Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-11-13
Garland ana It's Dnnce.HOuse.


Cor. Louisville Courier-J -Journal.l
Garland City. This is the newest
town in Colorado. The Denver and
Rio Grande railroad reached here
the first of August. Immediately
the plucky fellows who advance
with the railroads erected a little
town and called it Garland. 1t is
in the heart Of the Rocky Noun
tains, and 220 miles south from
Denver, and at an elevation of over
5000 feet. Garland possesses no at
fractions for the tourist, except in
so far as it is a specimen of extreme
Western life. 1t has two good
hotels, one weekly newspaper, two
forwarding houses, four or five
business houses, two dance-houses
and thirty-six saloons. 1t is the
present terminus Of the Denver
and Rio Grande railroad, and all
the supplies of the great San Juan
region are forwarded by wagons
from here. This forwarding busi.
ness is immense, and, outside Of the
saloons and dance houses, is all o.
Garland. The dance-house might
be said to be Garland. Your cor.
respondent visited it last night
Sunday and saw it in full blast
AS your readers have no idea of q
dance.house, and as it is one of the
principal adjuncts of Western from.
tier life, | will try to give them some
conception of this one. 1t is large
one-story frame building, opening
by wide doors upon the main street
You are first attracted to the
house by the outside lamps, and by
the music and hilarity within. En-
tering, you see near the front Of
the hall, on one side, bar, and op-
posite faro table, with a crowd OF
eager players. The dealer has the
solemn, careful air of Judge,
handles his cards dexterously,
slowly, watching every part of the
table with the keen eye of an ex-
pert, his countenance perfectly
composed, and interchangeable at
either loss or gain. / watched this
game for an hour. The man and
his opponents were a study. One
sharp, blue-eyed, handsome-yisaged
fellow, with a slouch hat and q
mountain overcoat thrown care.
lessly over his shoulder, piled uT
his chips, alternately winning and
losing--never saying a word, and
never changing expression. John
Ohinaman was there. John bought
So worth of chips, and risked them
on few deals--lost themall. With
a placid smile" smile that wa:
childlike and bland he departed,
In a lew minutes he returned with
another innocent Chinee. Another
V was invested and lost. Smiling
the two departed, and returned re.
inforced by a third. The same
process was gone through, and the
next time our valiant Chinaman
returned he was reinforced by q
fourth. They invest S. more, O
few looks and words between them.
selves, the chips are piled on two
cards, as if determined to lose OF
win all at once. and they go out for
the last time. In side-room a
number Of games-Mexican monte
and others-were going on ata live
ly rate. But to the dance. In the
rear Of the room, on an elevation,
three yiolins give forth the music
and keep time for the dancers. The
women ere the degraded camp-fol-
lowers, American and Mexican.
Some of them have fair faces, and
a few we're elegantly dressed. One
of them told me she had her ward
robe from Chicago, and another
from Denver. The majority are
ugly, repHlsiye looking creatures
The men are OF every class and
condition. The merchant, the
railroad contractor, the drummer,
the tourist, and the travelling inval-
id, the adventurous miner, the