The National tribune., 1892-01-21


I'm all probability what the men really
heard was the mOttled or American screech
owl, which makes plaintive noise, and a
peculiar sound during part Of its mourniul
notes like the chattering Of teeth, keeping
mp its alternating whooping and moaning
all night IL loves to perch on some blasted
tree in the moonlight, and the disembodied
form seen by the supertitious miners must
have been shattered and denuded pinOn,
on which the nocturnal bird sat, that, escap-
ing their vision in the day time, was exag-
geraicd by their frightened eyes at night
into the "harnt" Of the place! But this is
not ghoststory, and the reader will pardon
the digression.
The region in which Whooping Hollow
was situated is the toughest and, to employ
Rmining phrase, the lumpiest portion OF the
whole Taos Range il was deep gulch IN
the slrctest Interpretation Of the word,
formed BY two lofty divides
WHOSE CREsTs LOWERED sKYwARD
from their bases more than 5000 feet, which
themselves were over 5000 above the At
lantcs level, and the distance across the
narrow valley at its widest part scarcely
three-quarters Of a mile! The angle of the
slope OF the two opposing mountains was
little less than 35 degrees, making their
sides, as may be inferred very precipitous.
The towns era of prosperity was long be-
fore the days Of railroads in that portion OF
the continent, and such ieats Of engineering
as have been ACCOMPLISHED since i'm the way
OF hpg-3acks, loops and tunnels were not
dreamed Of as among the possibilities Of
mountain travel Nor was there even
wagon road 10 Whooping Hollow. Such a
thng would have been regarded equally
Rs difficult and expensive as the wonder
ful achievements -Of the Atchison, To-
peka & Santa Fe in climbing the Ration
Range a dozen years later. Everything was
packed into the place on mulehacl at
minimum cost Of 25 cents pound, whether
she simplest necessaries Of life OF a saw-mil,
and the zg-zag trail the sure-footed beasts
were compelled TO travel mp and down the
fearful slopes Of the great divides TO get in
and out Of the rocky streets Of the narrow
town, made one dizzy 10 look at.
The rude collection Of shanties, through
courtesy called the town Of Whooping Hol-
low, was built on one side Of little creek
which ran al a fearful rate in the bottom of
the gulch, whose waters boiling and foaming,
like all mountain streams, rushed over and
around the immense bowlders with which its
marrow bed was choked while on the OPP
posite side, Immediately facing the principal
street, extending for miles both ways, on the
hill the mining claims were located. The
houses were, in most instances, mere shells,
constructed Of rOagh slabs, while a few were
Of hewn logs, presenHngR
RELATIVELY NEAT APPEARANCE
The roofs Of all, however, were fat, and COW
cred with earth they rose one above the
other like pair OF stairs, so that you could
easily step out Of your door upon the top Of
your neighbor's dwelling below, SO precipit-
ious was the side OF the mountain on which
the place was Of necessity laid out The town
consisted OF four streets, one devoted entirely
10 business the other three 10 residences
only. There were five stores, whose stock
was Of that character known throughout
the West and IN the mountains as General
That iE. their proprietors almost literally
kept everything-irom q tOoihpick TO a
steam -engine, or from a shOestring 10 a silk
dress The place boosted also Of ~ banks
Of deposit Only-faro and monte, for the
unfortunate individual who once laid his
money on the green cloth tables Of these
institutions rarely ever saw any Of IL again;
lit was permanently invested. Ofsaloons,
600, Whooping Hollow had its fun compile
ment-I think there were 30 at one time
and their owners were not obliged to con-
tribute anything to the support Of the town,
for a. 10 municipal expenses there were
none. Yet the discipline Of the place was
fair, TO say the least the ratio Of violent
deaths to the number OF inhabitants was not
nearly as great as in any Of the Eastern
cities, and as 10 thieving or burglary, such
crimes were as rare as a church service,
which Whooping Hollow never had during
the whole period Of It's existence. Ofcourse,
such a unique condition Of morality Is easily
accounted for. "Judge Lyncb's" court was
the only tribunal for the trial OF ofTcnses
against the peace and dignity Of the town,
and from it's decisions there was no appeal.
Besides, society there was no constituted
that ID could c0ndone a murder If there ex-
listed the slightest shadow Of e1tenuating
circumstances, but il would never forgive The
unlawful appropriation OF another's goods.
particularly Of horses; horse stealing being
the uuparonable sin, as il is generally on
the frontier, the prompt remedy Tor which
was "a short shrift and long r0pen
notwithstanding the fact that perhaps there
were hundreds Of men IN Whooping Hollow 10
whose ears the shril whistle Of a bullet would
SOUND sWeeteF than the soft notes Of a flute
Htlll their general good nature, when sober. and
pflncpe oi honor among thieves" kept them
within bounds. OccasOnally--vcry naturally.
t0O-thcr6 were desperate fights over tic
gambling tables IN tue hells which abounded IN
Nhooping Hollow and frequently an outrage.
ousy obsircpcrous individual, full Of "bag.
Juice ar the vile whisky dispensed in the
saloons was called would get hole drilled into
MN by NO. a. Teyolyer-ball OF his vitals
carved with an ll-inch bowie But arrests were
rarely made in ouarrels OF that character be.
cause cAlenuHting circumstances generally ez.
isted. oiteni under the excellent care of tie
bktliul dtctor--an eX Regular Army Surgeon.
who had established himself there-the bellig.
efents would recover from their fearful en-.
counter but oitener took up their last claim d
OF SIX feet -bY two ia /" The Rome grrb.rd % n.