John Heath and the Bisbee Massacre
The rugged landscape of southeastern Arizona, a tapestry woven with copper veins and shadowed canyons, bore witness to a dark chapter in its history in the late 19th century. The boomtown of Bisbee, a burgeoning hub fueled by the insatiable demand for copper, attracted not only prospectors and entrepreneurs but also a shadowy element drawn to the promise of quick riches and easy pickings. It was within this volatile environment that the figure of John Wesley Heath emerged, his name forever intertwined with the infamous Bisbee Massacre. This narrative delves into the life of John Heath, his alleged involvement in the deadly robbery, and the vigilante justice that ultimately sealed his fate.
John Wesley Heath’s life began on December 15, 1844, in the more settled lands of Ohio. However, his family soon migrated to Terrell, Texas, a region then characterized by its frontier spirit and the allure of opportunity. It was in Texas that young Heath’s path began to diverge from the straight and narrow. Historical accounts suggest he became involved in activities on the fringes of the law, including rustling and robbery. His personal life was equally complex. He married Mary Ann Redman in October 1867, but her subsequent fate remains shrouded in mystery. In March 1869, he remarried and fathered three children: Myrtle, Kittie, and John. Despite these familial ties, the pull of the West and the prospect of a different life proved too strong to resist.
By the early 1880s, John Heath had made his way to the Arizona Territory, a land teeming with both opportunity and danger. He briefly served as a deputy sheriff in Cochise County, a position that offered a glimpse into the workings of law and order. However, the meager salary of a lawman apparently paled in comparison to the perceived rewards of a life outside the law. Heath resigned his post and seemingly reverted to his earlier, more illicit pursuits.
Bisbee, with its booming economy and transient population, became the stage for John Heath‘s next act. He established a saloon and dance hall, an establishment that quickly gained notoriety as a gathering place for outlaws, gamblers, and other unsavory characters. This saloon served as more than just a place for revelry; it became a hub for clandestine meetings and the planning of unlawful activities. It was in this environment of moral ambiguity that the seeds of the Bisbee Massacre were sown.
The events of December 8, 1883, forever etched the name of Bisbee into the annals of Western history. On that fateful day, five men brazenly held up the Goldwater and Castaneda Store, a general mercantile that served as a vital hub for the community. The robbery, however, quickly escalated into a bloody massacre, leaving four people dead, including a pregnant woman. The perpetrators were identified as Daniel "Big Dan" Dowd, Comer W. "Red" Sample, Daniel "York" Kelly, William "Billy" Delaney, and James "Tex" Howard.
The robbers, driven by rumors of a $7,000 payroll for the Copper Queen Mine being temporarily stored in the store’s safe, stormed the establishment. Two men entered the store, demanding the money, while the other three remained outside as lookouts. To their dismay, the payroll had not yet arrived. Frustrated and enraged, they seized what money they could find in the safe, ranging from $900 to $3,000 according to various reports, and robbed the staff and customers of their valuables.
Outside, the three waiting outlaws unleashed a hail of gunfire. Their bullets ripped through the air, striking innocent bystanders. J.C. Tappenier, a customer inside the store, was killed instantly. Deputy Sheriff Tom Smith, responding to the commotion, was gunned down as he arrived on the scene. A stray bullet pierced the wall of a nearby boarding house, fatally wounding Annie Roberts, a pregnant woman. J.A. Nolly was struck while standing outside his office, and another unidentified man suffered a leg wound as he attempted to flee the chaos. The entire episode lasted less than five minutes, yet its impact on Bisbee was immeasurable. The Bisbee Massacre had left a community reeling in shock and grief.
Following the massacre, Bisbee’s leaders swiftly notified Sheriff J.L. Ward in Tombstone via telegraph. Ward promptly organized two posses, leading one himself and entrusting the other to Deputy Sheriff William Daniels. Upon arriving in Bisbee, Daniels began his investigation, questioning numerous citizens, including John Heath, whose saloon was conveniently located near the Goldwater-Castaneda Mercantile. Heath claimed to possess knowledge of the men involved and offered to assist in their apprehension. Despite Daniels’ initial reservations about Heath’s questionable reputation, he hoped to expedite the capture of the murderers. With Heath leading the way, the posse embarked on a fruitless search, ultimately accusing Heath of deliberately leading them astray on a false trail.
