The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-08-26
DEVIL JACK WILSON.
HOW HE SHOWED HIS CONTEMPT
FOR NITRoeLYceRiN.
Held Up a Can aud Let a Drunken Man
Throw Rocks at It-Used IL Himself To
PsIt n Nevada Lynx That Followed Him.
rhis Last Act Cost Him His Position.


Peit a Nevada Lynx That Followed Him.
This Last Act Cost Him His Position.
81 have been In nearly every mining |
camp in the United States west of the |
Mississippi river and In all mining sections |
In Mexico aud have, Of course, seen some |
of the toughest frontier life anywhere"
said J. NJ Howard, an old time miner |
from Tombstone, A. T., at the hotel the
other evening. "Such characters as Wild
Bill, Yellowstone Jack and the dozens OF
others who have been famous in flash liter
allure for an apparent recklessness OF hui
man life and daredevil deeds have been
known to me personally. But the most
ultra reckless of them all and the most
Indifferent man to his own safety ever
came across was little, squeaky voiced,
bashful teamster named John Wilson. l
never can forget that fellow, and neither
will the hundreds of men who were COM
PEELED to work about him.
"Wilson was at work for mining COM
pany In Alpine county, In central Call
fornia, in 1877. Nitroglycerin was used
to loosen the gold quartz In the hard, rocky
sides of the mountain. There were lot
of men In camp who passed for bold, reck-
less and fearless fellows, and each would
have made a good character for sangui-
nary dime novel But when any of them
was offered $50 or 500 a week and found,
lust to drive the nitroglycerin wagon
from the railroad station, five miles away,
TO the mining camp every other day, 1t
was amusing to hear the excuses he would
make for preferring to work like Trojan
ten hours a day down In the quartz mine
for $5 a day.
"John Wilson happened to hear that a
man was wanted at bang mp good pay and
easy work to haul the explosive, and he
came 20 miles post haste TO the superin'
tendent of the mine to get the job. he
was told all about the awful risk he took
and was informed it was possible that an
imperceptible jar of his wagon on that road
at any time might blow him and his
| horses into eternity, but that made no
| difference with Wilson. He wanted the
| job.
| He soon became known among all the
| miners In that part OF California as DeVii
Jack, and IL was a fit name for him he had
| a chum named Bill Soggs, who was al
most as reckless as Jack. have seen MN
and Blu play catch with cans Of glycerin
thew were unloading, the dropping of one
OF which to the ground would more than
L likely ndNo WtPc0 Wv "
person around the diggings.
"It got 30 that whenever Jack Wilson
had load Of nitroglycerin to unload at the
camp everybody else except Bill Soggi
took to the woods or hid behind the camp
buildings and staid there until the stun was
ont of their custody. Once Devil Jaci
held a great can of glycerin above his head
| and let drunken miner named Paterson
| throw ten stones at IL from distance o
40 feet ON q bet Of eco that he couldn
hit the can once out of the ten times. Thi
WAS at Smiths diggings, and the who'll
camp watched tho insane proceeding ron
| a safe distance on the hill. One OF tn
stones hit Jack on the arm, not two inche
| below the can and knocked 1t out OF hi
hand. He caught the can, though, befor
IL reached the ground, or the throwing
match would have ended there and then
!. with the burial of such bits of Jack an
the miner as could be found, and the
would have been exceedingly few an
; small. The latter came close to the ca
several times during the trial, but faile
to hit it, and Jack won his bet.
Gin those DAYS the woods all throug
the mining regions were full of wild an
mails, and 1t was not an uncommon sign
10 see n bear or Nevada lynx or cati
e mount prowling around the camps or ist
lated villages The lynx was frequeptl
very aggressive and bold, and 1t wa
greatly feared by the miners and worke,
}. on the outside of the camps. More tina
once men had been attacked by lynxe
and James Carter was so badly hurt
i | fighting one off that had jumped from
: | tree upon him as he was driving throue
n piece of woods that he died OF his inJ'
ries. One day Devil Jack was on his wa
to n well with n load Of nitroglycerin ca
e tridges, and he picked the road throue
3 | what was known as Conway swoous' ID
discovered a Nevada lynx stealing aiof
through the branches OF the trees AT o.
N side of the road and Keeping even WI
tho wagon He called Jacks attention
y the animal, and Jack said IL was watchii
for n chance to attack them, but declar
that n it followed them as far as Rodney
Gulch he would get rid OF the dangero
D. beast i.
"Rodney's gulch was gap In
IL woods. n rayine 20 feet wide and as mai
he decp. The lynx did follow the men as
IN | as the opening, and Jack stopped his wa
on The LYNX crouched O few feet aw
from the edge Of the nearest wall OF I
Dr. rayipe. and before Soggs surmised nc
a. lack intended to get rid of the amin
h. Jack grabbed up a small tin can or ca
fridge of nitroglycerin and hurled 1t WI
all his strength at the lynx, which was
Il. over 20 feet away. The cartridge stru
- the soft body Of the lynx square on O
side and knocked the animal over on
is back. The flesh and fur OF the animal
n not offer resistance to the little can su
90 Gent to cause conclusion enough to explo
II. but the can rolled to the ground
NC slowly down a gradual decline that
&c, From where the lynx lay to the edge Oh
ID ravine wall.
.That was probably the first and l
time wild animal was ever hunted W
n. pint nitroglycerin cartridges, and that
the last trip Devil'Jack ever drove Tor
ed company he was working for. He was
! a discharged because he so recklessiy end
u. gered life and property by thowing cans
:. nitroelycerin at wildcat, but because
co drove ON from the ravine without gett
ed hack tho can he threw, and the comps
ct, would not stand such waste OF q
nd nroperty. st. Louis Globc-Democrat.
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