Gun Mishap Kills Bob Niquette; Catholic Mass Set For Friday
Mono County Resort-Café Operator Fatally Injured Tuesday Morning

John Robert Niquette, 43, proprietor of Thompson’s Guest Ranch as 
well as the Nevada Café in Leevining, died suddenly about 2:30 a. m. 
Tuesday from a gunshot wound received near the Lorin Odell residence 
in Leevining.

According to reports, Mr. and Mrs. Niquette had just closed their 
Nevada Café after entertaining several guests, and had been invited 
to the Odell residence, Niquette was assisting his wife from the car, 
when she stated that it was dark and icy, and asked that he get a 
flashlight from the car.  Since the Niquettes always carried the café 
funds home with them, they kept Niquette’s .38 Colt revolver on the 
seat beside them, in addition to the cash and the flashlight.  
Apparently groping in the dark for the flashlight, Niquette discharged 
the gun.

The bullet hit him in the stomach just above his belt, with the slug 
coming out his back below the left shoulder blade.  He fell backward 
into his wife’s arms, knocking her down, and died almost instantly.  
Only one shell in the gun had been fired.

Mono county authorities took charge of the case immediately, and the 
body was moved to Blake mortuary in Bishop.  Wednesday the body was 
taken to Huntington Park to the Moreland-Marcoux mortuary on Long 
Beach Blvd.  Rosary will be said Thursday night, and the funeral mass 
will be Friday, details of which were not known at press time.

Niquette had been a resident of this area only since 1944, however he 
had been a frequent visitor for many years.

He was a member of both the Elks and Eagles lodges in Bishop.  
Recently they had assumed management of the Nevada Café from Elmer 
Stanton and had plans for continuing their operation also of the guest 
ranch.

Before coming to Mono county, he had operated Niquette Electric Co. in 
Huntington Park.

A routine investigation is being made, and an inquest will be held as 
soon as Mrs. Niquette is able to return from Southern California.

Among known survivors are his widow, Mrs. Peggy Niquete; his parents, 
Mr. and Mrs. Norman E. Niquette of Huntington Park; and four sisters, 
Mrs. Gertrude Dickinson, Mrs. Mildred Mathewson, and Mrs. Babe Frizelle, 
all of Huntington Park, and Mrs. O. H. Sandstrom of Fresno.

The Inyo Register, Bishop, Inyo County, California
Thursday, January 26, 1950 – Page One

Transcribed by Denise S. Flynn