Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-02-16

| Ntu nave bltNSluB on the cdiu.
boys" he said, IF we only had service
some sort ON the Lords bay It's
templn' o Providence to go on this wa
without takin' any notice Of il, exceI
thai maybe there's more whisky drum
and more card playin' than on any othe
day"
"We h'aint got no parson," objected on
Of the crowd.
| "Y'e fool" growlrd another, "h'ainL W
] got man IA il worth any three parsun:
| and can't he splash texts around liz.
clay ont o. a cradle. What more d'y
want"
We h'aint got no church," urged tn
| same dissentient.
Have il in the open air. one suggested
"Or in Woburns store, said anothe.
"Or in Adams saloon"
The last proposal was received with
buzz of approval, which showed that !
was considered the most appropriate IL
cality.
Adams saloon was substantial
wuoden building in the rear OF the bar
which was used partly for storing liuuo
and partly for "A gambling saloon. 1t wa
strongly built Of rough-hewn logs. III
proprietor rightly judging, in the unre
generate days of Jaekman's Gulch. tina
hogsheads of brandy and rum were com
inudiiies which had best be secured un,le,
lock and key. \ strong door opened into
each end uf the saloon, and the interior was
spacious enough, when the table and lum.
Der were cleared away, TO accommodate
the whole population. The spirit barrels
were heaped together at one end by THEN
owner, 81 as to make very fair imitation
Of a pulpit.
Ii was well that the building was of such
n size, for the assembly upon the sunday
morning was the largest which had ever
occurred In the annals nf Jackman's
Gulch. At first il was thought that the
whole population was present, but n little
reflection showed that this WAS not so.
Maule and Phillips had gone on pros-
pecting journey among the hills. and had
not returned rs yet. and Wuburn, the
gold-keeper, was unable tn leave his store.
Having very large quantity of the pre-
cious metal under his charge he stuck 10
his post, feeling that the responsibility was
too great To tribe with. With these three
exceptions the whole Of the Gulch. with
clean red shirts. and such other additions
to their toilet as the occasion demanded,
sauntered in struggling line along the
clay pathway which led up 10 the saloon.
The interior of the building had been
provided with rough benches. and the
parson, with his quiet, good-humored
smile. was standing at the door Ia wei
come them. "tioud morning, boys he
cried cherrily. rs each group came lOung-
ing up. Pass in, pass in. You'll find this is
as good n mornings work as any you've
done. Leave your pistols in this barrel
outside the door as you pass; you can
pick them uur as yon come out again. but
IL isn't the thing Ia carry weapons into
The house Of peace His request was
good-hImoredly complied with. and he
fore the last of the congregation filed in.
there was strange assortment of knives
and firearms in this depository. When
all had assembled the doors We're shut
and the service began-the first and the
last which was ever performed at Jack
mans Gulch.
The weather was sultry and the room
close, yet the miners listened with eXenl-
plary patience. There was "a sense of
novelty in the situation which had its at
fractions. To some il WAS entirely
new, others were waited back by 1t to
another land and other days. Beyond a
disposition which was exhibited by the
uninitiated to applaud at the end Of GER
tain prayers, by way of showing that they
sympathized with the sentiments ex-
pressed, no audience could have behaved
better. There was murmur of interest,
however, when Elias b. Hopkins, looking
down on the congregation from his ros-
trum Of casks, began his address.
He had attired himself with care in
honor of the occasion. He wore velvet
cen tunic, grit round the waist with a
sash of China silk, a pair Of moleskin
trousers, and held his cabbage-tree hat in
his left hand. He began speaking i'm u
low tone, and IL was noticed at the time
that he frequently glanced through the
small aperture which served for win
dow which was placed above the heads OF
those who sat beneath him.
1--WE put you straight now" he said, in
the course Of his address; 1--we got you In
the right rut II you will stick i'm It," Here
he looked hard out of the window for
some seconds. you've learned soberness
and industry. aud with these things
you can always make up any boss you
may sustain. guess there isn't one of ye
that won't remember my visit to this
camp" He paused for moment and
three revolver shots rang ont on the quiet
air. Keep your seats. d YEP
ont onr preacher. AS his audience
rose In excitement. IF man of We moves
down he goes The doors locked on the
outside, so ye can't get ont, anyhow. Your
seats. ye canting, chuckle- headed foolsi
Down with ye, We dogs, or Ill fire among
ye.'
Astonishment aud fear brought us back
into our seats. and we sat staring blankly
NJ our pastor and each other. Elias b.
whose whole face and even
figure appeared to have undergone an ex-
alteration, looked fiercely down
On us from his commanding position, with
! conterIptuous smile on his stern face.
Il have your lives I'm my hands, he re-
and we noticed as he spoke that
he held a heavy revolver in his hand and
hat the butt of another protruded from
MS sash. Il am armed and you are not.
II one Of you moves or speaks he is dead
nan. II not, shall not harm You. You
must wait here for an hour. Why, you
'oolsr this with hiss of contempt which
-ang In our ears for many long day., do
you know who il Is that has stuck you
apr Do You know who 1t Is that has been
playing It upon you for months as par
,on and saints Conky Jim, the BUSH
ranger, We apes. And Phillips and Maule
were my two right-hand men. They're of
n TT