The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-03-29
a Night tn . Montana Dance House.

Let us enter one Of those establish
ments, where men stake their souls a
well as their money in the exciting
game In progress. Night had fallel
/ upon the town, and those who laboret
! so assiduously during the day are nov
out ''on pleasure bent" Passing tn,
saloons, with their doors thrown wild,
open, we see numbers of men playing
and drinking in wild hilarity or anxious
preoccupation. But we pause not here
although the crowds before these places
are often engaged in some fierce alter.
cation which momenJarily distracts
our attention. Our destination is the
"dance-house,n or ''hurdy-gurdy, y
which stands out alone upon the river
bank, its doors flung wide open, and a
pushing, jostling crowd in front.
Edging our way through the rough
groups, we perceived that singularly
felicitous occasion has been chosen for
this visit. The cowboys are in town,
fresh from the great spring ''romd
up" of cattle. A number of them are
standing just inside the door, pic
turesquely costumed, wide belt
strapped about their waists, with the
usual brace of navy revolvers, long
hunting knife and high boots with
sharp spurs.
A friendly little man next to us
bends over and whispers softly, "Thar'l
be fun ter-night. The cowboys are
in for a spree"
Music strikes up within. Following
the crowd. we find ourselves in long,
low room, at the further end of which
three musicians sit upon a small plat
form, extracting wild, rapid strains of
rather questionable music from a BAN
10 and two Yiolins. Ranged along one
side of the room are the gambling
tables where faro, keno, poker and
other games are being played. Oppo-
site is the bar, well-stocked with all
sorts of poisonous decoctions in fancy
bottles, while the center of the apart
ment is cleared for the dancing soon
to begin. The wild prelude of the
musicians being ended, we draw near
one of the gambling tables behind
which sits the dealer, da k-faced,
long-haired man, wearing wide SOM
brero, with his jeweled hands sugges-
lively near large lvory-handled revolt
yer. A row of silver coins and several
little heaps of gold, extended the entire
length of the table, and the Dealers
watchful eye is constantly fixed upon
them, although he deales out faro
checks with the rapidity of tightening,
drawing in the banks gains with the |
same quickness and nonchalance.
at these tables the besetting sin of |
gambling is revealed in its worst as
pect. Thousands of dollars often |
change hands in a single night, and
many deluded men, elated by single |
''stroke of luck" as they term it, fly
to the gambling table, and with strain
ing eyes and desperate mind see their
earnings raked in by the watchful
dealer, who is always cautious, stern
and in1exible. The lives of scores of
young men have been wrecked here,
and single glance at the haggard
players should prove lasting warning
to all who are drawn into similar
danger.
FROM this scene we turn our at
tention to the dancers. The stentOriaD
voice of the banjoist is heard. Scents,
select your pardners.
The gents, however, become sud-
denly bashful at this, and slide off to
the corner of the room. But they are
quickly followed and persuaded by
main force to form quadrille sets on
the floor, the musicians strike into
captain Jinks," with hideous varia-
tions, and the dancing begins.
But the furious frolic, which is al
together Undesirable, soon ends, for
the music ceases suddenly, and the
stentorian voice roars out again:
Scents, escort yer pardners to the
bar"
So securely held that they cannot
escape, the ''gents' are hurried up to
the bar, where they are obliged to pay
a dollar couple for any of the nausea
ting decoctions they may choose to
order. This performance is repeated
over and over again all night in these
places and generally the rooms remain
crowded. Often fatal quarrels occur
among the cowboys, and no mans
life is really safe within the precincts of
these dens.