The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume], January 07, 1921, Image 2

About The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
"FAT JACK," FAMOUS CAB DRIVER, DIES IN
CALIFORNIA; WORE "PLUG" HAT TO THE END
John Codman Jones, known to
thousands in Butte and Montana as
"Fat Jack," civil war veteran, pion
eer of the west and an outstanding
character among the men who blazed
the train into Montana, last week
joined the ranks of his departed
comrades. His death, at the age of
76 years, occurred at the Los Angeles
home of W. A. Clark, Jr.
"Fat Jack," because of failing
health, left Butte nearly a year ago.
He spent some time in the Soldiers'
and Sailors' home in California, be
fore he left that place to live at the
home of Mr. Clark. The transfer
from the home was agreed upon after
it was learned that Jack objected to
wearing the uniform cap provided
for the veterans, instead of the silk
plug hat which graced his head as
long as the oldest Butte residents can
remember.
His declining days were extremely
happy, according to those who met
him in California. Mr. Clark turned
over two rooms in his home and a
private atomobile for the exclusive
use of "Fat Jack." His every want
was also provided for. According to
the information received in Butte
the end came peacefully in the midst
of devoted friends.
With the Hold Kush
Like thousands of others who were
attracted to the west in the early
days, Jack prospered or suffered in
common with all. Following the
gold discoveries he lived in many of
the mining camps in the west, start
ing with Deadwood, S. D. From
Deadwood he came to Montana, ar
riving at Fort Benton in 1878. Un
til his departure from the state for
California he had been a familiar fig
ure in practically every camp in Mon
tana where precious metals had been
discovered.
When his health began to fail he
was living in a cabin back of the C.
O. D. laundry on Park street. Butte.
It was here his friends found him.
He was so ill that it was not until
several days later that he was remov
ed to the hospital. Slowly convales
cing, he gained sufficient strength to
make the journey to California.
When he left Butte it was with the
expectancy of returning in a short
time, a desire that was not gratified.
One to be Remembered
The career just ended was that of
a soldier of fortune, and like the ad
venturer he was never tired of add
ing to his experiences which marked
and set him apart from his fellow
man. Even among the rugged pion
eers he was conspicuous. His wit
was as characteristic as his appear
ance, and any one who ever saw the
lank, cadaverous figure under the
silk hat never forgot "Fat Jack."
Born at Bangor, Me., in 1844, of
New England stock, he early in life
left home and began his career of
adventure. Enlisting in the civil war
as a drummer boy, while still in his
teens, "Fat Jack" served until the
war was ended. His first enlistment
was in the Thirteenth Maine regi
ment, in which he served for three
years. He was discharged at New
Orleans, but immediately re-enlisted
and served until he was wounded.
After convalescing from his wounds
he entered the army for the third
.lime and remained with the colors
until the war was over. He was dis
charged at Washington.
At Fort Benton
Returning to his home in Maine,
he remained there until 1878 and
then started west. The Black Hills
first attracted him. Fort Benton was
next on the list, and from that time
on he visited several mining sections
of Montana, finally selecting Butte
as his home. He saw the mining
camp of the 70's grow from a hand
ful of prospectors to the greatest
mining center in the world and the
metropolis of the state.
Among the things that distinguish
ed him from others was his inordin
ate love for a horse. Shortly after
his arrival here he quite the barber
business in which be was engaged
and began driving the first hack seen
in Butte, Long after the automobile
had supplanted the horse-drawn con
veyance, Jack maintained his stable,
and when he was finally compelled to
part with his horses, he did so with
keenest regret.
His Great Fame
It was as the driver of Butte's best
known hack that Jack achieved his
greatest fame. Never in the history
of the city did a personage visit
Butte that he was not escorted from
the depot to his hotel in the hack
driven by "Fat Jack." Presidents,
princes and the leading cel e brit «es ol
manv nations, actors and actresses of
national repute, together with thous
ands of loyal friends, sought out
Jack and his hack and completed
their journey from depot to hotel.
Presidents Roosevelt and Taft, W. J.
Bryan. Sarah Bernhardt. H. H. Rog
ers and thousands of others sought
him out
friend.
