Warren Melville Nutter — known by many residents of the Kenai Peninsula as “William” or “Bill” — came to Alaska in 1930
It turned out that there were at least four other Nutters on the Kenai in the first half of the 20th century
Many individuals came to and departed from the Tustumena scene
Few people these days would associate the word “cosmopolitan” with Tustumena Lake
And thus, except for fading headlines, the Franke name all but disappeared from the annals of Kenai Peninsula history.
A hearing was held to determine the length of William Franke’s prison sentence
Franke surrendered peacefully and confessed to the killing, but the motive for the crime remained in doubt.
The suspect was homesteader William Henry Franke
Conjecture about motive was rampant immediately after the shooting and in the months before Franke’s court date
It may have seemed like an open-and-shut case
No bar stands today north of the Sterling Highway and across from the Birch Ridge Golf Course.
A disagreement over the payment for some food led to a shoot-out at the Hilltop Bar and Café
Bush did not deny killing Jack Griffiths in October 1961, but he claimed to have had no choice in order to protect himself.
James Franklin “Jim” Bush stood accused of the Soldotna murder of Jack Griffiths in October 1961
The second spirit, said Cunningham, belonged to Jack Griffiths….
Triumph, tragedy and mystery
Like many such drinking establishments, Good Time Charlies usually opened late and stayed open late