THE RESTAURANT AND SALOON
BUSINESS DALMATIAN STYLE
or
GUNFIGHTER “THREE FINGER”
PETROVICH LEAVES TOWN
By Adam S. Eterovich
THE FRENCH CAFE AND SALOON
In
1875 Petrovich with a fellow
Dalmatian operated the French Cafe
and a vegetable market on the main street of Panamint, California a Gold Boom Town. In the cellar, Petrovich,
in partnership with a Mexican, also
operated a saloon.
MEXICAN CROATIAN TROUBLES
To
make the varied partnerships international, he had a Greek cook named
Constantine. With the cold winds off the
Panamints and the boredom of winter, Nikola his partner, became irritated with
his Mexican saloon partner and
offered his Greek cook a “bonus” if
he would make the Mexican a special cake with ground wine bottle glass in
it. Constantine objected, and was fired;
demanded his pay back, and was sent on a fictitious job over in Darwin with a
promise the money collected would be his pay.
GREEK CROATIAN TROUBLES
While
returning from Darwin after failing to collect his pay, Constantine came upon
his employer, Nikola, on the road in the Argus Mountains. Once more he demanded his wages. Although he never killed a man or had been
known to shoot anybody, he was known to quarrel a bit. Nikola tried to beat some reason into the Greek’s head with his revolver
handle. Constantine crawled down the
Argus and up into Panamint and there swore our a warrant for his arrest. No peace officer could be found to cross the
snows to go after him.
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 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.
IRISH CROATIAN TROUBLES
It
was on the 10th day of March 1875, when Bark Ashim saw Nikola with his partner
in a restaurant. Bark demanded his
money, Nikola went for his pistol stating he would pay when he returned to
Panamint. The next day bark returned
with a desperado and a ruffian from Pioche, Tom Carroll an Irishman, and again had words with Nikola. This time, Tom Carroll, behind Ashim, saw the
Dalmatian in the corner of the restaurant and slipped his hand onto his
pistol. Bark Ashim said, “Perasich, I
want you to settle that account! You
will not put me off as you did yesterday.” “I will settle that in Panamint,”
vowed Perasich. “You have no business taking you back to Panamint and you will
settle today,” said Ashim.
Perasich
sprang up and guns blazed. The action
happened so suddenly that it took several days to determine exactly what had
transpired. Ashim said at the trial
afterward that he fired only to scare
Perasich because he was coming at him and that his bullet entered the wall
behind Perasich. His testimony proved to
be correct since a bullet was found embedded in the board immediately in the
line of his pistol shot. He also claimed
the second shot he fired was aimed at Perasich’s gun hand. Perasich has slumped to the floor with two
bullets in his chest; and Tom Carrol, who apparently had done the initial
gunplay, also shot at the waiter.
GUNFIGHTER “THREE FINGER” PETROVICH
LEAVES TOWN
His
partner, Petrovich, not to be left out of the gun play, drew his pocket I.X.L.
pistol but unfortunately not having the practice of Tom Carrol, shot off two
fingers of his own hand. When the fight ended Perasich was dying on the floor,
more that a dozen shots were found in
the woodwork, Petrovich, with two fingers missing, left town for more peaceful
surroundings and Tom Carroll was never to be seen again. The Vigilantes formed a posse to find Tom
Carroll and the citizens demanded that
Bark Ashim be lynched.