New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-07-14
Saturday Night In Kansas Cattle
. Town.


THE dullness which had so weighed
upon us through the long, unevcntful
afternoon was but a lull. we soon
learned, and not stagnation. With
the first approach of darkness the
lethargic town rubbed its eyes, so to
speak, and leaped to its feet; and in a
twinkling, it seemed Qike an <incanta-
ton, Eastman said), Grand avenue was
carnival of light and motion and
music. The broad board sidewalks
were crowded with promenadcrs; smil-
ing groups passed in and out of the
drinking saloons and gambling places;
in every quarter glasses clinked and
dice ratified lis there another sound in
the world like that of shaken dicep);
violins, flutes and comets sent out ca
ger. inviting strains of waltz and polka
from q score or more establishments,
and brass band was playing patriotic
airs in front of the theater, where, odd
" enough, the crude morality of "Tcn
Nights in Bar-Room' was about to be
presented, "with tho full strength of
tho company in the cast" Everywhere
the cowboys made themselves mani
fest. clad now in the soilcd and dingy
jeans of the trail, then in suit of many
buttoned corduroy, and again in afll,,-
ence of broadcloth, silk hat, gloves,
cane and sometimes clerical white
neck-tic. And everywhere, also, stared
and shone the Lone Star of Tcxas-for
the cowboy, wherever he may wander,
and however he may change, never for
gets to be a Texan, and never spends
his money or lends his presence to a
concern that does not in some way rec
ognize the emblem of his native State;
SO you will sec in towns like New Sha-
ron general pandcring to this scnti-
mcnt, and lone stars abound of ak
sizes and hues, from the big dsliguring
white ono painted on the hotcl-front
down to the little pink one stitched in
silk on the cowboys shilling handkcr-
chief. Barring these numerous stars,
the rich lights, and the music, we
missed sight of any special efforts to be-
guile or entrap passcrs-by- perhaps be-
cause we were not looking for them;
nor was there for some hours sound
TO reveal the spirit of coilcd and utter
vileness which the cheerful outside so
well belicd. 1t was in the main mucn
the kind of scene one would be apt to
conjecture for IN Oriental holiday. But
as the night sped on, the festivities
deepcncd, and the jovial aspect of the
picture began to be touched and tainted
with subtle. rebuking something,
which gradually disclosed the passion,
the crime, the dcpravity. that really
vivitiad and swaycd it al, and made it
Internal. The saloons became clamor-
GUS with profanity and ribald songs
and laughter. There were no longer
any promcnadcrs on the sidewalks,
save once in u while single bleared
and staggering fellow, with difficulty
in his clumsy lips over some such
thing as "Thc Girl l Left Behind Me. "
An inllamed and quivcring fcrccncss
| crept into the busy music. The lights
paled, ilickcrcd, and here and there
| went out, Doors were stcalthily closed,
! window-shuttcrs slammed to with angry
crcaks. And at length, us we looked
and listened, the sharp, significant re-
port of pistol, with a shrek behind it,
was borne toward US from turbulent
dancing hall to certify its tale of combat
and probable homicide, and to be sue
ccedcd by close but brief halt in the
noisy quadrillc-,presumably for the re-
moval of the victim.-Hc,1ry King, IN
ScriJaCrS iOnLhW.