Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-11-01
THE IDAHO BACHELOR.
An Eastern Journal Shocked at the
Chronicles Frightful Picture Of Him.

Chronicles Frightful Picture Of Him.
n. Y. Sun. October lG.l
When correspondent announced
in the Sun that the bachelors of the
far-away Territory of Idaho were PIN
ing for wives and could not find them
at home, the number of unmarried
women there being few, many maid
ems of the East timidly made known
to us that they would not be unwill-
ing to consider marriage propositions
from that source. But they asked us
to point out the way in which they
and the forlorn Idaho bachelors could
be brought together.
In reply, we warned our fair COR
respondents against hoping for too
much from these Idaho bachelors, tell
ing them to wait Tor the men to come
to them instead of thinking for a mo-
ment Of travelling West in search of
the alleged demand Very likely
when they found them they would be
unable to tolerate the bachelors, and
married life on the frontier in a min
ing community might have few charms
for the Eastern girls.
The wisdom of our advice is APP
proved by the Chronicle, published in
another mining region, that is, Vir
ginia, Nevada. 1t gives very un-
pleasant, indeed, truly revolving,
picture of the Idaho bachelor, thus
describing what his appearance would
be when one Of the Eastern maidens,
desirous of husband, encountered
him at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in
Murderer's Gulch:
'He has bought suit of store
clothes for the occasion. The wrinkles
of newness are prominent in every
garment. He has visited the BARRIERS
likewise. His face is shining, and his
hair, dripping with oil, is combed and
waxed down on his forehead and
punched out behind. His hat is
cooked rakishly, with a sort Of north
east dip, over one eye, and his heavy
boots shine in holiday daub Of NUT
ton fat"
But it is not alone his mere outside
which is unattractive. That, indeed,
is hardly worth speaking about, when
this terrible picture OF his moral de-
pravity follows:
''He owns mining claim, on cat
tie ranch, fifty miles from the Gulch,
and once month he rides on horse
back to that center of civilization to
have little time'-which means that
he comes to get roaring drunk, play
faro, and have fight, not to mention
other forms OF enjoyment
Besides, our Nevada contemporary
describes his personal habits as filthy
in the extreme, and it thus pictures
the future of the eastern woman who
marries him:
sIf she marries the Idaho bachelor,
the maid from Massachusetts will. in
the course OF ten years, die Of hard
work over the cooking-stovc and in
acting as general roustabout in the
cabiu and on the ranch, and will
leave behind her large family, the
boys Of which will probably be like
Lnelr 1atncT, anu ule Nltil tlielT poots
OH. \ more horrible fate for a wom-
an than that of marrying an ldah
bachelor no imagination can picture" "
Can it be possible that that is IA
faithful description Of the Idaho bach
elor and Of married life in that dis,
tant frontier region? Or has our Ne
vada contemporary laid ON the dark
coloring through jealousy merely:
Perhaps its conception Of what the
Idaho bachelor must be is due to It's
knowledge of what the Nevada bach
elor actually is.
Anyway, it will be seen that we
were justified in warning the maidens
against giving too rose-colored tint
to their imaginings Of matrimonial
bliss in Idaho. Besides, subsequent
correspondence from other parts OF
the country shows that the demand
for wives is by no means confined to
Idaho. We find it to be brisk in all
directions.
II