The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-22
RELIGION IN ANGELS.
g The parsOu Did the Jawin' and The
Hull Camp Was Stone
Broke"

Never heard how we got religion to
Angels. stranger? | thought NV course
e~verybody'd heerd that yarn. Tell yer?
Why, sure; but let's liquor again, n I'll
reminisce.
yer see, twas afore Angels got to be
sech a big camp as twas later on, but it
was a rich camp n a mighty wicked
one. There were lots NV chaps there
who'd jest as soon die in their boots as
eat, n every other house was a dance
house or q saloon or gambling hell.
Pretty Pete n his pardner, Five Ace
Bob, was reckoned the wickedest men
in the state, n old Bill Jones, what
kept the Golden West hotel, had a ma
tional reputation for cussin.
1.-THE idea of q parson striking the
camp never was thought NV, but one
day | was playing bank into Pete's
game, when Five Ace came runnin in
n SEE: Boys, I'll be-, but there's an
ornery cuss of a parson jest rid up to
Jones'. He's got a pardner with him,
n he lows he's goin to convert the
camp The - he u.s. SEE Pete. III
finish the deal n go down and see about
that
$50 we all walked down to Jones',
n thar, sure huff, in the bar, talking
with Old Bill, wuz the parson, black coat
n white tie n all. He was a big, squar'
shouldered chap, with a black beard
n keen eyes that looked right through
yer. His pardner was only a boy of
twenty or so, with yeller curly h'ar, pink
n white gals face n big blue eyes.
We all walked in, n Pete he stands to
the bar n shouts fer all hands ter drink,
n to u surprise the parson n the kid
both stepped up n called for red ticker
n drank it.
After the drink was finished the
parson SEE: Gents, as yer see, I'm a
minister of the Gospel; but | see no
harm in a man drinking ez long ez he
amt no drunkard. l drank just now
because | want you to see that l am not
ashamed to do before yer face what I'd
do behind yer back Right yer are,
parson,' says Pete; put it thar n they
shook hands, n then Pete he up and
called of the hull gang-Five Ace n
Lucky Barnes n Dirty Smith n one n
all the rest nv 'em. The parson shook
hands with all Nv us, n said he was
going to have a meetin in Shifty Sails
dancehouse that night, ez twas the big
gest in camp, n asst us all to come
n we sed we would.
when we got outside Pete seq, Boys,
you mind me, that devil dodger1l cap
ture the camp n he did. That night
we all went along down to Shifty's n
found the parson n the kid on the
platform where the fddlers ust to sit,
n every man in camp wuz in the au-
dience. The parson spoke first. He sed:
Gents, l want to tell yer first off l don't
want any Nv yer dust. I've got enuf
fer myself n my young friend, n there
won't be no rakeoff in this yer meetin
house, n I'm not here to preach against
any mans wayo O making Twin. | will
preach ag'in' drunkenness, n | shall
speak privately with the gamblers; but
! want to keep you men in mind Nv yer
homes n yer mother n yer wives n
yer sweethearts, n get yer to lead
cleaner lives, SOS when yer meet 'em
ag'in yer'll not hev to be 'shamed.'
n then he sed we'd hev a song, n the
youngster he started in n played a
concertina n sang Yes, We Will
Gather at the River; n there wuzn't
one of US that it didn't remind Nv how
our mothers ust to dress US up Sundays
n send US to Sunday school, n stand
at the door to watch us down street n
call us back to asst if we were sure we
had our clean pocket Handkerchief, n |
tell yer, mister, thar wuzn't a man with
dry eyes in the crowd when he'd finished.
That young Teller had a vice like a
angel. Pete he sed it wuz a tenner vice.
but Five Ace offered to bet him a hun
dred to fifty it wuz more like a ffteener
or a twenty. Pete told Five Ace he wuz
a. old fool n didn't know what he
wuz talkin about.
"Well things u along for about Il
week, n one day Pete come to me and
SEE: Look here, Ralters, this yer camp
amt no jay camp, n we've got to hev a
church fer the parson. He's a Jim dandy,
and won't ask for nothing. He'd Jest
natchelly go on prayin and preachin n
tryin to v a couple of whisky soaked
souls like yourn n Bill Jones', which
amt with powder to blow EN- To-,
N you'd let him go doin it in that old
shack of Sails n never make a move.
Now I'm goin to rustic round n dig zap
dust enuf from the boys, and we'l jest
build him a meetin house ash be a
credit to the camp n in a few days the
boys he'd a good log meetin house built,
hoored n benches in it n everythin.
1.-THE parson was tickled most to
death. Next they built him a house, n
he n his pardner moved into it. Then
Pete said the gals must go; sed it wuz a
dead, rank, snide game to work on the
parson ter hev to go down street n be
guyed by them hussies On they did guy
him awful sometimes, too); SO the gals
they went. Then Pete sed the church
he'd to be properly organized; he'd to
hev deacons n church wardens n sex
tons n things; so old Bill Jones n Ala
BAN wuz made deacons, n Pete N
Five Ace was church wardens.
in a month every last man in camp
wuz worryin bout his future state. Old
D:1I 1..o o~,a :~4o .~oa4:~ $50 ~s~lA