David C Carmack



 David C Carmack was born on  23 Jul 1874 in Tennessee. He enlisted into the military at age 22 1/2  22 Inf E and deserted 6 Apr 1898.




Military Record





By 1909 he was in Alaska and arrest in Dome City for Assault with intent to kill on 27 May 1909 and was sentenced in Fairbanks on 19 Nov 1909. He was 35 years old.

He was received at McNeil Island Prison on Valentines day 1910 for a 15 years sentence as Inmate # 1908.

 
McNeil Prison Record






By 1920 he was transferred to Leavenworth Inmate #7588.




He states he's a widow but she divorced him.

Susan Margaret McNab


#1 Wife: Josephine Landberg Peterson.  They married in Nov 1898 at Melrose, MN,  just months after he deserted the Army.  They subsequently moved to Wisconsin.  They had 3 children - Lloyd in 1899, Robert in 1902.  The third child was Dorothy Mercedes and she was born in Dec 1903, just a month after David deserted the family in November 1903.  Sad that later on both Lloyd and Robert died quite young - in 1908 and 1911.

#2 Wife Susan Margaret McNab Born 1886, N.D. Died 1942 in Seattle, WA
she re-married in 1913 to Thomas Newton Rathbone 1876-1961
Daughter Llona Carmack 1906-1998 dau of Susan. They married on April 2, 1905 in Sprague Landing, Manitoba.  Living with David and Susan in Moosejaw in 1906 were two of her sisters - Flora and Olive McNab.  David and Susan had a daughter, Llona, born in June 1906.  In December 1906, David had a daughter with Susan's sister Flora - her name was Beatrice.  That must have made for quite interesting dinner conversation in the Carmack household. 


#3 Wife Elva May Stephens 1891 -1971 



David leaves the McNab sisters and children probably in 1907 to go to the gold fields of Alaska - Fairbanks and points north.  Probably divorces Susan in 1907/8, but not sure when or if.
- He is arrested in Nov 1908 in Seattle for being an accomplice on a gold theft 


- Somehow, he meets another woman - Elva Mae Stephens - from Cashmere, WA, and they marry November 30, 1908.  They take a wild honeymoon as described in the attached article.



- May 27, 1909 - arrested in Dome City, AK for Assault with Intent to Kill, and convicted in Fairbanks in Nov 1909 with a 15 year sentence.
- Initially serves time at McNeil Island Prison in Washington, and tries to escape on the way there.


- Transferred to Leavenworth Prison in KS in 1911 - meant for only the most dangerous criminals in the US Federal Penal System.  See article about the "Bad Men from the North"
- Feb 1913 - Josephine Peterson finally gets wind of where her husband is and files for divorce - which of course she wins.
- David strikes up several 'pen pal' relationships with women across the US - they probably looking to save a prisoners soul and looking for companionship, and David looking for a lifeline after prison.
- Paroled early on March 11, 1920.  And gets married the VERY SAME DAY to one of his pen pals - Alice P Hukill (maiden name Fauver).  They live in KC and Independence for a few years, but find it hard to get ahead.  They move to Springfield, MO and change their last name to Mitchell.  I found a letter in the prison file from the Social Security office in Springfield where they are trying to confirm David Mitchell's age for an old age pension.  He said David changed his name to distance himself from his past.  They even changed their birth years - he from 1874 to 1887, and she from 1879 to 1885.  But they kept the same birth dates - July 23 for David (See WWII Draft Card)
- David divorces Alice in 1932/33/34, and marries his 6th wife - Pearl F Boyts on Sep 20, 1934.  They live in the Springfield area the rest of their lives.
- Some indication that David was a member of or at least went to KKK meetings based on the testimony/statement of his step-son Harry E Hukill (Alice's child by her first husband).  Or maybe they were just crazy statements for notoriety sake


- David dies on February 1, 1950 from congestive heart failure - attached is the death certificate.




David's memorial on Findagrave 
Memorial # 187051357

I would like to thank Dana for his added information and research.

Comments