Roosevelt was a personal
With the passing of the hack. Jack
purchased an automobile which he
operated until two years ago. The
car was then sold and Jack began to
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••Fat Jack" Jones. Famous Butte Character
Tribute to " Jack"
By LARRY DOBELL, Editor of The Butte Miner
A S celebrated a character in real life as ever was Yuba Bill,
the stage coach driver immortalized by Bret Harte in fic
tion, was Fat Jack, Butte's quaint, whimsical, picturesque
old hack driver. On alighting in the city, strangers from the
east, to whose ears his fame had reached, but who were ignor
ant of his personal appearance, were struck by the exquisite drol
lery, the delicious irony of his sobriquet. It was a masterly
touch of true western humor. Instead of a man of monstrous
obesity, a waddling, puffing monument of human flesh, they
beheld a shape that rivaled Abraham Lincoln's in all essential
peculiarities, a figure whose remarkable height and tenuity were
still further set off and emphasized by as altitudinous a plug
hat as ever head of mortal donned.
It is not enough to say that Fat Jack stood at the top of the
old hack-driving profession in the west, exemplving in his own
person the very peak of it. He towered head and shoulders above
all the hack drivers of his period. Mounting to the driver's seat
of an old- fashioned hack, he literally rose to eminence. Lincoln
they tell us was a bit awkward and ungainly but Fat Jack, espe
cially when he was engaged in the transportation of a distin
guished visitor, was grace and dignity personified.
W hen a notable came to town the reception committee would
as soon have thought of hamstringing him as they would of let
ting anybody but Fat Jack take him to and fro between railroad
station and hotel. But his glory did not attain its full height,
did not blossom into full magnificence, until he conducted his
notable in a procession of citizens. What pomp and pride and
pleasure, what honor and renown were his when he drove such
illustrious guests as William J. Bryan, William Howard Taft,
Theodore Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt, James J. Jeffries, Rich
mond P. Hobson, John L. Sullivan and Mark Twain! For a
fact, he towered above every one of them. Yet at the end of the
journey never did he fail to dismount, relax, unbend and with
fine suavity mix and hobnob with his famous passenger. They
all knew hint, jollied him. respected him. felt a sincere affection
for him. Was he not a famous character himself, a genuine, con
crete representative of western hospitality and western humor?
Was he not entitled to meet them on terms of equality? Cer
tainly his overtures so far from ever being resented, were al
ways cordially welcomed, appraised and appreciated in their
true and gracious spirit.
A good and kindly soul was Fat Jack; a rugged character
in some ways, perhaps, but a child in others; a genial, gentle,
sympathetic man. of swift intelligence and fine, imaginative sen
sitiveness and frank and friendly charm.
the hote , , ob bies unlil he left
trunk which had been placed at the
front of the hack toppled forward
for the coast.
Only Two Accidents
Two accidents marked his career
in the transportation business. The
first occurred years ago, when a
and caused the horses to run away.
The accident happened at the North
auciueui ... .....---- ...
ern Pacific depot, and in their raa ,
flight the team ran over a man nam- j
ed Lund who «s digging a ditch
killing him instantl>. The second'
happened while Jack was driving an
automobile down Arizona street. He
struck and killed a woman who was
crossing the street, but was exonerat
ed of all blame at the inquiry subse
quently conducted.
Miss Mariah Finnegan became his
bride in 1886. She died in Butte
five years ago, since which time he
lived alone. No children were born
- .. marr i aee
, Although j ac it trace his an
j t baek to the N England stock
Qf ^ ,f ttle ig known 0 f
mother's people were traced back to
John Tower, who came from Eng
land. The only known surviving rela
tives are nephews and nieces. They
are William T. Carey of San Fran
cisco, Mrs. W. J. Bridge of Helmville,
Mrs. Ed Fitzpatrick, Butte; Mrs. P.
E. Lee, Spokane; Mrs. Harold Smith,
Livingston; Bert Hickey. Butte; Wil
liam Finnegan, San Francisco; Henry
Wiggin, Bellingham, Wash.; Porter
Wiggin, Stockton, Cal.
