Diamondfield

On our first visit to the Cassia County Historical Museum in Burley, Idaho Janet, the curator, invited us to return for a book talk to be given by a local author. Max Black is the author of Diamondfield-Finding the real Jack Davis. The book is about a man from the Magic Valley area of Idaho and is a true story that involves a double murder, fake diamonds, open range conflicts and how Jack Davis, a.k.a. Diamondfield Jack, avoided being hung on seven different occasions twice by last minute stays of execution by the governor. Max Black is a former Idaho State Legislator and spent many years researching the Jack Davis case to uncover the real story. Max gave a fascinating account of the local history and events leading up to the murders that occurred back in 1896. In his quest for facts about the case Max was able to recover the actual pistol used in the murders and a slug from the murder weapon that had been buried in the desert for 115 years! The actual murderers confessed years later and Jack Davis was released. He then spent the next several years “as an upstanding citizen” by some accounts but others still believed he was guilty. If you want to borrow our copy of the book to see how Jack finally died let us know, it’s quite an interesting read.