Heney was Attorney General of the Arizona Territory between 1893 and 1895. He subsequently returned to San Francisco where he opened a civil practice. In 1906, Heney became nationally known when he successfully prosecuted timber fraud in Oregon. Heney was then persuaded to investigate the crooked political system in San Francisco. Abe Ruef, the primary target of his investigation, dug up Holbrook's story that Heney had ambushed Handy. Holbrook retold the story to "The Daily News", which published it, and Ruef tried to persuade Jack to file charges against Heney. Instead, Jack thanked Heney for the support he had offered his mother when she was abused by his father. Jack had heard the true story about his mother's life and Heney's actions from his grandmother in Tucson. The two men became lifelong friends, and Jack was a pallbearer at Heney's funeral, in 1937.