The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-09-28

The most desperate and lawless men to be found in the west-I speak from twenty years experience on the plains-are the gamblers, confidence men and robbers who follow the lend of track" when a railway is pushing through new and unsettled ter ritory.
 At every side track new town springs into ex istence, SO suddenly to suggest the western ex- pression "dropped there by cyclone" At each of these new communities the first corners are usually men of the kind have mentioned.
 Along the road bed, wherever & siding is to be laid, a dozen or more big tents, respectively la belled "Soloon," "Dance House." sometimes, very appropriately, "Satan's Hole" the Devils Den," are always found set up in advance of the arrival of the track-ayers.
 A certain harvest awaits the owners of these groggeries as the "rairosder," of certain class, takes his "time" from his foreman at frequent in tervals in order that he may cash his "time-check" at the nearest saloon and gambling place.
 He quickly squanders the proceeds of his check in drink and play, or is robbed of them, lies about in stupid condition for day or two, and then goes to work sgain, penniess
 Such person accepts all the evils of this mode of life with philosophy that would be commendable if shown under diversity of a different sort A shirt, pantaloons shoes and a slouch hat, usually comprise the whole of his possessions, and 30 long as he can get the means to satisfy periodic appe tite for drunken excitement, he seems to be con- tented with his lot.
 This description of a large class of railroad la- borers it should be distinctly noted does not apply to the many sober steady fellows who the large wages they get, and often settle and become pros porous citizens in the country they have helped to open to civilization.
 It is upon the earnings of floating, dfsolute wage workers of the track and grade that the gambler, whisky seller and assassin thrive, and, to secure their plumber, they follow the prog ress of 6 new railway like vultures in search of prey.
 The day -laborer upon these pioneer roads is not the only victim of the robber and sharper It is unsafe for any man who visits one of their mush- room towns to let the fact be known that he has & considerable sum of money in his possession.
 Yet men who know the nature of the dangers about them sometimes neglect to take proper pre- caution to ensure the safety of money in their charge, and thus the writer allowed himself to be caught, two years ago, and that taught him lesson in caution which he hopes will never again be needed, at least by him.
 I Twas acting as paymaster and chief commissary clerk for a firm of grade contractors upon the Northwestern road, which was then pushing through northern Nebraska into the adjacent territory oi Wyoming.
 We were doing some heavy grading and rock work, and with a large force were pushing the work day and night in order to get out of the way of the track, which had then advanced to point within days ride of us.
 We had let y-day slip by without paying tho men, and hoped to satisfy them by the issue of time checks until the track should overtake us, and oul money could come to us with little risk the con struction train But, three or four days after pay ing odD time, some of the men began to grow sus picious and to grumble, and threatened to qui work until their checks were cashed They wers afraid we might somehow slip up on them ana they wouldn't get their money.