The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-24
From the New York sun.


Their Ambition for Fame by Dying
With Their Boots On.
From the New York Sun.
The Montana Club of Helena is fam
Gus home for good fellows and good cheer.
There is a corner known as the brain
Room" in the new house-the costliest
and most luxurious club house west of
the Mississippi-and here of an evening
may be found as choice lot of genial and
interesting men as one cares to meet.
There are pioneer miners, bankers, and
lawyers, nearly all of whom fought their
W ay through Indians and road agents to
the country, and among these
there is none more interesting
than Hugh McQuaid, Lord Hugh
as he is called byAundreds Of warm
friends, because he spends part of the
year honobbing in London, where is very
well known He has seen many a good
Indian fight, and no Montanian knows
more Of that strange mining camp life
that is so rapidly fading into history.
Not long ago a few eastern visitors were
gathered in the brain Room" when the
talk turned to Bret Harte's fiction, and
McQuaid was turned to as authority.
'I never knew but one who reminded
me of Jack Oakhurst," he said, that is,
with the same characteristics. l mean
polite and well dressed-always well
dressed and ready to fight, and fight fair
not looking for fights, you understand,
but always ready. l have seen lots of
gamblers who would fight. You see, they
had to fight 10 stay in the business in the
old days, but always looking for the best
of the fight, the same as in cards. Oak
hurst and John Pine were pretty much
alike, 1udge-that is, good gamblers and
fair-always fair, but devils, regular dew
lis, when aroused.
"The first time / saw Pine was in AL
der Gulch in '63-yes, in '63 the year of
the Porteneff massacre. That was in
Beaver Canon: supposed TO be by road
agents, you understand, but l guess more
Mormons than road agents. 1t was hell,
Just hell for US then. More chances to be
dead the end of a trip east than alive.
Mormons looking for blood at one end of
the canon and road agents for dust at
another. Well, one night / was in the e.
Sol with with Harry ConnOrs. Ned Hyde,
and more now dead, watching the games,
and a great sight it was. Women
dealing faro-that is, tough women,
mostly Spanish women who had dealt
monte, game, you understand, like faro,
only played harder in the south. They
say that chips ont count in monte, only
knives. Every woman dealer had gun
by the layout, and knew how to use it,
too. / guess more men were killed in the
FL Sol by women than by men. Well,
here was the crowd-miners mostly, but
freighters and merchants and tender
feet, all armed with long Colts, and all
cussin' and swearin'. The women were
yelling, Gents, make your camel and
George johnson, the owner, standing by
the bar, keeping order, and hard work it
was. There was always one gun fight
night, and sometimes more, and tough
fights, too. l was sticking type on the
Montana Post, across the street. Eel Sol
Furnishes Man for Breakfast the same
now, you understand, as Johnny Read
keeps that head in the Butte Inter-Moun-
tain. Important, If True
well, we was there watching the
games and drinking-four bits a drink
when in come two men, and l heard one
of them say to johnson: is Hugh Nc
Quad here? and Johnson pointed to me
and says: There's the man. | noticed
one man frst-that was Pine-as 1
learned later. He says to me: DO you
know Judge Law, of Idaho Well [
knew Judge Tom Law ten years before
seen him first at Green River crossing
when the Omaha stage was held up, and
we both got relieved and borrowed
the smallest of these men says. we have
letters from Tom Law to YOU and we
took drink while l read the letters, and
then looked the party over.
1.-THE little fellow struck me first, in
looks. He was, maybe, 80 years old, and
OF short build and with black hair and a
smooth face, and thin, but nervous-like.
Then he had square jaw and pleasant
like look. Yes, and well dressed-wore n
clean wbltn Chirt a frcf I 81, A
der, and guessed then where he got it
and whether he had more and where they
was washed. And he had a corduroy
suit, clean and nice, and pair of fine
boots with high heels and narrow insteps
and well BACKED. He had a big black
hat-beaver, of course, and couldn't be
bought west of Omaha, and worth twelve
dollars there Then there was a dia-
mond on his shirt. but not loud-and moth
ing loud at all in his looks. Quiet spoken
but seemed like business, and | seemed to
like him first glance. But | didn's like
his partner much-too loud talking and
too fresh-seemed too anxious to get &C
quainted, and was too peart, as the Mis-
sourlans say. he didn't last long-you
see, we had too many fellows like him in
the camp.
But the first man, as l learned, was
named Pine, Johnny Pine, we soon called
him, but everybody couldn't call him
that. de was good fellow, you under
stand-with his friends-but the rest
learned to keep their places. Well, we
had more drinks, but he wouldn't buy
nothing but wine-S20 a pint-for he
didn't drink nothing else. Said later that
man didn't drink so much if he stuck to
wine, and he couldn't stand drinking in
hiss line, which was gambling. Had
gambled, he said, in st. Louis, New
Orleans and Frisco, but never SAID much
more about his life, only once, which I'll
tell about later; but noticed long scar
Just under his left jaw, which, as sensed
1t, showed he had seen fighting Ana was
right, for Pine showed himself soon
enough.
''Well, you see, a mining camp is some
like country village-everyb body wants
10 know the new mans business-and
then make him show his hand Just so
with Pine, and reckoned heknew it.
Anyhow they never beat him with guns
and seldom with cards. The first time they
walked him was in the Ell Sol a week or
more, may be later, after his arrival. He
had money or gold dust, which was our
only money, and seemed TO have lots of
II, ana he gambled it like skyrockets.
sometimes win and sometimes lose, but
you could never tell from his looks. 1
saw him lose $4,000 one night, and down
10 the last skinful. and then sit two DAYS
and break two of the banks, and it was
this night at the end of the sitting, that