On May 16, 1905, the Madera County coroner held an inquest into the demise of one Blucher N. Settle. It was determined that he had met his death from gunshot wounds inflicted by John Enos at Sugar Pine. The incident, which caused quite a stir at the time, occurred at Steven’s Place and revealed a slice of life in that little lumber community of eastern Madera County that wasn’t exactly as pure as the driven snow.
Steven’s Place was about a mile and a quarter from the Sugar Pine Mill itself and was a combination saloon and bordello. On Friday night, May 12, 1905, the establishment was enjoying a brisk business. “Teddy” and “Mabel” were especially busy, dancing and drinking with the customers, and soon the stage was set for a deadly confrontation between Settle and Enos.
Both men were fairly well known in Madera. Settle had lived here for some time, and in the summer months he was a logger at Sugar Pine. He was about 35 years of age, a Spanish-American War veteran, and a native of Tennessee. Enos, who also lived in Madera, when he wasn’t working at Sugar Pine, was less well known, being a recent arrival to the area from Selma.