At the turn of the 20th century, there were more than a dozen watering holes on Madera’s main street, and one of the most frequented was the Gilt Edge Saloon. Now, as a general rule, patrons of the Gilt Edge behaved themselves; at least they weren’t any more rowdy than the customers at the other bars on Yosemite Avenue.
There was one time, however, when two buddies got into a knife fight at the Gilt Edge over a card game in which they had been partners.
The donnybrook broke out on Saturday night, Dec. 1, 1901, when four men sat down to play a game of Pedro. Robert Tuggle and Sam Monahan were playing against Jim Robertson, the bartender, and his partner, Frank Littlefield.
The contest was going along in a friendly manner until Monahan misplayed his hand and lost the game, which upset Tuggle, who could not resist expressing his disappointment to Monahan...