The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-06-17
THE FIRST PRAYER AT HANNEY,s.


Hanney's diggings certainly needed a
missionary. If any place ever did. but. as
cna Of the BOYS once remarked DURING 2
great lick Of water. Z" 1t had TO keep on a
needin'." I"aloUs men came no bv
steamer via the lsihmus. and seemed to
con ume with tn ir fiery haste tO get on
board the vessels for China ard JaDan and
carry tire glad tieings TO the heathen
Scli-Sacrifcing souls gave up home and
friends. and hurried across overland. TO
brave TIE Pacific and bury themsf Ives
among tie Australasian savages. But
though they all passed almost in sight Of
llanney's none Of them paused 10 give
anv attention 10 the souls who had flock
e1 therr. Men came from Frisco and the
East to labor with the Chinese miners.
who were the only pcaCelb'e and we'll
behaved people in the min6s; hGt the
Whitehead. gOOd-nstured, h ird-swearing,
generous. heavy-drinking. enthusiastic.
murderous Anglo Slxons thev le' severe
" alore. Perhaps they thought the
hearts IN which the good sci had oncr
been sown. but failed to come uD into
fruit, we're barren soil; perhaps thev
thought il preferable to he killed and eft
en- bv cannibals than to be tumhed into a
gulch bv q revolver shot, while the shoot
ist strolled calmly off in company with
his approving conscience. never thinking
to ascertain whether his bullet had COM
pleted the business, or whe,hera wound
ed man might have to fight death and the
coyotes together. At any rate the mis-
siOnary LET Hanneys severely alone. If
any one with an unquenchabie desire TO
carry the Word where it is utterly nm
known. digestion without fear. and a
full proof article of common sense CtbpSa
lasttw requisites are absolutel, should he
looking for an eligible location. Hannev's
is Just the place for him. If he has sever
al dozens Of similarly constituted friends
thev can all find similar locations by he.
taking themSelveS 10 any mining camp in
the West.
As Hannrv's had no preacher. it will be
readily imagined that it had no church.
With the first crowd who located there
came an in-olvent rumselcr from he East.
He called himself Pentccost. which was as
near his right name ms usual with miners.
and tie boys dubbed his shop "PentecoSt
Chapel" 7" at once. The name somehow
reached the East. for wi hin few months
there reached the Post-oflice at Hanney's a
document addressed to Preacher in
charge of the PentecOSt Chapel" The
Postmaster went up and down the brook
in high spirits and told the boys. who in
stantly dropped shovel and pan. formed
in line, AMI instantly escorted the Post
master TO the Chapel. PentecOst acknowl-
edged the Joke and stood the treat for the
crowd. after which he solemnly tore the
wrapper. and disclosed rerort Ofa Ger
tain missionary society. MOdeStly cX-
pressing his qualification at the honor, and
bis unwarihiness Of it, he moved that old
Thompson, who had the loudest voice in
the crowd. should read the report aloud
hp Dgptpp2ct N,,lDu-acrino 10 fY,r,izb
Thompson all necessary snirituOus aid
during the continuance of his task
Thompson promptly signiied his acqui-
eScence, cleared his throat with a glass of
the eamber-colored LIQUID. and commenced.
the boys meanwhile listening attentively,
and commenting critically.
"TOO much cusSed heavenly twang"
observed one. dislpprovingly, as one let
ter largely composed Of scriptural extracts
was read.
"Why the de1ce didn't he shoot ?" in
dignantlv demanded another as tale of
escare from heather purSuers was read.
"Shut mp wimmcn in a burned dark
room Wei. I'll he burned - soli'oquized
\ yellow haired Missourian. as Thompson
read an account Of a Zenana. Reckon
they'd set an Internal sight higher hy
wimmen ef thev wuZ in the diggins six
mOnths-hev. fellows?'
You betl'' cmphatically responded
majority of those present.
Before the bows became very restive.
Thomnson finished the pamphlet includ-
ING 2 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 gracefully concluded
his services by passing the hat. with the
H.,
one double-barreled pistol. three knives.
one watch. two rings (boih homemade.
valuable. and fearfully ugly), a pocket
iuk-Stand. a silver tobacco box and forty
or fifty ounces Of dust and nuggets. BOS-
ton Bjll. who was nOtoriously absent
minded. dropped in a pocket-comb, hut,
on being stcrnlv called to order by old
Thompson. cursed himself most fluently
and redeemed his dsgraceful contribution
with good double eagle. ''The Web
foot" who was the most unlucky man I'm
camp. had been so wrought upon by the
tale of one missionary who had lost his all
many times in succession. that he Sympa-
theticallv contributed his only shovel. for
which act he was enthusiastically cursed
and literally treated at the bar. while the
shovel was promptly sold at auction 10 the
highest bidder. who presented it. with
staggering slap between the shoulders. To
its original owner. The remaining nom
legaltenders were then converted into
gOld-dust. and the whole dispatched by
express, with a gri L note from PentecOst, !
10 the SOciety's treasurer at Boston. As
the Society was controlled by a denomina- |
tiOn which Goes not understand how good |
can come out of evil, no detail of this con- |
irrigation ever appeared in print. But in
a few months thereafter there did appear
at Hanney's thin-cheSted. large headed
youth, with a heavily loaded mule, and
announced himself accreditedbv the afore-
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 i'm front OF the barroom fireplace.
His mules load proved to consist largely
of tracts. which he vigorously 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 i'm and fed him. He tried to
persuade the boys 10 stop drinking, and
they goOd-naturedly laughed, but when
be attempted to break up the ''little
game which was the only amusement Of
the camp-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 a very un1ghteouS, but still very
darling pleasure. A pair of veteran knife
ISIS, who had fought each other at sight
for almost ten years every time they met,
again found themselves in the same settle
ment, and Hanney'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 shovels. In the course OF the
chat they drank considerable OF yillainOus
whisky. and naturally resorted to knives
as final arguments. The matter might
have ended here, had either gained de-
cided advantage over the other, bur both
were skillfal-each inflicted and received
so near the same number OF wounds. that
the wiSeSt man in camp was unable to tell
which whipped. Now, to average Cali
fornians in the mines, this is distressing
stite of affairs; the spectators and friends