The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-02-19
LEADvILLE's FIRST PARsoN.
BE Tied TO the Boys and They Built
Him q Church.

Him q Church.
From the Galveston Daily Neirs.
"Times have deGsnerated since preachers
bit the west" said a disconsolate tin horn
gambler Now the people look down on
US sports when we are the very men what
had more ter do in civilian this part Of the
country than any one else in the world The
first men whut come out this way brought
the whisky jug with EN-, witch opened the
eye of the red men. Then comes the strag-
glin' sttlers an the dry goods sharps, an
then we come. After we would git istab-
lished 10 town an had made IL er hummer
the preachers would come, an we gains give
'em money an helped 'em out every pop.
We was pretty smooth people.
Nov III show yer how we aided civil
ization by illustratin'. When the Leadville
boom started l drifted along out there
with the crowd an went ter work in Pat
Haunifan's. Pat ran the Night Blooming
Cereus gamblin' house, which was In the
back part OF Tony HertzoRs sloon. The
miners was goin' In an out all the time, an
faro an poker was the tavorite games,
though or man could get roulette or grand
hazard If he wanted 'em. There wasn't no
limit There WAS no churches in Leadvtlle
at TIE time speak of-about rs.
"Well, one afternoon l went into the
Night Bloomin' Cereus. an notices er new
sign stock up over the bar. Twas
oouched in real Frontier style an read:
"Mner's brought his gospel
tank Preacntn' Sunday.
Thinks |, this is or devil OF or do an
went on inside. The boys at the tables was
discussin' Miller, an some was fer lynchin'
him at sight Yer see they had peculiar
notions Of Sunday an the ten command,
ments, an the doctrine of Gods love, an oil
the rest. They thought thet Miller was
sort OF infrin gin on their rights. Finally,
they agreed ter submit the thing ter Pat
Hannifan. Pat said be b'lieVed the preacher
would be err good thing for the camp. cause
il er man struck er blind lead an' turned up
his toes er preacher for the funeral would
be- about the thng-sort Of citlhed like.
Then be said tibet or camp with such or
graveyard as we had already started rated
or Bible bangor. an give us the age over
the other camps. Thet settled 1t, an the
boys said that they'd tree any one who OBJ
jected ter Parson Miller.
well, Sunday came, an when the hour
for preachin' arrived the Night Bloomin'
Cereus was Gro Gded ter the door. The boys
was diked out scandalous. Some of 'em
hadn't seen or preacher since they was kids,
an it made 'em think Of home. They was
determined ter give the parson er show Ter
his white alley.
"Parson Miller was er tall, slender man
with back snapping eyes which seemed TO
pierce or fellow. he boys had made err
pulpit out of the faro table for him, an they
all set an stood round quiet like, waiting
fer him ter turn himself loose.
well, sir, when Miller did get down ter
work be list chawed 'em up fearful. He
sailed right In and he tells 'em tibet they'd
orter establish er meetin' house where they
could get the word of God dealt out over
the bar ter 'em free. Then he tells EN- tibet
they amt no man whuts too fur gone ter
be saved. an he asks EN- what some OF 'enl
'ud think if they could see THUR angel
mothers an fathers wAtchin' of 'sm from
up where there amt no more night.
Some Of the boys Bnuffles at this kind or
talk.
Then tho parson he asks 'em ter sing
sunthin' an select the hymn themselves.
They didn't know no tune 'cept whut they
heered at the variety, an they tells him so,
but he tells them to sing thet. Then one
big Teller he starts up, Whoa, Emma, an
In or mint oil OF the boYs was or roarin' out
the tune fierce. They sung the one verse
they knowed about four times an stopped,
an enc big duffer he gets up kinder sheepish
like an goes fer ter explain ter the parson
tibet the boys don't know nuthin' else, an
wants ter apolergise. But Miller he waves
him down an turns round an asks 'em ter
sing it again. An they did sing 1t, too.
The bottles on the bar tlnkled like you was
playin' on em with spoons, an tho stove
reEtled, an l thought tibet the singin' split
the shingles on the roof OF the Night
Bloomin' Cereus.
'An' then one OF the boys passes his hat
'rou d an every man throws IN chips as
much as he kin spare, an the hat was full
when 1t came ter the parsou. Miller, he
looks at 'em an wants ter know what he
should do with 'em. Pat he tells him that
IL. wzNaww Jazz swat hn
wanted. An In case be wanted ter play EN-
Pat said he'd take the lookout chair himself
an double bank a skin. This showed that
Pat was white all through.
''Now them chips give Miller his start on
or preachin' house. an whenever he needed
money he knowed tibet he could get 1t at the
Night Bloomin' Cereus. An we made him
our preacher fer buryin' them who got
wiped out over game or died with their
boots on from one cause or mother.
when quit Leadyille cold, there was
three churches an Two schools, but the par
son he was dead. Consumption got him.
reckon no man ever had er decenter funeral
than Miller. We sent up ter Denver an
got the finest coffin whut could be had, an
we showed 1t ter him when he was most
gone. He smiled, tired like, an says: Boys,
yer all know how have tried ter help yer.
When am gone bury me out under the
pine tree in the corner Of the graveyard, arF
remember me kindly Them was the last
words he spoke, I'M when he was dead his
face wore a peaceful smile, like baby
asleep.
"When the funeral took place the Night
Bloomin' Cereus had Grape on the door, an
was closed for twenty-four hours. Ali the
saloons was shut up when the funeral per-
seshnn passed The coffin was carried on
the shoulders OF six big miners, an more'n
500 men follered It ter the grave on foot.
Pat Hannifan he wouldn't hear ter let no
one readin' no services over the corpse, fer
he said tibet there wasn't no preacher there
good enough TO do 1t, an the boys lowed he
was right
I'VE gains built them three churches an
two school houses, an We s'ported EN- too.
We was civilizers right. We might have
been er bad lot according ter some peoples
way of thinkiu', but yer bet Miller tied to
IA an he Rna white man "