The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-11-20


who then lay down and died beside his
companion Both had been killed by
.44-caIibre bullets. At their camp was
found an old rifle which had been
cleaned after it was last fired
Sheep and Cattlemen's War.
The killing followed long and bitter
war between the sheepmen and cattle
men of the region. The great Sparks
Hereld Cattle company, headed by
Governor John Sparks OF Nevada, had
ranches in that section. The employees
of the cattle company had long been
at strife with the sheepmen, who ques-
toned the right or the cattiemen to the
range. The eattlemen claimed exeluts-
I've rights to the range west of the df-
vide and endeavored to drive the sheep
men off it.
Among the employees of the cattle
company were 'Diamondfield jack
| Davis and Fred Gleason. Gleason bore
a good character, but Davis was known
as one of the hardest men in the coun-
try. His career had been a picturesque
one, filed with desperate deeds, OF
! which he made no secret From his
claim to having lived in the diamond
| fields of South Africa at one time
! came his name of "Diamondfield
Jack" OF small stature, dark COM
| plexion and reckless nature he had
been mixed up in all kinds of desper-
ate scrapes In the western country. He
was generally known as wicked gun
fighter who would shrink from nothing
Davis Previous Language Hurt.
Far from attempting to conceal his
adventures Davis talked of them free
", even boastingly. At his trial it was
shown that he had for months openly
declared that he would drive the sheep
west of the divide if it became neces-
sary TO clean out every sheep camp in
! the basin. Il will shoe my horse with
/ rawhide," he declared, $50 the Old
Nick couldn't track me. IF these sheep
| herders come over the divide they've
| got to face Winchester5.''
Il would like" he said again, "to
have Bill Tolman come across. want
20 make target out of him" On Nov
| 10, 1885. he saw TolInan and endeav-
ored 10 live up 20 his threat by firing
at Tolman. The shot missed and Toll
man escaped. TEL John Wilson," Zone
of the murdered boys). Davis said dur
ing that fall, Ito move right over the
ridge or there viii be trouble Il am
going to hold this ridge" he asserted.
crosses the divide" To a merchant OF
Deeth, New. Davis explained he was
! getting $40 a month for shooting
sheepherders."
The Middlestacks and Bears Nest
ranches in Nevada and the Brown
ranch in Idaho belonged to the Sparks
( Herold Cattle company. by which Da-
Wis was employed. It is ten or twelve
miles from the Middlestack ranch to
| the Bears Nest, eighteen miles from
there to the Brown ranch, and fifteen
| TO eighteen miles from the Brown
ranch to the scene of the killing. The
sheep camp was between fifteen and
twenty miles from the Bears Nest
ranch.
Davis Suspicious Actions.
On Jan. %, 1895, Davis and Gleason
appeared at the Middlestacks ranch.
Both carried .3S-ealiber Winchesters
and Colts revolvers.' Davis revolver
was Of .45-caIiber but he was shoot
ing .44-calIber cartridges from it. Glea-
sons weapon was a A They were
both practicing shooting. On Jan. 30
they went to the Bears Nest ranch.
Here Davis exchanged a light-colored
canvass coat for darker garment, ex-
planning that the canvass coat was too
easy TO see at night. They went TO the
Brown ranch, where they remained un-
til sunrise on Feb. 4, the day Of the
killing. Early in the afternoon of Feb.
., however, they left the Brown ranch
with their weapons and did not re-
turn until 10 o'clock at night. 1t was
shown that during that time they had
been shooting up" the Dunn sheep
camp but nobody was hurt on that
occasion.
At sunrise on the morning of Feb. 4
they left the Brown ranch. They were
seen at the Bears Nest ranch between
l and in the afternoon OF that day,
and returned 10 the Middlestacks ranch
| in the evening, where Davis took back
his light-colOTed coat. Sometime after
they left the Brown ranch that day
| the murders were committed. 1t was
/ shown at the trial that they had been
! feeding grain to their horses during
| the seven or eight days they were in
/ the neighborhood, and that they en-
! deavored to keep their presence a Sc
cret.
II was natural that Davis should be
suspected. Davis kept out Of Idaho
/ until his arrest, but he was seen at
1 the Middlestacks ranch on Feb. is. two
/ days after the finding of the bodies. He
was later arrested at the penitentiary
in Yuma, Ariz., where he was known
| by the name Of Frank Woodson, and
/ brought TO Idaho for trial. Gleason
was also arrested.
Governor Sparks Faithful.
Governor Sparks, who had reason TO
| believe Davis innocent, proved a loyal
| friend to his employee 1t is estimated
Governor Sparks spent not less than
$4,000 in fighting the case against Da-
! Wis. The governors attitude. which was
vindicated by facts that developed aft
erward, drew forth much eensure II
was charged that Governor Sparks
feared Davis might make a confession
duplicating the company. Disregarding
this, however, Governor Sparks stood
/ behind Davis until the latter was given
| his freedom. He is a tough PROPOSE
| ton" the governor was heard to re-
mark frequently when discussing the
case, but he did not do this killing and
I am going TO save him if I can" 1t
/ became known later that another man
/ had confessed the shooting to Governor
| Sparks soon after the affair took place.
but refused to make his confession
| public until satisfied that every re-
| source had been exhausted in the eff
fort to save Davis
! Governor Sparks retained James II.
Hawley and X. I. Perky of Boise 10
| defend Davis. "The most brilliant de-
Tense I ever knew i'm a criminal case. -
! is the way Judge Powers characterizes
the fight put up for Davis. Sheepmen
of Idaho retained Judge Powers and
w. E. Borah TO assist the prosecution.
Battle Feared in Court.
The trial OF Davis was held at AL
biOn. The feeling was tense The
town was filed BIZ cowboys and sheep
men and an outbreak appeared likely
at any moment. 1t was feared the an
nouncement OF the verdict might pre-
| cinifafn q haffln In the court rom hut