Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-05-13

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but anywhere else, II you had shot
human being In the back and killed
him. ron surely would have been
punished. advise you to get out
Of Nanpa as quickly as possible
The operator departed that night
and never returned.
Jack . Gun.Fighter.
TELL me about Diamond Field
Jack?" / asked.
HE was gun-fghter and a cow
boy, and was quicker with his hands
and On his feet than any person Il
have ever seen. He worked for the
Sparks-Harrell Cattle company in
Nevada. In those days there was
friction between cattle and sheep
men over the boundary lines OF their
pastuFage. A line was never re-
spected, as the saying went, until
somebody had been killed upon 1t.
Two sheep herders, SO it appeared,
had been shot down In cold blood and
given no chance for their lives. One
OF them, wounded on the range, had
dragged himself to his covered wagon
WHERE he died The bodies were not
found until IA days after the crimes
were committed. ] was employed by
the Sheep Owners association to dis
cover and prosecute the murderer.
"Going to the town of Wells, In
Nevada, hired horse and rode to
Albion, in Idaho, stopping at the cat
tie ranches on the way and seeking
Information. | was roughly dressed
and no one knew my name or occu-
patton One night came to Sparks
Harrell ranch Of which a negro named
Harris was the foreman. / talked
about the killing OF the sheepherders,
and he told me that Diamond Field
Jack, whom he seemed to dislike. had
stayed over night at the ranch two
or three days previous to the MUIR
der. He changed his light-colored
suit for black clothing saying he had
some work to do after dark. Harris
also noticed that he had a .45-caliber
revolver loaded and 44-caliber
cartridges. Diamond Field Jack. he
said with anger, lay in his bed and
shot at the rafters overhead. Harris
showed me the bullet holes. Jack
had returned later and had spoken
vaguely but exultantly about doing
business with couple OF sheep
herders
I'VE were pretty well prepared,
therefore, to prosecute Diamond Field
Jack for murder. The trial was ire
merdously interesting. The sheep
men, OF whom there was large and
nervous representation in town. SYM
pathized with the prosecution. The
cattlemen, equally as numerous and
expeditions. were not partisans of the
prisoner. Certain persons before
each session of the court were
searched and relieved OF their weap-
ons. During the trial Diamond Field
lack made cheerful lunge toward
me, but an officer caught him. We
proved that the sheep herders had
been killed with 44-caliber cartridges
fred from 46-caliber revolver
When Harris was put ON the stand he
knew nothing, Strangely enough, he
did not recognize me as a guest Of
a not very remote evening. began
his eross-examination by asking II he
remembered the man who stopped
with him all night, and to whom he
told about Jacks revolver. his change
of clothing, and so on. He was so
badly frightened and so much sur
prised that he made clean breast
OF the whole matter to the jury.
''piamond Field Jack was convicted
ana sentenced to be hanged. Thirty
minutes before the hour fixed for his
execution the gallows being up and
the rope noosed and dangling. further
proceedings were stopped by writ
~ hahaas cornus Afterwafd his