The search for the perpetrators continued for several weeks. Eventually, all five men were apprehended: two in Mexico, one in New Mexico, and two in Clifton, Arizona. As the investigation progressed, some of the outlaws implicated John Heath, suggesting he had prior knowledge of the crime and may have even been the mastermind behind it. Authorities brought Heath in for questioning. Under intense pressure, Heath allegedly confessed to having advance knowledge of the robbery, fueling the suspicion that he had orchestrated the entire scheme.
The stage was set for a series of trials. Heath requested a separate trial, which was granted. The citizens of Bisbee, consumed by anger and a thirst for justice, anxiously awaited the outcome of the trials for those involved in what had become known as the Bisbee Massacre. On February 17, the trial of the five killers commenced. Just two days later, they were all found guilty and sentenced to hang on March 8, 1884.
Heath’s trial began on February 20. He admitted to planning the robbery, portraying the other men as lacking in intelligence. However, he vehemently denied any involvement in the killings, insisting that they were not part of the original plan and that he bore no responsibility for the actions of the other men. He even confessed to hiding behind the bar of his saloon when he heard the gunfire, revealing a lack of courage. On February 21, Heath was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery and sentenced to life imprisonment at the Yuma Territorial Prison.
While Heath may have felt a sense of relief at escaping the death penalty, the citizens of Bisbee were outraged by what they perceived as a lenient sentence. They were determined to take matters into their own hands. In the early hours of February 22, a mob of approximately 50 men, led by Mike Shaughnessy, descended upon the Tombstone jail. They forcibly removed Heath from his cell and dragged him into the dusty street.
At the intersection of First and Toughnut Streets, the vigilantes strung a rope over the crossbeam of a telegraph pole. As the noose tightened around his neck, Heath continued to proclaim his innocence. The mob, however, remained unmoved. In his final moments, he reportedly stated, "I have faced death too many times to be disturbed when it actually comes." He then made a final request: "Don’t mutilate my body or shoot me full of holes!" As the rope hoisted him into the air, he died.
The coroner’s jury, reflecting the prevailing sentiment of the community, delivered a sardonic verdict: "We the undersigned, a jury of inquest, find that John Heath came to his death from emphysema of the lungs—a disease common in high altitudes—which might have been caused by strangulation, self-inflicted or otherwise."
The scheduled execution of the other five killers on March 8 proceeded as planned. The event took on a carnival-like atmosphere, with free tickets being distributed. When Sheriff Ward ran out of tickets, an enterprising businessman constructed bleachers around the gallows and began selling additional tickets. Nellie Cashman, a prominent businesswoman, gold prospector, and spiritual caretaker, vehemently opposed the spectacle. Outraged by the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the executions, she befriended the five convicts, providing them with spiritual guidance. She persuaded Sheriff Ward to impose a curfew on the town during the hangings, restricting access to the event. She and her allies even dismantled the bleachers that had been erected. As the five men stood on the gallows, Dan Dowd is said to have remarked that the multi-gallows was a "regular choking machine." Tragically, his words proved prophetic, as only one of the men died instantly from a broken neck, while the other four suffered a slow and agonizing death by strangulation.
After their execution, the men were buried in Tombstone’s Boot Hill cemetery. Cashman, upon learning of a plan to steal the bodies for medical research, hired two prospectors to guard the graves for ten days, ensuring their remains were undisturbed.
While a marked grave for John Heath exists in Tombstone’s Boot Hill, records suggest that his family transported his body back to Terrell, Texas, where he was buried in an unmarked grave in the Oakland Cemetery.
Even today, the question of Heath’s guilt remains a subject of debate. Author David Grassie, based on his research, argues that Heath was likely innocent and questions the validity of the multiple hangings. The story of John Heath and the Bisbee Massacre serves as a stark reminder of the complexities of justice, the dangers of mob rule, and the enduring power of legend in the American West.