Last week in 1895, a regular card game turned into a shootout in Park City. Peter Clark was fairly new to town (in his second stint here, anyway) and was working as a carman at the Daly Mine No. 2 shaft after having worked on the railroad for some time. A carman was responsible for guiding the o re cars used during a shift underground. On Wednesday night, Sept. 18, 1895, Clark entered the Riley Towey Saloon on Main Street around 11 p.m. to hopefully win some money playing cards. The Riley Towey Saloon, about where Java Cow and Roots (402 and 408 Main St.) are today, was a popular spot for the miners in Park City, especially those of English background. The main part of the saloon included a bar, while the back room was reserved for gambling. The gambling operations in Riley Towey’s at the time were run by brothers-in-law Henry R. Nugent and J.G. Williams. That night, Nugent was running a faro game. Faro is a French-origin card game that was popular in the 19th century West. In fact, some consider it to be the most-played game in the American West between around 1825 and 1915. While popular, the game suffered from cheating by both dealers and players. No witnesses made any claims, nor Clark himself, but it’s possible Nugent was rigging that night’s game in favor of the house. Without rigging, faro is a game that players can easily win and often beat the house, which made stacking the odds more common and more profitable for a gambling parlor. Over the course of the next eight hours, Clark lost between $500 and $600 to Nugent. Witnesses said that other than the occasional gripe about a losing round, Clark never expressed any anger or indicated any potential violence. Clark left at around 7 a.m., only to return an hour later and try a few more bets. He lost them all and left again, before shortly returning, walking up to the table and pointing a gun at Nugent. Clark demanded $600 or else. Nugent, surprised and not wanting to be shot, agreed to give Clark the money, but asked to count it out, so as not to give Clark the whole night’s profits. Clark was agitated and impatient, so a man sitting at the table implored him to let Nugent count out the money. Clark apparently could not wait and instead opened fire with his .38 Colt, purchased less than a half hour earlier. He shot Nugent center mass at a downward trajectory with the bullet passing from Nugent’s breastbone through his stomach and exiting just above his hip. A second shot went through Nugent’s left shoulder. Nugent was able to pull his own weapon and shoot back at Clark. Two of his three shots missed, while one ripped into Clark’s left forearm, the bullet tearing his main artery and lodging in his elbow. Clark swiftly left the room with one final shot whizzing past Nugent’s ear, and the third shot from Nugent striking the swinging saloon doors just after Clark had gone through them. Tune in next week for the conclusion of the Wild West shootout. Admission to the Park City Museum will be free on Saturday, Sept. 26! Dalton Gackle is a Park City Museum researcher. The post Way We Were: A Wild West shootout in Park City appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less