National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-04-26
FARO BILL ="
AN EVANGELICAL EXPORTER.
uo Made His Mark in CamD-The Story Of the
prodical Son. as Told in a Mining Camp
Settling a Little Disturbance
Diminishing the Meetin'.

0fcr,,rse went to Leadyille, that Won
In, mushroom city, which can boast Of the
csIIy Gamblers hardest drinkers, checklist
1,,cners and yilest prostitutes in creation. ones
-. iu,n11lse UPON arriving in town is to start out
vi 200 tbe sights-to gaze in upon the many
,-nl7;nc bells. where money is ever changing
- r,s,y, the turn of a card Above the sharp
-t.ino of the ivory checks can be heard the
,-,fco, Of the dealers calling upon the players to
r,Iala your bets, gentlemen" while notes of eX-
fa,inn and cursing came forth in strange chorus,
tod by those who lose and those who win. But
,isnat of gambling that would tell you. The
comes are but duplicates of those so familiar to
80 rioneer in the early days of the Union Paci
IL Railroad was standing in front of the hotel
,}.r INV attention was attracted by a dilapidated,
artfo7ated-looking specimen Of a saloon hummer,
,,bo was passing along the street ringing bell.
Al intervals he would cease ringing and shout:
Religious racket right away at the big tent!
Roll UP, tumble up or slide up on yer year, fur
I'll have q bangup dish O. Gospel talk from Faro
Milan i-o-o-o MT you forget it!'
Turning to a dapper little gambler who stood
nca- asked:
who is Faro Bill?"
Who is he? Well, now, if that amt the best
glav fur high. You kin break me right here if 1
Thought there was bl0ke in the mines that didn't
know Bill He used 70 be one O the boys, but got
canned into a religious game by & slick-tongued
Ca,pel sharp about two months ago. He's chopped
On all his old rackcts, an don't stand in with
Tothin' now that don't show up Bible or prayer
look in the layout. Billy used to be the boss
gambler ofthe camp, and warnt afeared to sit in
q came with the fyest sport that ever sluDg card;
IEt hes clean-gone on the pi0uS lay now, and
seems 10 have lost all the good there ever was in
him The boss mouth piece TO the heavenly mill
* los
IL an sling gospel 10 the boys well as ne cam
This explanation, given in the most earnest
tones started me inStanter for the big tent 1t was
used at night for variety theatre, where artists
~ of questionable character performed acts Of
still more questionable decency, and was rented
for religious services every Sunday morning.
found the tent filled 10 its utmost capacity. Many
had, no doubt, come through curiosity TO see how
Bill would deport himself in this his initial
sermon. Upon the stage sat burly, red faced
man. with arms folded in a careless manner, who
looked over the large audience with an air OF the
anost decided independence. This was Faro Bill.
the speaker of the occasion. When he arose he
glanced around the tent for moment, evidently
collecting his thoughts, and began;
Teller citizens, the preacher bein absent, 1t
falls on me TO take his hand and play it fur all it
is worth. You all know that I'm just learning the
game, an of cOuse, 1 may be expected to make
wild breaks, but l don't believe there's rooster
in The camp mean enough to take advantage of
my ignorance an cold-deck me right on the first
deal I'm sincere IN this new departure an be-
1icvc / struck a game I can play clear through
without coppering a bet for when a man
tackles such a LAYOUT as this he plays
every card to win, and if he goes through
the deal as he Orter do, when he lays down
20 die an the last is ready to slide from the
box, he can call the turn every time was readin'
in the Bible to-day that yarn about the PTodigal
Son, an want to tell you the story. The book
don't give no dates but it happened long, long ago
This Prodigal Son had an old man that put up the
coin every time the kid struck him for a stake, an
never kicked at The size ofthe pile either. Ireckon
the old man was purity well fixed, an when he
died he intended to give all his wealth to this kid
an his brother. Prod give the old man a little
game O talk one day, and injuced him to whack
up in advance O the death racket. He'd no sooner
got his divy in his fist than he shook the old man
an struck out to take in some o the other camps.
