case Davis would vote for conviction.
Davis always seemed to have plenty
of money and people used TO say that
| he was lucky at mining and that he
| always struck good paying dirt. II
| was nobody's business how such a man
| as he got his money because he was
known as the l0ing-pin OF honesty.
Davis always liked to play poker
and have sat at the table in a good
many games with him. While every
body In the city was his friend. yet he
would not mingle with the lower class
| OF miners He wouldn't DE seen In
| saloon playing cards, but would go 10
| some private room, where he and his
friends would enjoy their game. A
| great friend OF Davis was the dis
trict Judge. another man who stood
high In the community. And now as
to the first train robbery that ever oc-
CURED on the coast and as / said be-
| fore think in the United States.
ut created great excitement In Call
| fornia. At that time we were having
a great many stage robberies. Stages
were constantly being held up near
Virginia City and d was known that
some one in the city was doing II. but
| the authorities had no proof agains'
| anybody. so what were you going 20 do
about it7 In fact people didn't discuss
the matter with strangers. II a rob
berry was committed one night, when
you showed up at breakfast the next
| morning you didn't talk much.
you read the papers and kept quiet.
| for II was possible that the man who
| took breakfast with you was the chap
| who had committed the robbery And
so. somehow. you got educated TO keep
\ your mouth shut. Sometimes IL was
| hard. but then II was honest.
| That train robbery occurred one
| night in the fall OF 1871. That day an
enormous amount Of gold had been
| shipped from San Francisco and was
destined for Nevada. Considerable OF
| Il was to pay the miners at Virginia
| City. But II never reached US. That
night at Verdi. which was a lonely
place within ope and a half miles OF
| the boundary line between California
and Nevada. the train was held up by
a dozen masked men. They detached
| the express car from the engine and
| while one party looked after the train
| hands and passengers to see that they
made no resistance, the others went
through the safe and took the money.
1t CHANGED that there were $40. 900 on
| the car that night The leader OF the
gang, who was mounted on horse.
| took the gold and placed II in two en-
ormous boots. He made the boots bal
ance as near as possible IN his haste.
| threw them over the horn of his sad
| die and in less than 20 minutes the
| train robbers had disappeared. The
express company. which was the loser.
had detectives at work for months and
| months and made every possible eff
fort 10 get the money and the robbers.
AT last one OF the number made
some kind OF a break while drunk and
/ playing at faro and one OF the detect
/ ives who was present dropped onto It,
/ He worked along with the others for
another year and one day the COM
munlty was shocked 10 learn that Jack
/ Davis the most popular man In Vtr-
| ginia City. was a prisoner. charged
with the great train robbery. No one
would believe 81.
Davis called upon the Judge OF the
/ district court 10 prove an abb. He
/ showed that on the night OF the rob
| berry he. the judge and two others. had
been engaged in poker game in a
| private room. II was admitted. how
game that about midnight Davis had
| announced that he was sleepy and
would take an hours rest He went
/ into an adjoining room and 10 was
supposed took elis nap. An hour later
| ne showed up on the scene. took his
/ hand and played Il until morning.
Abundance OF evidence was intro
/ duced at the trial 10 show that during
/ that hour Davis had mounted the fast
/ e.: horse in Virginia City. known the
i coast over as Cock-a-DOodle. and by
keeping the ridge Of the mountains. in
| stead OF going down in the valley.
| managed 10 reach Verdi in less than
| 20 minutes. Then he took part In the
4 robbery and IL was he who had placed