Games of Chance
The most characteristic feature
about Fat Jack was his love for any
game of chance. He would bet all he
; had with as little concern as any man
I would bet a dime, providing that the
j game was on the square. This trait
] was so pronounced that one incident
I in his life was made the subject of
j a cartoon by Homer Davenport, the
! greatest of American cartoonists.
I Davenport portrayed Jack placing hia
false teeth on the gaming table after
he had lost everything else. The
teeth did not change his luck and
Jack was unable to eat meat for sev
jeral weeks.
He was In his barber shop In Deer
Lodge in the early days when one
of the incidents that set him apart
from others occurred. A customer in
the barber chair had been about
three-fourths shaved when a gambler
walked into the shop and casually
announced that the faro dealer in the
game across the street was almost
down to cases. Jack promptly ex
cused himself, telling the man he
would be back right away. Going
across the street he sized up the sit
uation and threw a 620 bill on the
layout to beat the turn. The cards
{ were drawn from the case and Jack
; lost. Without further ado he left
i the game, returning to his shop
; w here he finished Bhaving the man
; in the chair.
Admitted He Ran
He was reticent to relate his expe
riences in the civil war. Asked one
time if he was in the battle of Bull
Run, he replied:
"You bet I was at the battle of
Bull Run and I ran with the rest of
them. If I hadn't I would be there
yet."
James Murray, Montana million
iiire, was one of Jack's staunchest
friends. It was due to the generosity
of Murray that Jack was able to
j weather many of life's storms. On
: one occasion Murray took his note
I for $1,000. The note remained un
paid for several years, and Murray
decided to give it to Jack as
Christmas gift. The stage was prop
erly set and Murray offered the note
but Jack refused to take it. In ex>
plar.ation he told Murray that he
would rather have the coin.
General Charles Warren. John
Jahreiss and Clinton H. Moore are
among those who early formed t
real attachment for Jack which last
ed until his death.
" 'Fat Jack' was a pioneer in every
sense of the word," declared Profes
sor Moore. "Few of the early set
tlers were better known or liked
He was another of those men whom
fate destined to see much of life but
to enjoy few of its positive benefits.
"He came to Montana in 1878,
landing at Fort Benton. From there
he whacked a bull team to Deer
Lodge, at which place he arrived with
$60. He did a little prospecting,
then took up barbering at the city
of Pioneer. After a short time, dur
ing which he flourished, he drifted
back to Deer Lodge and then came
to Butte, taking up his occupation
as hackman, which he followed un
til his health failed him last Janu
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You also own an interest in approximately 200,000 barrels of oü that is al
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Our Company, formed November 16, then ea rn i ng 10 per cent, was earning
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419 Bank Electric Building, LEWI8TOWN, MONTANA.
Herbert A. Hover, Oil Operator, President
O. W. Beiden, President Bank of Fergus County, Lewistown, Treasurer
Ed. L. Allen, Secretary
BOOK AND MAP OF OAT GREEK FIELD, FREE
PHONE 608
é*
ne-Eleven
imu
fifth Avenue New York
^20 c ^ arctte8 l5^
ary, when he was sent to the old
soldiers' home in California.
"I recall the day he left. The last
thing he asked me was: 'Can I wear
my hat there?' I believe the old
boy would rather have remained in
Butte than dispense with his old
stovepipe hat.
"He remained at the home for a
tew months and then went to Los
Angeles as the guest of Will dark,
at which place he died.
He Carried Notables
"During his long career as a cab
driver he enjoyed the enviable ex
perience of having driven every
crowned head, president and notable
that ever visited Butte. He never
failed to create an impression with
any of these, and chief among his
friends was the late President Roose
velt. The latter was candidate for
vice president when he first met 'Fat
Jack/ who was driving him out to the
gardens for an entertainment. An
escort of volunteer cavalrymen, who
had never seen a horse before, had
been selected to escort the candi
date's coach. 'Fat Jack' was quick
to discern the soldiers' lack of famil
iarity with horses, and when they
reached the flats 'Fat' popped bia
whip. Horses went in all directions.
"At this juncture he was greeted
with a pat on the back from the late
ex-president and these words: 'Let
them go, Jack, let them go.'
"He counted this experience as one
of the most enjoyable in his life and
frequently afterward would tell the
story of how he failed to scare the
famous Teddy.