Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-07-30
IN A WESTERN CAMP
The .Old Timer" and Few OF His
Eccentric Habits.
The Home of the MOuntaineer-His
ODiniOn Of "Pilgrims."
Little Religions Faith Except That
Inculcated by the Grandeur Of
Surrounding Nature.

In the northwestern IerflIOrleS, con-
fined within the rugged mountain ranges,
we find numerous mining camps, with
their rough-looking but warm-hearted
inhabitants, whose only pleasure consists
in playing cards and snow-shOeing during
the short days of an eight-months' winter.
These men, having spent several years in
| the mountains, are designated cold tim
ers.''
The cold timer" is seemingly one OF
the fixtures of the western mountains.
No matter where you go he is there be-
fore you He loves solitude; a dingy,
smokey cabin; a white-eyed 'cayuse"
poney; yellow, NANCY dog, and good
gun. He has an unlimited supply of
primitive ideas on the leading questions
OF the day,
/ ARGUMENT BEING HIS PRINCIPAL FAILING.
We all know him; or, if we don't, can
soon get acquainted. Although eccentric
in his habits and mode OF living, he has
a large heart-the latch string of his
cabin always being out, his greatest pride
consisting in befriending some "poor
devil'' who is "out of luck" When cold
timers meet, it's "Hellor' When they
part, it's "So-longr' cold timers" al
ways go by their given names, such as
! "Bob, ;" BILL" or "Jim," and if you
should inadvertently call one of them
Mister, he would be apt to think YOU were
poking fun at him.
An cold timer" was sick, and [ asked
Jim, his partner, "How is Mr.. Smith to-
day." He answered, IF you mean old
Bill Smith, he's pretty bad off, and |
reckon he's goin' ter pass in his checks
! this time, sure. | thort he'd pegged out
once last night" With this rough answer
| he opened the door and we entered the
cabin. In voice tender as a woman's,
he said to the invalid: "Well, old man,
! here's one of the boys-come ter cheer We
up bit. He's likely young Teller, an
I'll warrant he's got book some'rs in
his pockets to read to We, whilst | 90
down to the store after a bottle of brandy
fer ye."
OPENED MARK TwAN's "RoUGHING IT'D
And read portions that thought would
have the most interest for him. He soon
| became very much interested, and his
sallow face lighted up with pleasure,
while such EXPLANATIONS as "Well, I'll
be burned !" "Served him right "He
| had the sand, didn't he ?" Chats right,
YOU bet" "I've been thar myself"
would escape him from time to time.
One of the sketches | read was of a
''hard case" named "Jim Bledsoe," and
he seemed more interested in that than
any of the others. In about an hour jim
returned from his errand to the store and
| rose to leave. Old Bill stuck out his
thin, bony hand from under the blankets
and grasped mine, as he sad: "Young
fellar, you're a trump That book suits
me blamed sight better'n ther Bible,
though / count that good book ter them
as likes that kind o. readin'."
1t seems to be understood that cold
timers" in general, are to be
sKEPTICAL ON ALL POINTS PERTAINING TO
RELIGION,
And-with very few exceptions-I am
forced to acknowledge that religion occu-
pies a small place in their thoughts. 1t
is one of their idiosyncrasies to make
light of the teachings of the Bible, and
claim that nature is the supreme fountain
from which springs ALT Kings animate
and inanlmate. But-as with all other in
fidels-they are compelled to retreat with
the apology that they believe only what
they see, and are really champions of big
otry and heathenism. That night jim
came after me, saying that Bill was
worse, and wanted to see me. When |
arrived at his bedside | saw that death
had fastened its grip upon him. took
his cold hand in mine, and his eyes grew
brighter as he feebly said: GOOD bye.
young eller!-that Jim Bledsoe' was a
curious kind of cuss, warn't hep" His
fingers frightened on mine, then relaxed
he was dead.
To the "old-timer" whisky, bacon and
coffee are the only staple articles-''ter-
hacker" a necessity. He has morbid
hatred of the 'tenderfoot;' woman, in
his mind, being a necessary evil, but,
nevertheless, an abomination. | must
remark, in justice to the "old timer"
that when he does get gone on one Of the
fair sex there is no foolishness i'm his love-
making-"pistols and coffee for two"
often settling little outbursts of jealousy,
the "old timer generally getting away
with the baggage" | will give you
AN "oLD TIMERS" OPINION OF THE CPL
GRIM
Or "tenderfoot, as he calls him; he hav-
ing a personal contempt for that individ-
ual, no matter what his antecedents NAV
be:
The ''tenderfoot' is verdant speci-
man Of humanity that halls from the
East. He is easily recognized by the cut
OF his clothes and the Open-mouthed won
der with which he views anything West
ern. lie comes West with the idea that
the mountains are full of rich silver mines;
the streams liquid gold, and that he only
needs to shove his hands deeper into the
pockets of his LEANS" to become mil
Eonaire. The first year he is buoyed by
this deeplY-instilled delusion; the second.
he becomes discouraged and homesick,
and curses the country for not proving
square t. his disordered imagination; the
third, he begins TO find out that nothing
but industry, economy, and perseverance
as practised in the East-will bring the
longed-for wealth the fourth, he becomes
impressed with the idea of remaining in
the West few years longer; the fifth, /
he comes to the conclusion that this is a
better country that the East, anyway,
and that he wouldn't live there for a /
small fortune, and he then counts himself /
an cold timer"
''No sir, | don't want any 'tenderfeet' .
in mine. Why, the greenhorns will be-
lieve any kind of yarn you tell 'em.
One of my old pards had nephew.
cousin or something, back in the States,
and sent him money to come out to the
dlggin's. He was such 4 green, awkward,
omery looking cuss-talked through his
nose with an agonizing drawl, thou ght
everything should he done as he saw in
''Neunount," and. taking him altogether,
he was such stupid brute and the BOYS
guyed him so that we finally had to run
him off. They scared him so badly with
stories OF Indian signs being seen in the
vicinity of camp, that he slept every
night for week with his clothes and
boots on.