Decidedly Grim

Today’s Bushwhacked Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

On December 19, 1854, Dr. Bolivar A. Sparks, James C. McDonald and Captain Jonathan R. Davis, a 38-year-old veteran of the Mexican War, were trekking on a miner’s trail along the North Fork of the American River in El Dorado County, California.  As they hiked through Rocky Canyon, they were bushwhacked by a motley group of bandits.  The international bouquet of thugs included a Frenchman, two Americans, two Brits, four Mexicans and five Australians.  All of the men were ruthless killers who had robbed and killed four American miners the day before and six Chinese miners the day before that. 

The gang rushed the men with guns ablaze, instantly killing McDonald and fatally wounding Dr. Sparks.  Captain Davis, who was known as a skilled marksman and expert fencer, wasted no time in taking down the bandits.  He pulled out both of his pistols and blazed away at the outlaws, killing them one by one.  He killed seven bandits in as many seconds.  Four more outlaws charged Captain Davis, three of them wielding Bowie knives and one a sword.  Davis pulled out his Bowie knife and, like the swordsman he was, fought off the four men, killing three and cutting off the nose and several fingers of the fourth man.  The last three bandits thought better of taking on Captain Davis and fled into the hills.  Despite six bullet holes in the captain’s hat, he had only a few minor flesh wounds.

Even though the fight took place deep in the boondocks, a group of miners saw the entire melee from a nearby hilltop.  Three of them ran to the scene, startling the captain, who quickly went for a dead man’s gun to defend himself.  The miners quickly explained that they had witnessed the attack and invited him and the gravely wounded Dr. Sparks back to their camp. 

In the evening, the entire mining camp of eighteen men and Captain Davis returned to the scene of the crime.  Three of the wounded bandits had died.  The group searched the bodies and found almost five hundred dollars in gold and silver coins, four ounces of gold dust, and nine gold and silver watches.  The noseless, seven-fingered bandit confessed to being party to the blood baths of the previous day.

The next morning, the noseless bandit died and was buried with the rest of the dead men, including McDonald.  The miners formed a coroner’s jury and seventeen miners signed a statement, testifying that they had seen the attack and witnessed Captain Davis’s defense.  Captain Davis then carried Dr. Sparks down from the mountains to his home in Coloma, where he died on Decebmer 26.

Culled from: California Justice by David Kulczyk

Facts