Connecticut western news., 1890-01-15
ALIAS THE PARSON.

Even in 50, SO long ago as that, when few western towns could boast street lamp or postofice-to say nothing of churches and schoolhouses Four Hole City was generally classed ss s.desperit hard place."
 It was the toughest of the tough.
 Though a comparatively young town at the date of the incident about to be recorded, its notorious wickedness had advertised it far aud wide, and Four Hole City was an accepted synonym for the unique and superlative in west ern wretchedness.
 Its population varied according to the distance and direction of the latest gold find.
 A clear spring of water had made the spot favorite camping place for miners, and contraband barrel or two of whisky had established a bar and made the spring place sscity."
 It could hardly be said that the growth of Four Hole City was phe- nomenal-that it was a magic city or anything of that sort. But it grew.
 Trade was lively at the Red Finger bar, and the cemetery spread like a green bay tree. In due course of time there was another barroOm and another barying ground.
 Then Little Jug Nancy came, the Arst woman, and forthwith another graveyard was added to the list-three of them in seven months. So alluring was the opportunity, in fact, that speculative undertaken was tempted across the mountains from Frisco with a wagon load of coffins.
 The market was all right, but it's a part of the record that the Frisco un- dertaker was the first man ever buried in coffin at Four Hole City. Little Jug Nancy officiated.
 But in spite of all that the town grew.
 And as it grew there became mani fest, at irregularly long intervals, a natural tendency towards something like reform. At even rarer intervals this usually vague manifestation took definite shape and proportions.
 The first effort of the sort was when Shoestring Mike and that gang had an election. Mike set himself up for mayor, and the rest of the boys were eouncilmen. Long Dicky Bass was the marshal.
 It was all right while it lasted. They buried the mayor and the mar shal in one grave and two of the coun- cil in another. Another one of the eouncilmen reformed, and was hung six months later for horse stealing. The others escaped.
 Then the law-and-order fever struck Four Hole City. They hang Jimmy Doolan, of the Red Finger bar. Little Jug Nancy followed suit, same day, same limb. Three or four of the op- position lights snuffed out in amazing. ly rapid succession-and then the law and-order gang caved.
 This was when the sFrisco under taker saw his opportunity.
 Then Nigger-Foot Jim tried to run it. This reform was pre-eminently successful, it must be acknowledged, so far as it went. Jim was a dead shot, and as quick as a cat.
 His government terminated very abruptly, however, few hours after it started, just as Jim stepped out the door of the Red Finger bar. It was done in the dark and they never did find out who did it.
 They made him grave beside Little Jug Nancy, and Four Hole City drop ped back into the old rut. It relapsed in other words.
 Then a United States man came along. Poor fellow-they were look ing for him, they had his grave dug twenty-four hours in advance of hi arrival. They had his tombstone fixed and the epitaph, and one of thos, Frisco cofsins marked for his own pri vate use.
 Those brass buttons-six big one and nine little ones-made elegan chips.
 These were by no means the onl, efforts at reform, nor by any mean the only failures. Suffice it to sa, that there had been precisely as man, failures as there were efforts, and ex actly as many efforts as failures. whel parson Josh came in that bright, breezy beautiful day in autumn, 1850.
 The parson didn't make any bone about it. He called out the boys ant kaT3 {4AR Hhnf fo look for.