The herald., 1895-03-24
HELL'S
CORNER AND
ITS DEAD
Into Its Treacherous QuiCksands Leaped the
Doomed Gambler and His Senorita
Picturesque and Tragic Tale of Alder Guch That Only Reached
Its Consummaton When Its Actors Were Dead
Romance Revealed by Skull

was the fellow that had that gold
tooth.
well, there you are" said McQuaid,
with smile of satisfaction. Now, see
ing that all the parties in the affair are
deceased, | guess | can tell the story
a half dozen old-timers were now gath
cred in one corner of the blue room. and
between sips of the Jim Collins punch,
heard story of Montana life that had
never been told before.
1T will be twenty-six years on the 10th
of next month that | promised George
Ash never to tell this story until every
one of the three was known TO be dead,
finishes the list" the pioneer began.
Some of you remember George Ash, whc
came up from Salt Lake in '63. Big fell
low with a red moustache and always
wore black silk sash instead of a belt.
He was Il boss gam ber-the best short
card player | ever saw-and lightning
faro dealer; and, like most gamblers in
those days, he was a fighter fro his
spurs up. That was one reason why the
FL Sol people got him. They had been
having a lot of trouble with some boys
from Bannock, who used to come ovel
and get drunk and steal checks at the
faro games, and generally wind up by
shooting out the candles. | was sticking
type for the Montana Post across the
the guns cracking over at the Ell Sol and
looked UP from my case to see the place
dark. Sometimes when the place lit III
again would see them carrying IA man or
so out. But they quit that kind of fun after
George Ash got there. | recolect well
hearing Henry Williams; one OF he own
ers, tell Ash one mig that the Bannock
gang was in the camp for row, and
hearing Ash say:
6 The coffin market will take jump
if they raise any--in this place tonight.
You bet, l stayed in the Office that
night, but about the time we were putting
the old Post on the press heard the usual
rumpus across the street-guns cracking
away like woodpeckers on Il poplar tree
[ peeked out of the window, but | saw
the Ell Sol was still lit up. and | told the
boys to hold back the paper that we
could reset the obit. column. When the
firing stopped ran over and found Ash
abinding up his arm, while scattered
around on the floor were four men from
that Ash had killed them about as handy
as he would kill four coyotes in row.
Henry Williams said to me:
Hugh. you can say editorially in the
Post that we have got new man to look
after the lights in the Ell Sol and that the
old place will be lit while there are cam
dies in Virginia.
~
man, bui for all that Il man who
kept out of trouble when he could,
and who always kept his word. A little
later he brought his brother Harry up
from Salt Lake and then they dealt bank
together on the same shift. Harry was
no such man as George. He was young
and very fresh. and it was Il bare scratch
that he was not killed on a dozen differ
ent occasions. He was always in the
wrong, and it was only question OF
time when we would have to put him
away with the boys on the hill. 1t
couldn't have been more than Il month
afterward that Jim NJ Lehman and his
Mexican senOrita came up from Santa Fc.
They had Just begun playing Spanish
monte, and women faro and monte deal
els were features of the camp. They
were mostly Mexican women--tough look
ers, but covered with fine clothes, such as
red serapes, and wearing no end of jew
elry. making altogether quite novelty
in the camp, and attracting big crowds to
the FL Sol. the only gambling house that
employed them. These women were really
expert dealers. Their hands We're small
and smo 'tb, and every gambler knows
how much depends upon timely chiseled
hands that are kept in good condition.
The Mexican women would roll Il cigar
cite with one hand and deal with the
other, and never make a.mistakc with
the cards or chips. Yes, and they could
shoot, too and shoot quick: but it WAS
mighty rare that they were insulted and
they attended to their own business, as Il
rule. Nc Lehman s woman was "A lit