The daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami Co., Minn.) 1903-1904, 1904-01-04
Con Davis, Well Known in
Bemidji MOrtally Wound
ed atFl0OdWO0d
CAME TO THE TOWN TO LOOK
FOR TROUBLE
Takes Possession of Saloon and
Runs Things With a High
High For Some Time.

Con Davis, lum berjack rough
and tumble fighter Of some re-
nown, we'll known in this city,
and considered a bad man when
drinking went from Hibbing TO
Floodwood Friday to collect a
life for an eye and lies mortally
wounded in a hoJe] at F'loodwood.
Davis was at one time employ
ed in this city as a bartender and
is we'll known to the Woodsmen
all over this section Of the state.
He went to FloodWood with the
avowed intention of killing W. G..
Carlin, a saloon keeper and was
himself mortally wounded by
the village marshal. Frank Cam
eron, who is also known in Be-
midi, after about twenty shots
were fired.
Two months ago Davis en-
gagged in a fight in Carlin's sa-
loon. Davis was a man who
was hard to handle when aroused
and though he was about fifty
years old, he bore his age
lightly, and had the appearance
of a powerful man in the prime
of life. Dissipation and hard
knocks haye made little impress
sion on the giant woodsman. The.
man with whom Davis fought hit
him with a mallet, destroying the
use of one eye. 1t is not def
nitelv known who Davis fought
with, but it was not W. G. Carlin,
though Davis for some reason
charges the loss of his eye to that
individual
Davis, it is said, sent word
from Hibbing to Carlin at Flood
wood, that he was coming down
soon to kill him. Carlin paid
little heed to the notice, suppos-
ing that Davis was drinking and
would forget about it when he
became sober. It transpires,
however, that Davis was as good
as his word. He arrived at Flood
wood Friday afternoon and
proceeded straight from the train
to Carlln's saloon. He entered
with 38-caliber revolver in his
hand and proceeded to shoot up
the place. Carlin was behind the
bar and Village Marshall Frank
Cameron was in the place with a
number Of other men. Directly
everybody made a run for the
back door, whereupon Davis
calmly took possession of the
place. He helped himself, it is
said, to the contents of the cash
drawer, which amounted to $18,
and took few drinks on the alb
sent proprietor, whom he had
come down to shoot. He then
went to the door and fired a few
shots at random, which had the
effect of sending people to cover.
In the meantime Marshal Cam.
eron had procured a 22-caliber
rifle, and he and several other
people, including the local deputy
sheriff, proceeded to dislodge the
man. Davis was seen peering
from a window and fred two
shots at the besieging party.
Cameron fired and the bullet
pierced the sash andstruck Davis
in the forehead. The force of the
small missile was too near spent
after going through the wood tc
penetrate the skull, but the blood
flowed freely. Davis returned
the fire as we'll as he could with.
out exposing himself, but his
bullets went wild. The besieging
party grew in size, and kept
coming closer. Finally the front
door was kicked open and Cam.
eron shot Davis through the alb
domen. Davis fell and Cameron
and the other men rushed in on
him in time to see him turn his
revolver against himself. The
bullet struck a rib and glanced