The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1865-08-26


requiring courage, integrity and selfreiance, than
an 'honest MINER" who has been tried and found
true by jury of mountalneers.
The universal license that is, at 6rst necessity
of position in such places, adds greatly to the num-
ber of crimes and to the facilities for their perpe
traton. Saloons where poisonous liquors vended
to all comers and consumed in quantities sufficient
to drive exctable men to madness and to the COM
mission of homicide, on the slightest provocation,
are be found in amazing numbers, and the villain
Gus compounds there sod under the generic name of
whiskey, are more Familiarity distinguished by the
cognomens of ''Tangle-leg," "Forty-rod," "Light-
ming. Earantula ETC., terms only too truly
describing their acknowledged qualities. r.
The absence of good female society. in any due
proportion to the numbers of the opposite sex, Is
likewise evil of great magnitude; for men become
rough, stern and cruel, to surprising degree under
such a state of things. '..' tu'
In every frequented street, public gambling houses
with open doors and loud music resorted to, iu
broad daylight, by hundreds-it might almost be
said-of all tribes and tongues furnishing another
fruitful of "dificulties, which commonly
decided the spot, by appeal to brute force the
stab of u knife, or the discharge of a revolver.
Women of easy virtue to be seen prolnenading
through the camp, habited in the gayest and most
costly apparel and receiving fabulous sums for their
purchased favors. In fact, all the temptations to
vice present in full display, with money In abun
dance to secure the qualification of the desire for
novelty and excitement which is the ruling passion
of the mountai neer. "..
One institution" offering shadowy and danger
GUS substitute for more legitimate female associa-
tion, deserves a particular notice. This is the
''Hurdy -Gurdy' house. As soon as the men have
left off work, these places opened. and dancing
| commences. Let the reader picture to himself q
| large room, furnished with bar at end-where
champagne at Sl2 lin gold) per bottle, and drinks
at twenty five to fifty cents, wholasaled, (cor
rectly speakngand divided, at the end of this BAR
| by railing running from side to side. The outer
enclosure is densely crowded and particular occa
sons, the inner aiso with men in every variety
of garb that can be seen on the continent. Beyond
the barrier, sit the dancing women, called "hurdy
gurdies," sometimes dressed in uniform, but, more
generally, habited according to the dictates of in
dividual caprice, in the finest clothes that money
buy, and which fashioned in the most attrac
tive styles that fancy can suggest On side is a
raised orchestra. The music suddenly strikes up and
the summons. Take your partners for the next
dance" is promptly answered by some of the male
spectators. who, paying dollar in gold for ticket,
approach the ladies' bench, and-in style polite,
otherwise according to antecedents-invite one of
| the ladies to dance.
The number being complete, the parties take their
places, as In any other dancing establishment, and
pause for the performances of the Introductory notes
| of the air.
partner every time''-and her companion There she
stands, at the head of the set. She is of middle
height, of rather full and rounded form her COM
plexiou pure alabaster, pair of dangerous
looking nazei eyes, slightly Roman nose, ana Q
small and prettly formed mouth. Her auburn hair
is neatly banded and gathered in tastefully orna-
mented net, with roll and gold tassels at the side
How sedate she looks during the first figure never
smiling till the termination of promenade eight, "
when she shows her little white hands in fixing hel
handsome brooch in its place, and settling her glis
tening earrings. See how nicely her scarlet dress
with its broad black band round the skirt, and its
black edging, sets off her dainty figure. No wonder
that wild mountaneer would be willing to pay
l-llS L.xS. IL IL e..
dance and an approving smile from SO beautiful {
woman.
Her cavalier stands six feet in his boots, which
come to the knee, and are gamished with pair o.
Spanish spurs with rowels and bells like young waite
wheels. His buckskin leggings are fringed at th
seams, and gathered at the waist with U. S. belt
from which hangs his loaded revolver and his sheatl
knife. His neck is bare, muscular and embrownet
by exposure, is also his bearded face, whosesomb
hue is relieved by pair of piercing dark eyes. Hi
long, black hair hangs down beneath his wide fel
hat, and the corner of his mouth, cigar, whic
rolls like the lever of eccentric as he chews tn
end in his mouth. After an amazingly grave salute
'al hands round'' is shouted by the prompter, an
of bounds the buckskin hero, rising and falling t.
the rythm of the dance, with clumsy agility and
growing enthusiasm, testifying his huge delight
His fair partner, with practed foot and easy grace
keeps time to the music like clock and rounds t
her place as smoothly and gracefully as swan. A
the dance progresses be of the buckskins gets eS
| ClJeN, anu nOb0lnR DuG long pTdCblC6 prevents III
partner from being swept off her feet the conclr
sion Of the miners delight 'set your partners
'.gents to the right" An Irish tune hornpip
generally finishes the set and then the thunder G
heel and toe, and some amazing demiroltes al
brought TO end by the aforesaid, gents to I'll
right" and promenade to the bar, which last clos
the dance. After treat the barkeeper mechanical
raps his blower hint to "weigh OUT the ladl
Z ; sit down, and, with scarcely an interval, walt
polka, schottische, mazurka, varsovienne, or anoh
!, quadrille commences. ...... .. s.
All varieties of costume, physique and demean'
. . can be noticed among the dancers-from the gaye
colors and 'loudest styles of dress and manner,
: the snugly fitting black silk and plain, white cola
{ which sets of the neat figure of that blue-eye
= modest looking Anglo-Saxon Yonder, beside the ia
= and tastly clad German brunette, you the sho
IL curls, rounded tournure and smiling face of Ir
girl indeed representatives of almost every danclI
c nation of white folks, may be seen on the floor
= the Hurdy Gurdy house. The earnings of the dance
. are very different In amount. That dancer In &
low necked dress, with the scarlet ''waist, gre
!. favorite and really good dancer counted fifty tic
~ ets into her lap before The last dance gentlemen
), followed by "0nly this one before the girls
,e e home which wound up the performances. Twent
six dollars is great deal of money to earn in such
u fashion but fifty sets of quadrles and four waltz
" two of them for the love of the thing, very ha
le work. . .rl. .,.......--...... ANN. =
As rule. however, the professional 'hurdies''
v v Teutons, and, though first rate dancers, they al
=, ,e with some few exceptions, the reverse of go
= looking.
ID The dance which is most attended, is in whi
ct ladies whom pleasure is deare: than fame, rep
ce sent the female element and may be supposed,
at evil only COMMENCES at the Dance House. 1t Is
uncommon to see one of these syrens with ~ "outf
w worth from to eight hundred dollars, and
IN of them invest with merchants and bankers housar
Id of dollars in gold, the rewards and presents th
v. receive, especially the more highly favored on
es being more, in a week, than we'll educated g
be would earn in two years in an Eastern city.
#, In the Dance House you see Judges, the L,
p islative corps Doctors, and every but the MIN
,ir ter. He never ventures further than to engage
ed conversation with friend at the door, and wh
nd intently watching the performance lectures on
es evil of such places with considerable forcs; but
attention is evidently more fixed upon the dane
lss than on his lecture. Sometimes may be seen q
,ir haired men dancing, their wives sitting at home
is blissful ignorance of the proceeding. There ne
'es was dance house running for any length of til
a iu the first days of mining town, in which "sho