This is the first article in a seven-part series of stories surrounding the mystery of who robbed the Oak Saloon in 1910, running from June 18 through July 30.
Comets were once believed to be warning signs from heaven, often foretelling of looming natural disasters. As Halley’s Comet neared the earth in 1910, the New York Times warned that poisonous cyanogen gas in its tail might “impregnate the atmosphere and snuff out all life on the planet,” thus sparking a minor panic. People anxiously sealed up their homes to keep out the fumes and stocked up on gas masks. In jest, the Park Record suggested that “Hades will be thickly populated if the comet’s tail gets busy; many strange things are happening these days.”
The comet became visible to the naked eye of observers at the University of Utah, at 4:43 a.m. on April 21. For the first time in 76 years, the celestial visitor could be seen in the eastern sky without the aid of a telescope. A Blyth-Fargo advertisement in the April 23 edition of the Park Record asked, “Have You Seen THE COMET? It is a great attraction. Get up and see it, about four o’clock a.m.”
The comet’s appearance did not go without incident in Park City. No dire catastrophe befell the town, but “a real sensation occurred, the like of which had never happened before.” In a bad, bold holdup, the Oak Saloon was robbed by two men, one calling himself “Kid Parker.” The Oak was ordinarily a quiet place. This was the first time that trouble of any kind had occurred there. The robbery stirred our camp to its depths.
The two bandits appeared in Park City with the comet on the morning of the 21st. They loafed about the Oak’s poker rooms all day and occasionally played for small stakes. Both were well dressed. “Kid” wore a dark suit of clothes and a dark stiff hat. His partner had on a soft hat, dark coat, and light corduroy pants.
About half past midnight, “Kid” played out his hand and rose from the poker table; walked into the café portion of the saloon and asked the man behind the counter for a cup of coffee. After drinking half of it, the young desperado suddenly drew a formidable looking gun and demanded the waiter throw up his hands and walk to the backroom where the games were running.
Credit: Park City Historical Society & Museum, Carrie Vivian Hodgson Collection
At the same time, the other robber whipped out a big revolver and demanded that the bartender crawl over the bar and line up with some twenty to twenty-five other men against the partition separating the bar from the gambling room. The men were then ordered to toss up both hands and “be damned quick about it if they wanted to live.”
While “Kid’s” partner kept the whole crowd covered, he went to the roulette wheel, the faro game, the craps table, and the poker “kitty,” putting all the gold and silver in sight into a sack. After collecting $600, the robbers walked out of the saloon, keeping their pistols pointed toward the crowd and were soon lost into the night.