St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-08-24
A ROUGH DIAMOND.

IA year or two ago a modest and retiring
young man, named Watson. graduated with
honors from the Milwaukee high school,"
said NJ. W. Fitzgerald, yesterday, at the Mer-
chants He is bright, however, and has
inherent wit and penetration. Nature seems
to have intended him for a man of affairs
Milwaukee offered him dull attractions, and
he went direct to Cook City, Mont. He hadn't
been there but few months when he was
elected district recorder.
x
when I was out there last week made
the acquaintance of the moving spirit OF the
plaee-it is q characteristic, isolated mining
camp-and spent MANY hours listening to his
quaint converse. He is the raeonteur OF
the place, and is as full of originality, say
ings and axioms as the BOOK OF Proverbs.
His name is Wyman. and he is accorded the
sobrique of judge-a sort of an expression
of respect on the part of the people.
81 asked the Judge one day how it was that
Watson had made such remarkable political
progress He is a mere youth, and ms re-
fined manners one would suppose would tend
to arouse the antipathy of the gruff, plain
miners.
w all. stranger, SdlQ u6. oOONo
pint of tobacco Juice near his feet, 'Ill
jist tell you how it was. Ye see this young
man came here a total stranger. We liked
his looks. We kinder watched his career.
We knew every move he made. He didn't
drink; he didn't smoke; he didn't chew ter
baccer; he didn't even go into saloon Yer
wouldn't think we'd fancy such man, puI
that's where yer mistaken. Stranger, let me
perticulariZe We had our town meetln'. L
didn't know who nor what the young chap
was, but feltif he wanted a good JOB, ne
was the right man for recorder. So got up
at the meetin'.
"'Mr Chairman, sez; want TO nominate
a man as is capable, and that has the requls-
ities as 'twere; man edicated and refined.
Mr.. Chairman seq |, i want to nominate
young Watson. I'll tell you why. We can
90 down town, and git drunk. and play
cards. and fight each other, and chew eacn
other up. and git killed, and it will be all
right. for we will know that our records Will
be kept That settled it. The boy was elect
ed and he is just the huckleberry.'
''The old man gave us a beautiful pany-
geric on the climate, and then dilated upon
the few indications of civilization they had
there.
"'Young man. he said to me one day. go
back to the aesthetic and effete East; go back
and say to them that there is a Bible in Cook
City. Say own it. was down in Chicago
last summer, and 1 met preacher OF the
gospel. He asked me all about the wicked
ness of Montana and l reckon l made him
think it was the effervescence Of hell Big
tears rolled down his cheeks as he handed
me that there Bible. I told him was mighty
glad ter get it. and offered to pay him, but
the godly man wouldn't take nary cent. lie
wanted ter know why L was so glad to get it
and told him.
"'Back there in Cook City SEE l, is the
biggest villain unhung-the biggest scoun-
drel out Of hell and he's mighty sick. Fact
is, parson,' SEE I, he's goiug to die, and I'm
goin' to bury him, and 1 want to read the
Bible at the grave. And I kept my word !"
"That is a picture of one of the rough dia-
monds one meets I'D there in the mount
aims" resumed Mr.. Fitzgerald, lighting a
fresh cigar There was another character
He was what Judge Wyman styled the only
Chester feIdian in the county. He evidently
was college-bred, and every inch CONNIE IL
fault save in the texture of his attire. He
took great care of his clothes. and ne was al
WAYS cleanly shaven and his hair was always
kempt. He was polished and genteel, ana
everybody evlnced a marked degree OF re-
spect for him. But why he prefers this Sc
clusion SO remote from civilization is mys-
ferry he refuses to speak upon"