Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-06-25

| Guiding few lines on the cover, which
stated that the society was greatly IN
need of funds and that contributions
might be sent to the society's financial
agent in Boston. Thompson gratefully
/ concluded his service by passing the hat,
with the following result: Two revolv-
ers, one double-barreled pistol, three
knives, one watch, two rings (both home
made, valuable and fearfully ugly, a
pocket inkstand, silver tobacco box and
| forty or fifty ounces of dust and nuggets
| Boston Bill, who was VIGOROUSLY absent
minded, dropped in a pocket-comb, but
| on being sternly called to order by old
! Thompson, cursed himself most huentiy
and redeemed his disgraceful contribu-
ton with a gold double-eagle. The
| Webfoot," who was the most unlucky
man in camp, had been so wrought upon
by the tale of one missionary who had
lost his all many times in succession
that he sympathetically contributed his
own shovel, for which act he was en-
Enthusiastically cursed and literally treat
ed at the bar, while the shovel was
promptly sold at auction to the highest
bidder, who presented it with a stagger-
ing slap between the shoulders to its
! original owner. The remaining non
|
gold dust, and the whole dispatched by
express, with grim note from Pente-
cost to the society's Treasurer at Boston.
AS the society was controlled by de-
nomination which does not understand
how good can come out of evil, no de-
tail of this contribution ever appeared
| in print. But few months thereafter
there did appear at Hanney's a thin
1 nh tn1 l. IoI
heavily-loaded mule, and announced
mentioned society to preach the Gospel
among the miners. The boys received
him cordially, and Pentecost offered him
the nightly hospitality of curling up to
sleep in front of the bar-room fireplace.
His mules load proved to consist largely
of tracts, which he vigorously dis
tributed, and which the boys used to
wrap up dust in. He nearly starved
while trying to learn to cook his own
| food, so some of the boys took him in
and fed him. He tried to persuade the
| boys to stop drinking, and they good
naturally laughed, but when he at
tempted to break up the ''llttle game"
which was the only amusement of the
camps-the only steady amusement, for
fights were short and irregular-the camp
rose in wrath, and the young man hastily
rose and went for his mule.
But at the time of which this story
treats missionary would have Jared
even worse, for the boys were wholly
absorbed by very unrighteOus, but
still very daring, pleasure. A pair of
veteran knifeists, who had fought each
other at sight for almost ten years every
| time they met, had again found them
selves in the same settlement, and Han
| ney's had the honor to be that particular
settlement Judge" Briggs, one of the
heroes, had many years before discussed
with his neighbor, Billy Bent, the merits
of two opposing brands of mining SHOW
els. In the course of the chat they
drank considerable villainous whisky,
and naturally resorted to knives as final
arguments. The matter might have
ended here had either gained decided
advantage over the other, but both were
| skilled-each inflicted and received so
| near the same number of wounds that
| the wisest men in camp were unable to
decide which whipped. Now, to aver
age Californians in the mines, this is
most distressing state of affairs; the
| spectators and friends of the combatants
waste great deal of time, liquor and
blood on the subject, while the combat
ants themselves feel unspeakably un-
easy on the neutral ground between vic
| tory and defeat. AT Sonora, where Billy
and the Judge had their first encounter,
there was no verdict, so the Judge indig-
nantly shook the dust from his feet and
went elsewhere. Soon Billy happened
in at the same place, and set-to &C.
CURED at sight, in which the average was
not disarranged. Both men went about
for a month or two in patched-up con-
dition, and then Billy roamed of, to be
soon met by the Judge, with the usual
result. Both men were known by repu-
tation all through the gold regions, and
the advent of either at any "gulch'' or
"washin' was the best advertisement
the saloon-keepers could desire. In the
East hundreds of men would have tried
to reason the men out of this feud, and
some few would have forcibly separated
them while fighting, but in the diggings
any interference in such matters is con-
sldered impertinent and deserving of
| punishment.
Hanney's had been fairly excited for a
week, for the Judge had arrived the
week before, and his points had been
carefully scrutinized and weighed time
and again by every man in the camp.
| There seemed nothing unusual about him
he was of middle size, had long hair
and beard, a not unpleasant expression,
and very dirty clothes; he never jumped
claim, always took his whisky straight,
played as fair game of poker as the
average of the boys, and never stole a
mule from anyone whittier than a Mexi-
can. The boys had just about ascer-
| tanned all this, and made their "blind'
bets on the result of the next fight, when
| the whole camp was convulsed with the
| intelligence that Billy Bent had also ar
rived. Work Immediately ceased, ex-
cept in the immediate vicinity of the
| champions, and the boys stuck close to
| the Chapel, that being the spot where
| the encounter should naturally take
place. Miners thronged in from fifty
| miles around, and nothing bat special
mule express saved the camp from the
horror of Pentecost's bar being made
quate to the demand. Between straight
bets" and hedging most of. the gold
dust in camp had been "put up" for a
| bet is the only California backing of an
opinion. AS the men did not seem to
seek each other, the boys had ample time
to "grind things down to pint" as
the camp concisely expressed it, and the
matter had given excuse for dozen
minor fights, when order was suddenly
restored one afternoon by the entrance
of Billy and his neighbors, just as the
Judge and isneighb ors were finishing a
drink.
The boys Immediately and silently
formed ring, on the outer edge of
which were massed all the men who had
been outside, and who came pouring in
| like flies before a shower No one
squatted or Rugged the wall, for it was
understood that these two men fought
only with knives, so the spectators were