Nights at the Bella Union | A Shootout: July 5, 1866
California History
In the 1850s, the Bella Union Hotel was the center of Los Angeles’s social and political life, serving as the headquarters for visiting dignitaries, businesspeople, and weary travelers. But it was also where tensions often ran high, and the convergence of strong personalities could lead to violent outcomes.
One particularly infamous incident at the Bella Union Hotel occurred on July 5, 1866, during Solomon Lazard and Caroline Newmark's wedding celebration. The festivities took place in the Bella Union’s grand hall, which was filled with music, laughter, and dancing.
Meanwhile, a confrontation was brewing in the hotel’s office. Robert Carlisle, a prominent rancher and owner of the Chino Ranch, had an altercation with A.J. King, the Under Sheriff of Los Angeles, over the outcome of a murder trial.
Though friends managed to separate them that night, the matter was far from over. The following afternoon, as the hotel bustled with guests preparing to leave for the steamer, Frank and Houston King—A.J. King’s brothers—entered the Bella Union’s barroom and spotted Carlisle inside.
Without hesitation, they drew their six-shooters and opened fire. Carlisle managed to return fire, striking Frank King, who died almost instantly. Houston King, undeterred, continued the attack, riddling Carlisle with bullets until he collapsed onto the sidewalk.
In his final moments, Carlisle, barely able to lift his weapon, staggered to the wall, steadied himself, and fired one last shot—fatally wounding Houston King before succumbing to his injuries.
The gunfight sent bystanders fleeing in terror, and it was only by sheer luck that more people were not killed in the crossfire. Inside the Bella Union, guests who had been enjoying the wedding reception were met with the grim sight of bodies sprawled on the floor, and Carlisle himself was placed on a billiard table where he took his final breaths.
This deadly shootout epitomized the lawless and often violent nature of early Los Angeles, where disputes were settled not in courtrooms but in saloons and hotel lobbies.
🦶🎵:
Newmark, Harris. Sixty Years in Southern California, 1853-1913. New York: The Knickerbocker Press, 1916, p. 347.