Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-09-27
NIGHT IN CHEYENNE.
The Revolving Side OF Border Life-A
Small American Hell.
Pittsburgh Chronicle

Pittsburgh Chronicle.
At night Cheyenne il n whirlpool Of
excitement. an hundred drinking and
gambling saloons in full blast, brass
bands camoring through the streets,
myriad lamps with reilectors flashing
their vivid rays through the dark shad-
ows, upon the palpitating mass Of hui
man beings surging the wide avenues.
"McDaniel," =" Belle Union" and anoth-
er varieties theatre open their yawning
doorways to the stream Of mortals flow
ing constantly in and out. The former
is the prominent place; il consists Of two
spacious halls handsomely arranged and
ornamented, and contained in one build
ing The theatrical hall is Respondent
with gaudy, frcscocd walls and ceiling,
the brilliant colors and gliding being in
keeping with the ilashy tastes of the
patrons. a range Of twenty private
boxes form hall oval above tile extern
sive lower hall, where the performers
principally female singers congregatc
during the intervals between acts. The
stage is Of pretty large size, gaily deco
rated. General admission to the con-
cert saloon, twenty-five cents, including
IL drink or cigar; upstairs twenty-five
cents extra. Every night the place is
crowded with this mixed population,
representing nearly all races; the tawny
Indian in blanket, breoch cloul and leg
gngs; the greasy Mexican, dark -visagcd
and snlcn; the Chinaman, childikc
and bland; the negro, the Kcunacka,
and finally the white. Nearly all wear
the regulation sombrero; buckskin suits,
gaiIy ornamcntcd with beads, arc worn
by many, but the majority are attircd
in the California drilling. OF course
every one is armed with six-shootcr
orboWic, md shooting or cutting scrapcs
are frequent result ofinebriatcd conten-
ton. The saloon is OVERLOADED with girl
walters, OF beer jcrkcrs, as they arc
called here, whose business il is to fon-
die the patrons and extract all the treats
they can.
The gambling hall like Ill the rest in
town, run night and day, Sunday in
cluded, openly, and is attended and pat
ronzed ny both sexes, Old and young.
The games operated are faro" Ike
III" roulette" rouge ct noir," "vingt
I'M" " lansqnencttc," freeze out or
"poler," and u number Of other card
games. The tables are constantly
crowded, and money changes hands
rapidly. This hall is equally rs large
us the theatre, and also trimmed up; it
is connected with the other by three
wide doorways. Ike gambling II done
with "chips," which you receive in OK
change for cash. The stakes are limit
cd from ~ cents to $3.50, in faro.
McDaniel'5 is generally considered Il
square game" and literally patroniz-
cd. Some brace games aro dealt in
town, but ~ the Professionalism avoid
ed -Four" dance hullS' are run in DIFF
fcrent parts Of town, and are well at
tended, but they are the most degraded
Of Ill the debauchcd deus.
Camp Cnrlin, u mile and II hall, and
Fort Russell, three miles north Of town,
contribute greatly to its life. The sol
dicrs seils every opportunity to come
here, and are often seen ina very desc
lnto state, Every day and evening de-
tailed squads are patrolling the streets
in search Of their stray comrades, and
often arc obliged to transport them of
III wagons.