Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1880-05-20
Pilot Knob Pickings.

Your itemiser at the Knob seems to be an
evanescent sort Of chap: now you see him
and now you don't. 0. X. tells me that sew
eral persons recognized his style at the first
glance; that he would not, therefore, write
again, and asks me to take his place.
The first thing I note Is the lIttered-up con-
dition of our streets. Broken bottles and
beer mugs, tin cans, old boots and shoes
everything almost that will add to the general
mess. Many beautiful shade trees adorn the
sidewalks, but the general effect is spoiled by
the rubbish In the streets. commend to the
town council this view Of the matter, believing
that q word IL sufficient.
The big hotel opened up on the LIST inst.
with big blow out OF free buck beer. The
spirits Of the crowd rose '.from grave to gay,
from lively to severe. !" as the beer went down.
We should all feel glad that another nice,
cleanly, moral place is opened up in our
midst, where, when one feels like hog, he
can also fee. free to AFT like hog, or like any
wild beast. Is this severe? Let the following
serve as an illustration: One day last week .
general row occurred at the above named place,
among lot of men crazed with whiskey and
beer, wherein the brothers John and JEFF
Denny took part. jeff drew a knife on John,
and John smashed Jeff's face with rock
weighing four or FIVE pounds. JEFF. still lies
with fearful head ON him, and John has left
for parts unknown together with an equally
wild companion. It is said also that these
candidates for-arytLing else than respecta-
BILE place in society-are accompanied by two
young women who had not hi therto been sus-
pected of being quite so foolish and wicked as
they sre now known to be.
As a sorter counter irritant to the above.
we have the occasional teaching of the Rev
erends McDougall and Hicks, in what is
termed the Union Church building, owned
by the Iron Company here. The attendance
at these services is exceedingly slim. While
there are men and women enough in ard
about town to fill respectfully twenty church
es, the attendance at this one does not exceed
twenty or thirty. Were 1t not for the Rus
sell quartette, which kindly and efficiently
does the singing. do not know how The
service could be kept going.
In This connection am reminded of the
story Of the brewer who, upon one side Of his
public houses, built q school and upon the
other church. It is but step from our
church to the saloon, aud the saloon has so
Luucu tuo I8FRcr CrOWus Wherever 0Ou
ererts house OF prayer. the devil builds a
sa DON there" is An old couplet. and describes
our case exactly. We only need to have the
two combined in one, and it would run like
this:
''There's spirit above and spirit below.
A spirit Of Joy and spirit OF wo;
The spirit above is the spirit divine,
And the spirit below is the spirit of wine."
l cannot leave this subject without CIV
Ing you . part of the experience Of . GER
tain colporteur who visited our district lately,
and who seemed not to have learned that the
affinity between "brick and mortar" 10 not
fairly likened to that OF "beer and bibles. ("
He succeeded in disposing OF quite number
Of bibles, pamphlets, ETC., taking in exchange
therefor promise to pay. OF course enough
beer IL drunk In . week to pay for al the
bibles in the county-but those particular
bibles are yet unpaid for. Tho theory seems
to be millions for beer, but not cant for
bibles.
A. J. Dewitt, ESQ.,, was appointed town
marshal. but for some cause failed to qualify.
So NO had to import . candidate from Des
Arc, one Amos Walp. We hear that he 10 .
terror to evil doors. and doubt not that peace
and quiet win now reign within our borders;
at least We hope that such viii Be tho
case.
Some evil-mindcd rerson let on the brakes
OF dve ore cars above the old dump. the other
evening, causing them to run down the incline
untn they reached the open switch, when they