SOUTH HILLS — At the turn of the 20th century, a murder trial in the new state of Idaho captivated the nation — and the man at the center of it all was known as Diamondfield Jack.
On top of Pike Mountain in the South Hills, the story of Jackson Lee Davis — better known as Diamondfield Jack — is one of frontier justice, mistaken identity and outlaw legend.
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Historian and CSI professor Justin Vipperman took Neighborhood Reporter Lorien Nettleton to the site on Deep Creek where two sheepherders were found murdered in 1896, a crime that earned Davis a death sentence.
"This is — I mean, this is outlaw American West history," Vipperman said.
Vipperman said the story captures the tension of the era.
"Diamondfield Jack is such a great story because it's that kind of — that. You're on the frontier here, right?" Vipperman said. "We're watching the sheepmen and cattlemen kind of fight back-and-forth, and Diamondfield is one of those great stories."
Diamondfield Jack was an enforcer for the Sparks-Harrell Cattle Company in 1895, with a reputation for violence. His job was to patrol the boundary between cattle and sheep territory.
"Diamondfield Jack is supposed to be running the deadline and making sure that sheep herders are staying to the east of the deadline and cattlemen are to the west," Vipperman said.
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When two sheepherders were found shot to death near the Deep Creek site east of Rogerson in February 1896, suspicion fell on Davis almost immediately.
"When these two men are found dead, people immediately — over there, that's gotta be Diamondfield," Vipperman said.
He was quickly tried in Albion and sentenced to hang, despite admissions from two other men who said they were responsible for the deaths.
Vipperman said Davis's own personality may have worked against him.
"The bravado is what gets him in trouble, and he definitely had the swagger of an outlaw and he definitely carried that idea like 'I'm a hired gun,'" Vipperman said. "In fact, I would argue that his bravado is probably bigger than his action — the actual thing he was doing."
After several delays to his execution and 6 years in jail, Diamondfield Jack was pardoned in 1902.
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"I believe in my own research the Bowers and Gray were both the actual real hired guns, and the Diamondfield was — bark was worse than his bite," Vipperman said.
After his release, Diamondfield Jack prospered as a prospector in Nevada, living to the age of 85 before he was hit by a car and killed in Las Vegas in 1949.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
