The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1886-08-05
m,BRrDE AND TIE SLIDE.

M,BEtDE AND TIE SLIDE
'.Speaking of snow-slides, +" said Plum
bob Williams, addressing a group of
choice spirits gathered around the big,
tobaceo-stained sheet-iron stove in
the 'Dew-Drop' saloon, ''it was up in
Montana. in the early days, that there
happened, takin' it all around, one of
the most extraordinary snow-slides l
ever see, and no two why's about it.
How was that, Plumbebfn asked an
individual seated i'll the corner, and
who had heretofore apparently taken
engaged in tracing fantastic and who'll
" original designs in the sawdust upon
the floor with the toe of his boot.
..Well, !" said Plunbob, speaking slow
ly and deliberately, as if to increase
curiosity upon the subject by keeping
his hearers in suspense :ts long as posi-
BILE, sit was, in some respects, most
remarkable snowslide, and that's
fact"
Having delivered himself of these
| words he hitched up closer to the stove.
put his feet ON the fender. tilted his
chair back, twirled his thumbs refec-
lively, added a fresh tobacco-stain to
! the stove, gazed at it in a contemplative
manner, and waited to be stirred up. He
| had not long to wait. Ace-in-the-Hole
| George, after brief interval of silence,
inquired, in the highly sarcastic man
ner for which he was noted, whether
he purposed to defer its recital to some
| indefinite period in the remote future.
| To this Plumbob replied, with great
dignity, that perhaps he would and
then. again, perhaps he wouldn't
| Ace-in-the-H George was about to
| reSoin, in his usual ironical vein, when
he was forestallcd by Curly Briggs,
who, with studious politeness, request
ed Plumbob Williams not to mind
George, but to 90 ON with the yarn.
Much Modified, Plumbob complied as
follows:
at was up in Flatbroke. in Thomp-
sons gulch; should judge nigh onto
the end OF Febuerry, the year don't ex-
actly reeollect-anyhow it was the same
| winter that Pinto Jim was lynched for
stealing horse that b'longed to a fel-
ler b. the name of Double-Out Pete, that
this snow-slide, I'm speallin' of, slid. 1t
didn't do no damage to the camp, be-
cause it was too far up the guich; but it
located itself jest right to ketch a cabin
where fcller b, the name of Bill Nc
Bride used to hang out Now, this
Bill Mcbride was one of the durndest,
orneriest fellers that was ever let live,
bein' no Use to nobody and doin' moth
in but swillin' whisky constant. When
it was found that his cabin was under
the slide he was asst after and found
missin'. AS soon as the news got
around, everybody in Flatbroke turned
out to dig in the snow for him or his
remains. They prob'ly wouldn't a
took SO much trouble if they had
knowed he was dead; but men are Oft
en- got out of snow-slides alive, and they
couldn't think of lettin' him die with
out turnin' II hand over to save him.
So, as said before, everybody turned
out-gamblers, s;loon-keepers, store
keepers, miners, and everybody. Parties
of miners from the Grizzly Bear, the
Fair Rosamund, the Billy Patterson
lode. the Julianna No. 8. and dozen
other mines that laid miles out of town,
moseyed in on snow-shoes to dig. And
we did dig. We dug all that day and
all that night and no Bill Mcbride All
next day and no Mcbride. We found
every timber in his cabin, chunk OF
bacon, some old cards, some empty
bottles, some blankets, ami a hundred
other things, but no Bill. By that time
we had purity nigh wore that snow-slide
plum out, turnin' it over so often, and
we was about to give it up. We done
our level best, and, as the feller says,
ANGELS can lido no more. So when it
| got dark we quit. But there was one
TELLER, Four-Kng Bob we called him,
because he held four kings once under
highly suspicious circumstances, beln'
that another felIer had two himself, and
Bob had TO kill him 10 git The pot, and
Bob wouldn't give up. Gentlemen,
says he, don't lets quit yet; let's give
her another rattle. Well, we wouldn't
do it for Il long time, but we finally
agreed to dig one hour longer, SO We III
the lanterns and went on. We dug fol
half an hour and didn't find nothin'
Three-qnarters, and no Bill Mcbride
and SO on until the time was nearly up
Finally just as the hour was finished
and we were agoin' to quit for good
somebody sung out: Here he is; he's
found, and sure enough he was Ant
now, gentlemen, said Plumbob Will
Jams in his most impressive manner
after allowing duly solemn pause tc
intervene, ''where do you think he wa.
found? Where do you think they founc
Bill McBride?"
| Everybody gave it up.
Gentlemen" said Plumbob, ''they
found him fast asleep behind row Of
whisky-barrels in the Cosmopolitan sa
loon, where he had laid drunk for two
days and night. while the whole camp
was a-searching for his remains. -
Elmer Il. ELtst0Ortb, ta Chicago Times.