Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-03-07
The New Chief at Betmicks d
Turn.

It was certainly a very lively settle
tlement. New settlements everywhere
are lively, and new mining towns are
particularly so, but Betmick, though
but few months old proudly held it's
own among the inviting neigborhoods on
q certain creek in California in the ear
ly days of the gold fever. All the min
ing camps occasionally enjoyed the gen.
ial influence af stupendous games, gen.
eral and mighty sprees, and vigorous
and skilful fights. Each camp pos
sessed its own great man, and chal-
lenged the whole country to match him
with cards, bottle or pistol. But the
inhabitants of Betmick Turn passed
their days in one delicious, unvarying
atmosphere of excitement, for Baretop
Billy, Norfolk Ben, and Tom Luggs
had all found at the Turn such dirt that
they all remained, instead of each
searching for some less favored locality
where his light m; sht shine in solitary
and unaided radiance.
1t was no wonder that the proud
Betmickites looked down upon their
less fortunate neighbors--as did the
Roman upon the Jew, or the Jew upon
the unfortunate Samaritan. No Won
der that when O denizen of the Turn
invited friend from some neighbor-
ing camp to call on him he did it with
that unshaken conviction of ability to
entertain which can be likened only to
the feeling of hospitable Bostonian
during Coliseum days, or of an owner
of a pew in Plymouth Church. Nor
was it any wonder that the whole camp
speedily resolved itself into three fac
tions, and found itself in possession of
some very bad blood. The spiritual
influence at Betmick's We're invisible,
but the spirituous influences were full
proof, and the absence of the former
and the activity Of the latter soon en-
abled the village undertaken to assert,
with no less of truth than of profess
sional pride, that there are as many
graves in the cemetery as there were
battles at Demmy's Saloon.
Whether on account of equality of
merit among the three great leaders,
or that fair play which prompts men to
espouse the weaker side we know not,
but certain it is that the three sets of
Betmick's numbered so near the same
quantity of members that tho concilia
tory spirits of either were able to gain
recruits by showing that their own lead
er was q pre-eminent favorite. 1t is
certain that neither party, in its drunkest
moments. imagined the possibility of
triumph by force of arms. So all encoun-
ters were between single representa-
tives only, the chiefs disclaiming re-
sponsibilities as promptly as do politi-
cal candidates for The irregularities OF
their followers.
But although each clique had its
members residing apart from the other
sets, and those Of each party staked
claims in immediate proximity to each
other, and away from its rivals, there
was common ground on which they
met, and it was found at Demmy's Sa-
loon. They were brave and enthusi,
astic, and willing to kill or be killed
for principles sake, these miners. but
they were human, and humanity in
those days and climes, found its CHIEF
consolation in liquid form.
One evening, when miner who had
found = nugget of considerable size,
had invited the crowd to the bar to
"wash" his happy discovery, a Bare
top Billite happened to jostle one Of
Tom Lugg's adherents. The aggrieved
man promptly drew his weapon, his ad.
versary also drew. Every one sat down
or stood low enough to dodge stray
shots. and the undertaken was just re-
marking to miner on his right that
he was fortunately able to fit either man
with q ready-made coffin, when the
door opened and a man rushed in ex.
claiming.
"Their's a woman come to camp"
The two men with pistols looked
into each other seyes and in that manner
agreed that personal difficulties were
now of secondary importance. The un-
dertaker groaned; business had been
dull for some days, and this affair was
an utter and sickening disappointment
still he was man, and he looked in.
quiringly toward the last speaker. The
great Baretop Billy himself. dropping a