The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-02-28
MONTANA'S METROPOLIS.
A Good Place to Stay Away
From-A Gang of Toughs.
Ben Hogan, the Reformed
Reformer.
Matters Of Moment.
Especial Correspondence Of the HERALD
HELENA, NJ. T.,
February Is, 1884.

IL lc AOS IOI VIC " ous " SotoOshAhS
to write about that you have not
received q letter from me sooner,
for wherever in this mountain
region man has SET going the ma
chinery Of life, with whatever por-
ton of the details pertaining there
to that make existence necessary
and endurable, there will the news
paper correspondent find plenty Of
material with which to furni.h
readiog of general interest. This
part of the northwest sbounds with
incidents OF interest and Importance
enough to be worthy a place in the
columns OF a well circulated news
paper.
Many of your readers are inter
ested in the welfare and dOipgs OF
these parts, and they would like
to know what is going on and how
things il general prosper.
At present things are not
very brisk anywhere id Mon
tana. Pretty much al of
the Territory is covered with the
"beautiful." The weather has been
rather severe, yet of even tempera-
ture, the thermometer not having
varied much for several weeks past.
In some places stock have suffered
from severe cold and deep snow, but
not to any alarming extent. Within
the last twenty.four hours the
chances for a great change have
been very apparent. The weather
is beginning to moderate, and a
visitation Of what is here called q
"chenoop wind" is likely TO occur
any hour. These chenoop winds
are warm breezes from the Pacific
Coast, that blow over the country
with variations Of velocity, duration
and regularity. The weather may
be cold enough to send the mercury
down to 40 degrees below zero, but
let chenoop arise, and in the in
credlbly short space OF five hours, or
even le.S time, everything will bear
the indications Of great thaw in
March. This is really wonderful
phenomenon, coming as the chenoOp
does, irregularly, and striking differ
ent places at different times. 1t
must be seen to be appreciated and
understood.
For the past four months q great
many men Of very little mental,
moral and financial differences (all
of them being without any money
TO speak of, unemployed, and of
that grade Of humanity denemin.
ated very properly as the roughs or
hard element Of society have been
loaEng around town. The other
night 1 happened to go into the
Ell Doradou q saloon Of resort and
shelter for the hummer and lusher
of all degrees. Heaven, what q
sight was there! The hour was
after midnight; gambling had
ceased; silent was the sound Of
saloon music; the lights had been
turned low; quiet and order had
taken the place OF noise and eonfu
sion. Those who had beds to 90 to,
and were neither too drunk nor con-
trary, had departed. But there
still were left behind enough men to
start town, II only they had been
OF the right kind. And where do
you think they were? I,will tell
you. All were asleep; under each
billiard table two or three were ly-
Jog on the bare floor, stretched out,
fact to feet and head to head; the
long benches were full Of them:
chairs, In sets of three, furnished
resting places for many others, or
the gambling tables at which may
b. but an hour before come had Lost
their last dollar, others were curled
up and sound asleep, and
on every box and in every
spare corner [ saw other wretche
and ortunate victims of gamb-
ling and intemperance. None of
them had blankets. All of them
had taken OF their boots or shoes
whichever they wore) and had
placed them under their heads for
pillows. Picture it and then think
what gaming and rushing will
bling a msn TO! Such sight as I
have just endeavored to descrlb,
was never seen in any part of u tab,
/ feel cure to assert.
Times are very dull here. Men
find it hard work to get employ.
ment. To get the privilege 10 do
something for bed and board is no
easy Thu e. This is very bad
place Tor men who are
'sbroke'' There aye scores of
men in q very bad place
Notwithstanding there are many
roughs in Helena, such unlawful
occurrences as housc>5reaking, store
and bank robbing and the gsrToting
OF pedestrians are unknown. Even
saloon rows sea. cely ever disturb the
sHonOtony OF daily routine. It is safe
to say that in not another town OF
10000 peopls in the Rocky Noun.
tain region where so many OF the
hard element OF humanity congre-
gate for the winter are lie and
property safer, and law and order
90 much respected.
The HERALD, I see, has taken
some interest in Zen Hogan. If he
should visit Salt Lake City you
will notice him a great deal, allow
me to tell you. Ben Hogan is a re-
markable MAD. He is q peculiar
man. DsWsrful. fesrIors ord i'm,