He he'd a way-up time for a while an slung his
cash TO the front like he owned the best payin
lead on earth: but hard luck hit him lick at last
an left him fat. The book don't state what he
went broke on but reckon he got steered up agin
some brace game But anyhow, he got left without
chip a fOur-bit piece to go an cat on. An old
granger then tux him home an set him
70 heriin hogs, an here he got so hard up an
hungry that he piped off the swine while they were
fccdin', an he stood in with EN- on hiIsk lunch
He soon weakened on such plain proYender, an
heSSys to himself says he: Even the old mans
hired hands are Twin on square grub, while I'm
YOrryin along on corn-huSks straight I'll lust
take a grand tumble to myself an chop Oh this
racket at once I'll skip back to the governor and
try to fix things up, and call for new deal' so off
he started. The old man seed the kid a coming
and what do We reckon he did? Did he pull his
gun and lay for him, intending to wipe him as
soon as he got into range? Did he call the dogs to
chase him off the rancho? Did he hustle around
for club and give him stand-oif at the front
gate? Eth? Not to any alarming extent he didn't
No, sir! The Scripture book says he waltzed out
10 meet him, and frozs to him on the SPOT and
kissed him, and then marched him off to cloth |
ing store and fitted him out in the nobbfest rig to
be had for coin. Then the old gent invited all the
neighbOrs and killed fat calf, and gave the big
geSt blowout the camp ever seed"
At the conclusion of the narrative the speaker |
paused, evidently framing in his mind a proper |
application ofthe story. Before he could resume |
tall, blear-eyed gambler, with fierce NOUS |
tache, arose and said:
"'Taint me as would try ter break up meeting, |
or do anything Gisreligious No, sir; am not that
sortOf citizen. But in all public hoo docs it is
parliamentary rule for anybody as wants to Ak |
questions TO rise up an fire them of. do not want
fer fool away time a questioning the workings of |
religion; oh, no. As long as it is kept in proper
bounds and does not interfere with the boys in |
their games, do not see as it can do harm I lust
want TO ak the honorable speaker If he has not |
given himself dead away. Does it stand ter reason
that bloke would feedUpon cOrn-husks when there
was hash factories in the camp? Would anybody
have refused him the price of a square meal if he
had struck them for'it? Would any of the dealers
that beat him out of his coin see him starve? ASH
remarked atore, do not want to make any dis
respectable breaks, but must say that 1 have got
1t put up that the speaker has been trying to feed
us on cussed thin taffy, and no one but q silly
would take it in"
Bill glared on the speakerand fairly Kissed:
Do you mean TO say that am a liar?"
oval, you can take it just you choose. Some
folks would swallow it in that shape"
Bill pulled his revolver, and in ali instant the
bright barrels Of numerous weapons flashed in the
air as the friends of each party prepared for active
duty. The brevet preacher was the first to fire,
and the rash doubter of spiritual truths fell dead
On the ground. Shot followed shot in quick sue
cession, and when quiet was again restored score
or more of dead and wounded men were carried
from the tent. Having secured attention, Bill |
said:
Further proceeding is adjourned for the day.
You will receive the doxology."
The audience arose
May grace, mercy, and peace be with you, now
and forever, amen; and want it distinctly I'm
derstoOd that 1 am going to maintain proper re-
spect for the Gospel if have to cToak every son of
q gun of q sinner in the mines. Meetin' is outw
ThecrOwd filed from the tent cooiiy as if moth
ing extraordinary had occurred, and as I gained
the sidewalk heard a man remark:
bib has got the sand 10 make a bang-up
preacher, and l would not wonder if he made a
big mark in the world Correspondence Carbon
IHyoDtiagl Journal.
Chicago Fire Sufferers.