The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-28
Has a Bullet in His Jaw
but Is Rapidly Re-
covering.

<<@ IAMONDFIELD JACK" DA-
Wis is back in Salt Lake
rapidly recovering from his
thrilling encounter in Butte
with three armed assailants. Davis
has nasty bullet wound in his face,
but he is not letting it bother him
much. One of the men who sought to
kill him is believed to be dying in a
Butte hospital. The other two are be-
ing sought by the Butte police. Though
the three men who attacked Davis
were armed with pistols, Davis put all
three to rout with small pocket
knife. The deep cuts he inflicted on
one man are beloved to be fatal.
The bullet which entered Davis Jaw
tore out large molar and split Davis Is
tongue. Another bullet went through
his hat, half an inch from his skull.
Davis regards the encounter in his u.s.
ual philosophical way and Is inclined
to credit his escape to the proverbial
luck which has saved him from almost
certain death q hundred times rather
than to his wonderful personal cour-
age.
For more than twenty years Davis
has faced death almost daily and his
hair breadth escapes have given him
the reputation Of bearing charmed
as souvenirs Of various encounters that
he has to take it into account every
time he gets weighed In order to arrive
at his true weight.
Some Narrow Escapes.
Among the escapes from certain
death that Davis has had are:
A dozen encounters with Kafirs In
the diamond fields of South Africa,
where Davis learned to shoot perfectly
with either hand.
Ambushed in a South American jun
gle, he and fourteen others cut their
way to safety through 400 natives.
Was the target for q score of gun
men on the "sheep" side Of the sheep
and cattlemen Is war in Idaho and Ne
vada
Was twice sentenced to death In Ida
no on charges Of numbering sheep herd
ers, but was pardoned shortly before
the execution was to take place, it
being shown that he was innocent.
Was marked for death in the labor
ulous escapes from death while leading
the fight against the I. W. W.
Was captured by federal troops in
Mexico, tried at drumhead courf-mar-
tial and sentenced to be shot to death,
but escaped through the federal lines
the night that the commanding officer
had wired that Davis had already been
executed,
Armed only with knife he success
fully fought off three armed assailants
at Butte, winning desperate fight
against great odds.
Own Story of Fight.
"Diamondfeld Jack IS" story of the
fight at Butte is told by him with char.
acteristic modesty He said:
I was in Butte to interest
friends in a mining proposition at
Rochester Last Tuesday a man
met me in saloon and told me to
leave town. / told him I wouldn't
Later that evening stranger ac-
costed me on the street and warned
would be killed. Late that night
someone knocked on my door at
the hotel and told me If I didn It
leave town Wednesday morning 7
wouldn't live through the day. I
knew then that I was marked for
slaughter by the I. w. W., but I
didn't think they would attack me
in broad daylight.
On Wednesday afternoon went
into an automobile supply store to
see about GETTING work for friend.
Three men followed me inside the
door and several more gathered at
the entrance One young fellow
pulled gun and fired In my face
The force Of the bullet crashing
through my Jaw hoored me, but I
caught the fellows arm and point
ed the gun upward. The next shot
went through my hat and several
others hit the ceiling
In falling ! had pulled the man
with the gun over on top Of me.