Killing of Antonio Bacoch

James Boone was a 41-year-old originally from West Virginia. He had worked as a railroad engineer until he headed west to invest in his own small cattle ranch in Tule Canyon, Nevada. Boone would take on odd jobs for extra money and frequently drove the freight wagon for Antone Bacoch, who owned a silver mine. The last load he hauled, Bacoch had neglected to pay Boone and it didn't set well. Boone had an intensifying anger against the Slavonian immigrant he needed that money to pay the balance due on the six cows he had bought.

One August afternoon in 1895, in Robinson's mercantile store, Boone was sitting on an old wood crate with his leg crossed, sharpening his Bowie knife over his boot. "That damned Bacoch been in here?" "Ain't seen him," Robinson said. "They should take all them foreigners and ship them back to where they come from," Boone said. Robertson laughed. "Hell, that would mean shipping out everybody in this country."

Boone continued to swirl the knife across the stone. He dropped his leg to the floor and pocketed the stone when Antone Bacoch walked into the store. "Hey, you dumb Slav," Boone yelled. He got to his feet holding the knife at his side. "Watch such language," Bacoch complained. "I want that money you owe me." "Tomorrow. I pay you tomorrow." "You dirty Slav. You pay me now." Boone blocked Bacoch's way as he tried to walk to the store counter. Bacoch swung a fist at the side of Boone's head and shoved him hard. Boone staggered backward into Robinson's living quarters. He sprawled across the bunk there with Bacoch diving across him. The men struggled as Robinson hollered for them to stop. Bacoch's large hand grabbed Boone's throat, and Boone thrust his knife into Bacoch's chest, striking him over and over until the man fell away from him. There was blood all over the bunk and the floor. Boone stepped over Bacoch and ran out of the store. He saddled Robinson's horse and disappeared.

Sheriff William Ingalls of Esmeralda County, Nevada, was informed of the killing. He investigated the body and found that 22 stab wounds had ended Antone Bacoch's life. Ingalls assigned Deputy Sam Wasson to take charge of the manhunt. Sam hired several Indian trackers, including a Paiute named Shakespeare who was known to be one of the best to pick up a trail of a wanted man. When Shakespeare reported to Sam that he could not find the tracks of the man, Sam dropped the hunt.

The Arizona Sheriff, George Ruffner, had been looking for horse thieves in the desert when he spotted Boone. With the bushy blonde mustache and his stature, Boone fit the description of the man on the wanted notice. Ruffner was sure it was the wanted man. But Ruffner's victory of returning the prisoner to Nevada was blown away in the wind. James Boone's lawyer got an acquittal on self-defense grounds. Boone walked away from the courthouse a free man.

Western Story Western Writers, Jan. 2000, Margee Bee.

Big Pine Paiute Tribe

An Anaheim-based developer announced plans Tuesday for a $200 million Indian casino resort on the southern edge of Barstow, California not far from the site of a similar proposal. Howard Palmer, president of Superior Development Inc., said his project would bring about 1,800 to 2,000 jobs to Barstow. Palmer said it would include an 82,000-square-foot Indian casino, a hotel, a convention center and museum, retail shops, a miniature golf course and a nightclub. The proposed development would be inside the city limits, just west of Interstate 15, near the Outlet Center Drive interchange and north of Sidewinder Road. Palmer's company owns the 40-acre site under the name Elite Gaming LLP. Palmer said he would build the casino resort with the Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley, which has a reservation in Inyo County.

Tribal Chief Jessica Bacoch signed a preliminary agreement -- a letter of intent -- with Palmer in April 2003 to build a Barstow casino resort. Palmer said he is confident he can get lenders to support the project, although the money isn't in place yet. Any tribe that wants to build a casino in Barstow would need a compact from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office, and also would need the U.S. Interior Department to agree to take the casino land into trust. (Barstow Desert Dispatch, 2-25-04)

BARSTOW IS A VERY HOT FRANCHISE MARKET