The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1877-03-01
LIVELY DEADWO0D.
Men and Manners at the Black Hills.

Men and Manners at the Black Hills.
Yesterday afternoon, says the Virginia
(Nevada) Chronicle, this Office was visited
by Harry Williams, an old Comstocker,
who has for some months past been trying
his luck in the Black Hills with good re-
suits Mr.. Williams is a keen observer Of
events, and does not require to be pumped
TO be induced to tell what he knows
DEADwooD.
Tell us al! about Deadwood, Mr. Will
liams?"
"Deadwood may be considered pretty
lively town; that is, lively for a town Of p
900 inhabitants OF course it's the central
camp, where all the gambling, fighting and
business is done. Everything goes on
grand rush night and day. There is no re-
gularity about anything. 4 man opens
place of business and makes lots of money,
then he gets the prospecting fever, starts
for the eulches and shuts up bis shebaDg.
When place is closed up it means that
the owner is out digging, has been killed in
fight, or is off on a spree. We have no
municipal government at all. Every man
thinks he's mayor of the town. Every once
in while the boys call mass meeting,
draw up resolutions, etc, and decide to in
corporate the town and have a Board of
AldermeR; but at the end of the week no.
body knows what has become of the resolu-
tions or the Aldermen. We start new city
government every two weeks and bust one
every week-if there is any.
chow ABOUT THE THEATRE"
"Yes, we've got little theatre there, no
nearly as well fitted up as your cockpit
/ The orchestra chairs are made of stakes
| driven into the ground, with round piece
of board about the eize of your hand nail
ed on top. Admission 81 so; reserved seats
! s.. They run sort of variety show, and
sling in the jokes and stage business as
board as possible. The cancan was danced
for some time until the boys got tired Of it
and they said: Give Us some singin', or
Well clean out the place. We want sonnet
thing elevatin, and the manager had to
import a female sentimental vocalist, at big
expense, to appease the patrons. She sung
Sweet Spirit Hear my Prayer Consider
the Lilies Il Know That My Redeemer
Liveth,' and other high toned music, and I
thought that the boys would go crazy with
delight. But they got tired of it in about
a week. Fanny Garrison was the singer.
/ believe she used to be here"
MANY SALOONS THERE"
SALOONS all over the place, and whisky
four bits drink. They put two barrels up
on end, nail a board across for a bar, and
deal it out. A miner who wants to treat
pours some gold dust on the barrel head
and says, Set 'em up They never weigh
the dust. Sometimes a man won't put down
enough dust, but they never say a word; and
if he's little tight and pours out ten OF
fifteen dollars worth, they never mention
it. They have three faro banks running all
the while. They don't use checks for the
boys; when they won pile of checks they
: threw 'em all over the place, and some were
too drunk to handle 'em. So the checks
got played out. Now man puts little
gold dust in a dollar greenback, and it goes
for two dollars. Ten dollars worth of dust
, in ten dollars greenback goes for twenty
dollars, and so on. They never weigh dus
at all, but guess the amount"
"HAvE YOU A DAILY PAPER?n
} "Yes, sometimes it's daily, and ther
when the 'compositors get drunk it don y
come out for several days. If a man wants
gun wadding he goes and pays four bits fol
paper. Whenever they start a new city
government they print lot of ordinances
then there's grand rush for the paper
Sometimes it comes out twice week and
sometimes twice day"
"MUCH sHooTING?"
"Oh, yes; the boys are all on the shoot
Every man carries about fourteen pounds
Of the firearms hitched to his belt, and
, they never pass any words. The fellow
that gets his gun ont first is the best man
and they lug off the other fellows body
Our graveyard is big institution, and {
growing ont. Sometimes however, the place
is right quiet. I've known times when
man wasn't killed for twenty four hours
Then perhaps they'd lay out five or siz
! a day. When man gets too handy with
his shootin' irons and kills five or six, they
think he ism I safe, and pop him over to ric
the place of him. They don't kill him fo
what he has done, but for what he's liable
to do. I suppose that the average death
f amount to about 100 month; but the In
dians kill some"