WILD WEST BADMEN

By Adam S. Eterovich

www.croatians.com

Croatians and Hercegovinians participated in every gold rush and strike in America from California, Alaska, Nevada, Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Canada, and Mexico. They made more money selling whiskey, foods and wines than digging gold.  Their saloons, coffee saloons and restaurants can be found in all the mining boom-towns of the west. They were good horsemen as well as American cowboys with all their vices of whiskey, wine, women, song and just causing trouble in gunfights, wars, knifings and any other unsavory activities that involved gold. They learned the uses of rifles, pistols and knives as young men in the mountains of Croatia and Hercegovina fighting Turks for four hundred years. With all the dramatization of the Badmen of the West in Hollywood-type cowboy movies, who wouldn’t be proud of a few Croatian and Hercegovinian “Badmen of the West”. Some were called “Slavonians”, others “ Austrians”.

Another indication of the extent of Croatians in the early mines was the Adriatic Mining Co. of 1878, the Adriatic Silver Mining Co. of 1873, the Slavonia Gold and Silver Mining Co. of 1876 and the Slavonian Mining Co. of 1876. The Illyrian Gold and Silver Mining Co., organized in 1863. The principal organizers Nikola Bieladenovich, Andrew Bujan and Andrew Jordan. Another interesting venture was the Slavonian Gold and Silver Mining Company of 1863 had as its principals Pat Grecich and John Centras-Kentra.

RUSH, RUSH TO CALIFORNIA

Kruha je nestalo Bread has disappeared

Vina nemamo We don’t have Wine;

Kako preziveti, How are we going to live

Sutra neznamo. We don’t know about tomorrow

1854 Antun Pasko Kazali

HANGTOWN-PLACERVILLE

Placerville, the seat of El Dorado County, California a town with a lurid past, and one of the most historically significant areas along the golden chain. Murders and robberies became commonplace in this area along the American River, with many weary miners losing their pokes of gold dust to knife-wielding thugs. Early in 1849, after one particularly brutal crime, a hastily impaneled citizens' jury met to weigh the fate of the accused. According to a report from the El Dorado County Chamber of Commerce, "When the question was asked, 'What shall be done with them?' someone shouted, 'Hang them!' The majority were in agreement. And so it was that the first known hanging in the Mother Lode was carried out." Word of the hanging quickly spread and Dry Diggins was soon known as Hangtown.

A “GENUINE” SLAVONIAN

The Slavonian Assassin, S. F. Chronicle, June 1871: “Austrian George the brutal murderer.  George Sharksovich (son of a shark) was not an Austrian by birth, as was supposed but a genuine Slavonian. “A very large element of the Slavonians are a rough, vagrant rabble given to drunkedness, gambling, robbery and murder.”

SLAVONIANS MORE OR LESS CIVILIZED

Slavonians in San Francisco, Alaska Herald, August 15, 1869: “All of its members are more or less civilized; that is to say they are not savages.  The mercantile portion is principally engaged in keeping bar-rooms, saloons, coffee-houses, restaurants etc. All are prosperous. They retain all their pristine instincts of jealousy, lust and vindictivness.”

SHOOTING AT HOTEL DE VILLE

A shooting was reported by the San Francisco Daily Alta on May 4, 1851 at the Hotel De Ville owned by Antonio Milatovich.

HANGING

In 1866 at San Francisco Basilio Vlahovich, age 29, was killed by Antonio Sassovich, age 26. Antonio was hanged after a fair and fast trial for murder; both were buried in the Croatian Cemetery by the Croatian Slavonian Society. They were mariners from Dalmatia and not members of the Slavonian Society.

SELLING WHISKEY TO INDIANS

George Dujmovich up in the Amador goldmining region was arrested by the sheriff for selling whiskey to Indians at his saloon. This was reported in the Amador Independent news in 1873. George is from the Island of Brac. “Business is Business”.

STABBING

Andy Vidovich- Justice of the Peace- Nevada, 1880’s: “There was an Antone Bacoch that ran a saloon at the time, and a gunman killed him in a fight by stabbing and broke the blade of the knife in Antone’s eye.  My father Jerome Vidovich bought the estate.”

GUNFIGHT BETWEEN JUDGE AND A SLAVONIAN

The Shooting at Columbus, True FIssure, June 19, 1880: “Elia Gregovich picked a judge to shoot! An illustrated article gives the full details. On June 16, 1880 the newspaper reported that ‘The judge is slowly recovering.  The wound, although a severe one, is healing nicely’.”

Restless Strangers by W. S. Sheperson, 1970, A recent book on Nevada describing the 1860’s and 1870’s states:

CHINESE - SLAVONIAN WAR

Slavonians and Chinese in Carson City during the 1870’s cut and mauled each other so often that the court devised a rather perfunctory system of fines.

ITALIAN - SLAVONIAN WAR

But the clash between Italians and Slavonians employed on railroad gangs proved more serious. In one encounter, north of Reno, four Italians were killed in a single night and guards had to be posted to protect the Latins from their former European neighbors.

MEXICAN - SLAVONIAN WAR

Tonopah Bonanza Newpaper: Another lively event was the “Austrian-Mexican War” out of Tonopah.  The Slavonians felt it wasn’t enough to fight Chinese and Italians.

A SLAVONIAN SHERIFF

The Slavonians had one person on the side of the law, a C. Nicholas as Deputy Sheriff in Esmeralda County in 1875.

IRISH SLAVONIAN GUNFIGHT

Sacramento Daily Union, July 7, 1863: Marko Milinovich was shot and killed by an Irishman at his San Francisco Saloon and Hotel at Virginia City on July 4, 1863. Marko had a coffee stand at Commercial and Leifesdorff Streets in 1859 and 1860 in San Francisco. He was a treasurer of the Slavonic Illyric Society in 1859 and 1860. In 1861-1862 his saloon was located at the corner of B and Union Streets, Virginia City.

JEWISH CROATIAN TROUBLES

A young Jew, Bark Ashim, was after Nikola for debt. Among those seeking Perasich was Bark Ashim, who had reached Panamint in January. Bark was a storekeeper in Pioche, Nevada IN 1875 where, on a murder charge, was fined a dollar and left town. When Bark Ashim heard Nikola had left town, he picked up a six-shooter to assure the collection of his $47.50 debt.

SLAVONIAN STAGE COACH HOLD UP

The Fortunate Slavonian: Carson Daily Appeal, Oct. 13, 1875: A book recently published on Nevada mentions the “Fortunate Slavonian,” George Perasich, who located his vegetable market in Carson City next to the theatre and thereby was able to sell his overripe produce to a gang of ruffians who regularly pelted the performers. George Perasich and his brother apparently had many talents.  His brother, Nikola, was killed in a gunfight at his restaurant in Panamint in 1873 and George with his brothers and friends held up the Carson City Stage Coach to find the killer.