The name John Heath is inextricably linked to one of Arizona’s most brutal and controversial events: the Bisbee Massacre of 1883. This gripping tale of crime, swift justice, and mob rule continues to fascinate historians and enthusiasts of the Old West, portraying a stark reality of frontier lawlessness.
John Wesley Heath, born on December 15, 1844, in Ohio, moved to Terrell, Texas, with his family at a young age. It was there that his life took a turn towards criminality, as he became involved in rustling and robbery. Records indicate he married twice; first to Mary Ann Redman in October 1867, though her fate remains unknown, and again in March 1869. He was known to have fathered three children: Myrtle, Kittie, and John.
From Deputy to Outlaw: Heath’s Arizona Ventures
By the early 1880s, Heath had relocated to Arizona. He briefly served as a deputy sheriff in Cochise County, a role he soon found less lucrative than his previous illicit activities. Resigning from law enforcement, Heath reverted to his outlaw ways. Settling in Bisbee, Arizona, he established a saloon and dance hall. This establishment quickly gained notoriety as a favored haunt for local outlaws and other disrereputable figures, solidifying Heath’s unsavory reputation.
The Infamous Bisbee Massacre: December 8, 1883
The tragic events that would define Heath’s fate unfolded on December 8, 1883. Five men—Daniel “Big Dan” Dowd, Comer W. “Red” Sample, Daniel “York” Kelly, William “Billy” Delaney, and James “Tex” Howard—orchestrated a brazen holdup of the Goldwater and Castenada Store in Bisbee. Their target was an anticipated $7,000 payroll for the Copper Queen Mine, rumored to be held for safekeeping at the store.
Two of the bandits stormed inside, demanding the money, while the other three waited outside. To their dismay, the payroll had not yet arrived. Angered, they seized what cash was available in the safe, reported to be between $900 and $3,000, and proceeded to rob the staff and customers of their valuables.
Concurrently, the three outlaws stationed outside unleashed a terrifying shooting spree. Their initial shots through a window killed customer J.C. Tappenier. Deputy Sheriff Tom Smith, responding to the gunfire, was immediately shot down. A stray bullet tragically entered a nearby boarding house, killing pregnant Annie Roberts. Another man, J.A. Nolly, was shot dead outside his office, and an unknown man suffered a bullet wound to the leg while attempting to flee. The entire brutal affair concluded in less than five minutes. The bandits, seemingly unperturbed, casually departed Bisbee, displaying little concern about capture.
The Hunt for the Killers and Heath’s Alleged Involvement
Bisbee’s leaders promptly telegraphed Sheriff J.L. Ward in Tombstone, who quickly assembled two posses, leading one himself and sending Deputy Sheriff William Daniels with the other. Upon arriving in Bisbee, Daniels interrogated citizens, including John Heath, whose saloon was just down the street from the crime scene. Heath claimed knowledge of the men involved and offered to guide the posse. Despite Daniels’ apprehension due to Heath’s known character, he accepted the offer in hopes of a swift apprehension. However, Heath reportedly led them on a false trail, yielding no results.
Heath returned to his saloon while the posses continued their relentless search. Over several weeks, all five primary perpetrators were tracked down: two in Mexico, one in New Mexico, and two in Clifton, Arizona.
During questioning, some of the captured outlaws implicated John Heath, suggesting he possessed more knowledge of the crime than an innocent bystander should. Authorities brought Heath in for questioning. Under pressure, Heath allegedly confessed to having prior knowledge of the robbery, leading many to believe he had masterminded the entire brutal affair.
Heath’s Trial and Conviction
While all six men were scheduled for trial, Heath requested and was granted a separate hearing. The enraged citizens of Bisbee eagerly awaited the outcome for the outlaws involved in what was now universally known as the “Bisbee Massacre.” The trial for the five killers commenced on February 17, 1884, and just two days later, they were all sentenced to be hanged on March 8, 1884.
Heath’s trial began on February 20. He admitted to being the mastermind behind the robbery, asserting that the others lacked the intelligence to plan such an undertaking. However, he adamantly insisted that the killings were never part of his plan and that he bore no responsibility for the violent actions of the other five men. Displaying a self-professed cowardice, he even admitted to hiding behind his saloon bar upon hearing the shots fired. The following day, Heath was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit robbery, receiving a sentence of life imprisonment at the Yuma prison. He was undoubtedly relieved, but the citizens of Bisbee were absolutely furious.
Vigilante Justice: The Lynching of John Heath
The people of Bisbee were not satisfied with Heath’s sentence. Early on the morning of February 22, a mob of approximately 50 men, led by Mike Shaughnessy, descended upon the Tombstone jail. They dragged John Heath from his cell into the dusty street. At the corner of First and Toughnut Streets, they swiftly looped a rope over the crossbeam of a telegraph pole. Heath, continually protesting his innocence, faced a mob deaf to his pleas. In his final moments, he uttered, “I have faced death too many times to be disturbed when it actually comes.” As the rope began to hoist him skyward, he cried out one last request: “Don’t mutilate my body or shoot me full of holes!” The public’s clear approval of the lynching was underscored by the coroner’s jury 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 Fate of the Five Killers and Nellie Cashman’s Compassion
The scheduled hanging of the other five killers on March 8 proceeded, taking on a carnival-like atmosphere. Free tickets were initially distributed, but when Sheriff Ward ran out, an enterprising businessman erected bleachers around the gallows and began selling additional tickets. This spectacle, however, drew the ire of Nellie Cashman, a renowned businesswoman, gold prospector, and spiritual caretaker. Outraged by the celebratory tone surrounding the impending deaths, she befriended the five convicts, visiting them frequently and offering spiritual guidance. She implored Sheriff Ward to impose a curfew on Tombstone during the hangings, which he conceded, largely preventing onlookers from attending. She and her friends also destroyed the commercially built bleachers.
At the gallows, Dan Dowd reportedly remarked that the multi-gallows was a “regular choking machine.” His words proved tragically prophetic; of the five men, only one died instantly from a broken neck, while the other four endured slow deaths by strangulation. Following their execution, the men were buried in Tombstone’s Boot Hill cemetery. Cashman, learning of a plan to rob their graves for medical study, hired two prospectors to guard the graves for ten days, ensuring they remained undisturbed. Their remains rest at Boot Hill to this day.
Interestingly, despite a marked grave in Tombstone’s Boot Hill for John Heath, historical records indicate that his family returned his body to Terrell, Texas, where he was interred in an unmarked grave in Oakland Cemetery.
The Enduring Debate: Was John Heath Innocent?
Even today, the culpability of John Heath in the Bisbee Massacre remains a subject of debate. Author David Grassie, based on his extensive research, contends that Heath was likely innocent, raising serious questions about the fairness of his trial and subsequent lynching, as well as the multiple hangings of the other men. This ongoing discussion highlights the complexities and often brutal realities of justice in the Old West.
