The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-03-28
SAMPLES.
y, Effect Western Rot Had on Three
Innocents.

.sav. John, where did you ever strike
the worst drink OF whisky that you ever
in the west in your life? asked a
Sr;end of John Fallon's while a party Of
nantlpn1en were having a chat III front
e. fine Cliff house, aftersupper the other
evening.
"Well, I dunno" said Fallon medita-
+ivpIv, II think about as wicked a dose
Of snider-iuice as [ ever topped my ruby
Inns over was while | was freighting
frnn, Benton to Helena. In those DAYS
# was pretty hard to get a smooth drink
Of whisky, as it was-so seldom that we
indulged that almost anything that had
the semblance Of liquor was satisfactory
RI the BOYS, one of whom L was which.
Rut | got floored at Helena once. We
had brought a lot Of freight over from
Renton to Helena, and while the boys
we're unloading I stepped off to grease
up a little. | dropped into little log
cabin and asked the proprietor for a
drop of something hard, and he gavesit
to me. Heavens! when / think of it, it
makes me feel as savage as a Salt Lake
policeman carrying a drunken man to
the city hall. / don't remember much
after taking the drink, but the boys say
that when they found me Ihad six yoke
of cattle hitched to a sack Of corn and
was swearing that | could make the trip
from Benton to Helena in less time than
anv freighter on the road. [ drank con-
centrated I've water for three days before
7 could get the burning sensation out of
nv throat. [ drink gin now. [ can't
say I'm particularly fond of gin, but
then after a man gets a dose of that kind
it is best to be on the safe side.o
"Well, gentleman" chimed in Alex.
Wood, "while / was in California years
ago, [ got hold of some sheep herders
delight that cooked me. [ was moving
over the country with a band Of five
hundred sheep and after a hard days
drive stopped at a little place where /
expected to remain during the night.
Being tired and worn ou | thought i
would take a little nip to brace me up.
I remember going into a dimly lighted
sort of cave-like place and calling for
and getting a drink, and that is all [ do
remember, for when I came to / had a
band of ten thousand sheep and was sur
rounded by about a dozen angry looking
men who wanted to know who / was
and what [ meant by trying to drive all
the sheep in that section out OF the
country. It took me two hours to con-
vince them it was all on account OF that
vile dose of murderous whisky. L have
been taking a drink once in q while
ever since to see If [ could strike any
thing like it, but so far have failed"
while I was in White Pine" said
Sam Ewing, Il got q drink n day
that convinced me that | was not super
ior to King Alcohol. / had been work
ing all night, and in the morning
thought 7 would take a little nip, as [
was tired and exhausted, / dropped
into q saloon-a tent-two barrels with
a board resting on top; q bottle and two
tin cups. The bar-keeper asked me il |
wanted the best, and winked at me as
to say, Il know you. want good | told
him / did and he showed the solitary
bottle at me. / took what / considered
a moderate drink, paid forit and walked
out. And that is all / recollect; for two
days after; my friends found me on top
of a hill, where | had made a little race
track about fifty feet long, and had
rolled a big rock up about the centre Of
the track, and [ was sitting up there,
with my poor half famished dog on the
track in front Of me, to whom [ was try
ing to explain how [ wanted the race
for two-year-olds drove. 1t took some
time to get the idea out Of my head that
there was not going to be a spirited two
year-old colt race. But after l did get
over it, [ swore off, and that's the reason
[ quit smoking"
when [ was running an engine in
Indiana" said John Bailey, II used to
get hold of some pretty bad tangle-"
At this .juncture a well known local
side wheel liar kicked Johns chair out
from under him, declaring that if any
body was going to tell a bigger yarn than
the first three it shouldn't be any webb
footed Hoosier like Bailey anyhow.
Bailey picked his little delicate carcass
up and start for home, swearing If he
couldn't tell a better story than those he
had listened to he'd be ashamed to be
recognized by an Arizona COW boy.