Middletown transcript., 1883-02-23
TOMBSTONE, ARIZONA.


there was not so much as a tent at
Tombstone. stEd'' Schieffelin and
brother started thither prospecting. It
was supposed to be an adventure full
of dangers. At the Santi Rita silver
mines, in the Santa Cruz Valley, for
instance, by no means so far away,
three superintendents had been MUIR
dered by Indians in rapid succession.
Friends therefore said, Better take
your coffin with you, Ed you will find
your tombstone, and nothing else. "
But Ed Schieffalin-a young man yet,
who has not discarded a picturesque
way of dressing Of which he was fond,
nor greatly altered his habits otherwise
found instead the Tough Nut and
Contention mines, made great fortune
out of them, and was so pleased with
the difference between what had really
happened and the prediction that he
conferred the name of Tombstone upon
the place itself.
One or two of the well-printed and
very creditable daily papers now exist
ing has assumed the correspondingly
dismal title of the Epitaph. The un-
reliability of epitaphs-if the remark
may be safely ventured at this distance
is proverbial. Nevertheless, they
may occasionally tell the truth and
from appearances it would seem that
this was one Of those occasions, and
that almost any laudation of its subject
by this particular Epitaph was justif-
able. The small city, two years old at
the date of this journey, had attained
to population of 1000, and a property
valuation, apart from the mines, of
81 ,050,9S0. A desirable lot of 80 by
so feet, on Allen street, between Fourth
and Sixth-such was the business-like
nomenclature already used in this set
tlement of yesterday worth Sc, 900.
A shanty that cost $50 to build rented
for SIS month. A nucleus of many
blocks at the centre consisted Of sub
stantial, large-sized buildings hotels,
banks, Schieffelin Hall, for meetings
and amusements, and stores stocked
with goods of more than the average
excellence for even older towns.
The mining claims run under the
city itself. From the roof of the Grand
Hotel you looked down at the shafts,
the hoist works, and heaps of extracted
ore of the Wilma, the Cilded Age
(close by the Palace Lodging-House),
the Mountain Maid, and other mines
opening strangely in the midst of the
buildings. This circumstance asgiven
rise to disputes of ownership, so that
whoever would be safe purchases all
eonficting titles both above-ground
below. On a commanding hill
cio5e by, to the southwark, were the
Tough Nut and Contention, with above
them many others discovered later.
larger mines have extensive build
ings of wood, painted Indian red, with
handsome draughting and assay rooms
and regularly educated scien-
fists, ex-college professors and the like,
in charge. The lesser are fain to put |
up in the beginning with common sheds
and poorer appliances of every kind.
About them all lie heaps of blackish
resembling inferior coal mixed
with slate, which is the silver ore in it's
native condition. A laborer above
ground earned So. so, and below-ground
81, for Shift of eight hours work
and the work went on night and day,
and all.
The outskirts consisted still of huts
and tents. A burly miner could be seen
upon his cot in his window
less cabin barely large enough to con-
tain it. There were small tents pro-
vided with wooden doors and adobe
New as it was, the business
portion of the place had been swept |
out of existence at one time. A de-
vastating fire had originated from a
incident = the explosion
of a whiskey barrel at the Oriental
Saloon. But in fourteen days all had
been rebuilt much better than before. |
l took the pains to remark the number
of establishments in single short |
block of Allen street at which intoXi-
eating beverages could be had. There
were the bar-rooms of two principal
hotels, the Eagle Brewery, Can-can
Chop-House, French Rotisserie, AL
hambra, Maison Dore, City of Paris,
Browns Saloon, Fashion Saloon, Mi
ners' Home, Kelly's Wine-House, the
Grotto, the Tivoli, and two saloons be-
sides apparently unnamed. At all
these places gambling goes on without
let or hinderance. The absence of saw
or of other opportunities
for depositing money in these wild new
communities, and the consequent temp
tation of having it always under the
eye, no doubt has something to do with
the general passion for gambling. -
From the hygienic point of view, whis-
key and cold lead are mentioned as the
leading diseases at Tombstone. What |
with the leisure that seems to prevail,
the constant drinking and gambling at
the saloons, and the universal practice
of carrying deadly weapons, there is
but one source of astonishment, and |
that is that the cold-lead disease should
claim so few victims. Casualties are
very infrequent considering the amount
of vaporish talk indulged in, and the
imminent risks that are constantly |
run and the small cemetery over to-
ward Contention Hill is still compara-
lively virgin ground.-WILLIAM HEN
RY BISHOP, in Harper's Magazine for
March.