Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-11-03
Whole No. 22l.

was promptly sold at auction to the
highest bidder, who presented it,
with staggering slap between the
shoulders, to its original owner
The remaining non-legal tenders
were then converted into gold-dust,
and the whole dispatched by ex-
press, with q grim note from Pen
tecost to the society's treasurer al
Boston. AS the society was con-
troled by a denomination which
does not understand how good can
come out of evil, no detail of this
contribution ever appeared in print.
But q few months thereafter, there
did appear at Hanney's, a thin
chested, large-headed youth, with a
heavily loaded mule, and announc-
ed himself as accredited by the
aforementioned society to preach
the gospel among the miners
The boys received him cordially,
and Pentecost offered him the night
ly hospitality of curling up to sleep
in front of the bar-room fireplace.
His mules load proved to consist
largely Of tracts, which he vigor-
ously distributed, and which the
boys used to wrap up dust in. He
nearly starved while learning to
cook his own food SO some of the
boys took him and fed him. He
tried to persuade the boys to stop
drinking, and they good naturedly
laughed, but when he attempted to
break up the "little game" which
was the only amusement of the
camp-for fights were short and ir-
regular-the camp rose in its wrath,
and the young man hastily arose
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 un-
righteous, but still very darling
pleasure. A pair of veteran knife.
lists, who fought each other at sight
for almost ten years every time
they met, had again found them
selves in the same settlement, and
Hanney's had the honor to be that
particular settlement, and Judge
Briggs, one of the heroes, had
many years before discussed with
his neighbor, Billy Bent, the mer-
its of two opposing brands of min
ing shovels. In the course of the
chat they drank considerable of
villainous whiskey, and naturally
resorted to knives as final argu-
ment. The matter might have end
cd here, and neither gained de-
cided advantage over the other,
but both were skillful-each infiict-
ed and received so near the same
number of wounds, that the wisest
man in camp was unable to tell
which whipped. Now, to average
Californians in the mines, this is a
distressing state of affairs; the
spectators and friends waste great
deal of time, liquor and blood Oh
the subject, while the combatants
themselves seem unspeakably un-
easy on the neutral ground between
victory and defeat.
AT Sonora, whero Billy and the
Judge had the first encounter, there
was no verdict, so the Judge indig.
nantly shook the dust from his feet
and went elsewhere. Soon Billy
happened in the same place, and
set-to occurred at sight, in which
the average was not disarranged.-
Both men went about for month
or two in a patched condition, and
then LBilly roamed of, to be soon
met by the Judge, with the same
result. Both men were known by
reputation all through the gold re-
gion, and the advent of either at Q
"gulch" or "washin'" was the best
advertisement the saloon keeper:
could desire. In the east hundred:
of men would have tried to reasor
the men out of their feud, but II
the diggings any interference il
such matters is considered imper
timent and deserving Of punish
ment.
Hanney's had been fairly excited
for a week, for the Judge had ar
rived the week before, and hi
points had been carefully scruten
lied and weighed, time and again
, by every man in camp. Their
seemed nothing unusual about hin