The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-07
FROM THE CALLOWS'
SHADOW TO WEALTH
Thrilling Experience of John
Davis in Romantic Life
of the West.

SALT LAKE, Utah, Feb 6.-Three
times condemned to be hanged for a
double murder and now a free man,
mine owner, with every prospect of
becoming a millionaire-such, in brief,
is the transition that fate has wrought
in the fortunes of John Davis, known
as "Diamondfield Jack" Riches have
come to him as the fairylike climax
to life story as picturesque as dra-
matte and spectacular as any in the
romantic history of the far West.
Newsboy, jewel hunter, detective,
cowboy, border fighter and miner. Jack
Davis has had a career that might fur
nish material for dozen dime novels.
1t has been little more than year
since this man was released from the
Idaho penitentiary, by grace of Gov.
Hunt; today he is joint owner with two
others of a rich gold mine In Nevada,
mine that has already disclosed a
fourteen foot ledge of $40 rock.
Mining men from Goldfeld, the new
camp near Tonopah, declare that Da-
Wis and his partners viii be million
aires before two years more have roll
ed away. Davis has been mining ever
since he was snatched from the shadow
of the scaffold, when death was so near
that he could almost reel the tighten
ing of the moose about his neck. He
and his associates are now owners of
the Daisy group of mines, in one Of
which the strike referred to was made.
Diamondfield Jack" Davis was one
of the leading actors in the bitter range
war of 1896, and, so far as popular
interest was concerned, he held the
center Of the stage until December,
1902, when he was released from the
Idaho state prison Davis was in the
employ of the Sparks Harrell Cattle
company, the biggest stock raising con-
Germ in Nevada, whose cattle fattened
on the ranges Of that state and Idaho
The senior member of the firm was
John Sparks, Honest john" now gov
ernor of the Silver State. The pos
session of the ranges had long been
disputed between the cattle raisers and
the sheep men. intensely bitter feuds
have resulted and many lives have
been sacrificed to the hatred between
the two classes
In the spring of 1896 this bitter feel
ing reached its height. Thousands Of
sheep were driven on to the ranges
that the cattlemen had formerly claim
ed as their own. The cattIemen pre-
pared to defend what they considered
then. territory, and armed men patrol
led the ranges Conspicuous among
these was "Diamondfeld Jack"
In the western part of Cassia county,
Idaho, the fight for the range was the
hercest. The sheepmen had been warn
ed that to cross a certain ridge near
Deep greek meant death for themselves
and their stock. Nevertheless, some of
them'aHersisted in driving their sheep
intos the forbidden territory.
Among these men were John C. Will
son and Daniel Cummings, herders.
One day a rancher found both men
dead In their camp wagon. They had
been Killed with a rifle
There were many circumstances
that seemed to point to Jack Davis
and another man as having knowledge
of the crime. They were arrested. The
man who was jointly charged with
Davis was soon released, but with
"D1amondfield Jack" it Jared worse
The jury found him guilty, and on
April IA, 1897, he was sentenced to
be hanged. The case was appealed
to the supreme court of the state.
which affirmed the Judgment of the
Wis to die, fixing the date of execution
as Oct. %, 1898. Eight days before
the sentence was to be carried out Gov.
Hunt granted the condemned man a
reprieve until Feb. 1, 1899.
Then the case was taken into the
federal courts. From the United States
circuit court of appeals the fate of
Jack" Davis was passed to the su-
preme court of the United States,
which, fpcOnptly affirmed the previous
decisions.
For the third time Davis was SEN
fenced to death, June 81, 1901, being
fixed as the date of the event
Jack" Davis was a poor man. but
powerful and wealthy friends came to
his aid, conspicuous among them being
Gov. Sparks.
When the last legal resource had
been exhausted and when it seemed
that Davis was doomed to die, the in
huence of Gov. Sparks resulted in re-
storing Jack" Davis to freedom A
temporary reprieve a day or two be-
fore the date set for the execution was
followed by full pardon and restora-
ton to citizenship, which was issued
Dec. II, 1902.
After spending six years in prison,
'Diamondfeld Jack" was free to go his
way. He chose to go to Nevada, to
the new mining camps surrounding To-
nopah, and there he found the for
tune that has set every human tongue
In the cattle country to wagging about
his phenomenal luck.
Jack Davis began life for himself
as a newsboy in London. Later he
slowed away on sailing ship bound
for South Africa. He went to the dia-
mond fields of the interior and met
with varying fortune until he attract
ed the attention of Cecil Rhodes, then
just beginning his consolidation of the
diamond interests.
Davis became a confidential detective
Tor the empire builder. Several years
of this life satisfied Davis and he came
to this country, seeking the far West
as affording the excitement and danger
he had learned to love- He drifted
about the border for several years and
then became a cowboy on the Nevada
Idaho ranges.