The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1880-08-26
Saturday Night In LeadyllIe---DO Not
SEQ Mest,'' Young Man.


work III the mines and shafts and
flockcd into town intent on having Il
good time. Harrison avenue, from
Chestnut street to the Post office, was
so thronged in the afternoon and even
ing that all were forced to walk slow
". Cosmopolitan in the extreme was
this mass of slow moving miners. At
the Post office three columns stretched
from the delivery window far out on
the sidewalks. Some of these men
had stood for two hours waiting their
turn. The crowd was very good
natured. Drunken men were plen-
ty. Out from the wide doors that
opened into great halls, where the air
WIS heavy with tobacco smoke and the
gas burned dull yellow, rolled con-
fused volume of words
l entered one Of them. Gently
pushing my way behind the long
black walnut bar, glistening with de-
cantcrs, filled with highly colored
liquor, and bright drinking glasses, |
passed on to the gambling rooms. 4
fence ran down the middle of the
room. To the left of it the space was
occupied by keno players. The cries
of the dealers were loud and constant.
At short intervals the voice of some
player would be heard, yelling i'll
triumph "Keno~ Without any per
ceptible stop, the game went on.
Tired of watching, straYed off to
the faro tables. Here / was greatly
surprised to see men playing with ten
cent checks. At once suspected that
the reports of the exceeding richness
Of the camp on the carbOnates were
false. Men clad in elay-soiled canvas
suits held out toil-hardened hands, men
from stores and counting houses played
by their side. If one could have seen
the hands only of the players, what &
queer sight it would have been
hands Of all sizes and cOlors-handi
callOused by twisting steel drills, ol
the slipping through them of hammer
handles, soft hands white that had neveI
worked. All hOvered over the table
like hawks over Il rabbit hidden i'll ;
clump of grass. The checks wer'
moved from card to card. Drinks O
whisky and beer appeared and van
ished. Smoking was constantly go
ing on. The hard faces of the far
dealers never changed. Mechanical.
they pulled the card from the silve
boxes.
There we're many games running
that had never seen before-shOr
faro, highball poker, four to one. o
course IL woman was dealing twenty
one. The roulette tables were crowded
, Players and spectators were yer
= courteous to one another. All wer
apparently Indifferent as to the our
COMIC "a Ing SdiAC'
: Hanging over all of the these table
1 thought | could see a cloud Of drea
: least row might be started. If one
: began in a hall crowded with cou
: ageous men we'll armed, no one coul
I" forctell the end of the fight. All wer
anxious to avoid it.
Leaving the gambling halls at abOr
r u o'clock, l went to a rather tamOu
theatre, or free and easy, thatall stral
= gers who want to Ike disgusted shoul
= see. Ihavc seen many vile shows
the mining camps of the Northwes
), In the flush times of the war the Cal
3 terbury at Washington was the reso
to of the vilest of both sexes. But nev,
,,gg before did | hear such vulgar la
guage as l heard in this low Lcadvil
den. Liquor was sold by woman wi
n, walked about importuning men
n drink in a town IL 900 feet above IL
sea.
The dance halls were crowded
.. drunken miners and depraved woma
IS Men and woman danced, smoked, al
'e swore in perfect harmony. Lon
e. haired Pixies, with revolvers belted
T. them, the belts full of cartridges, t
pistols Topping up and down as tn
o. danced, good naturedly went throu!
the intricrte figures Of fancy dance