The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-12-26
DOWN In SLUMTOWN
How the Unfortunatss Spent Christmas
Eve and Night :
IN THE GILDED PALACES
Memories of Childhood Days Are
Drowned In the Sparkling Bowl
"A vag's Exploration or a slop
Barrel. and His Surprise.

The anniversary Of the holy day
when Christ was born found the usual
activity In that portion of Butte usual
ly denominated as the bad lands"
Christmas In the bad lands was some
what different from Christmas In the
churches and in the homes of Butte,
but the people Of that section certainly
knew II. was Christmas. although that
many Of them had a very clear concep-
ton Of what the day means may be
doubted
The gambling houses were well filed
on Christmas eve. and all night, In fact.
Along about 2 O'Clock In the morning
the floors and chairs were pretty we'll
occupied with sleepers. rrss
In the cheap beer halls OF East Park
street the vags and buns congregated
and spent Christmas eve trying to keep
warm and get enough to eat. A man
with a nickel IL all right IN any of
these beer halls. With a glass Of beer
IL thrown In a dish of soup The main
constituent Of the soup is heat and that
Is a good deal. 1t Is certainly warming,
for Ii comes on the stove piping hot.
1t is plentifully seasoned with onions,
pepper and salt and a plate of crackers
accompany II, so that for cents,
lonely vag on Christmas night can get
a meal that Is both appetizfng and fill
ing. II extras are wanted they can be
had. A meat stew. also hot. can be had
for 10 cents, along with q glass of beer,
and a plate of wefnerwursts and sauer
kraut can be had for 8 cents. The quail
ity of these viands may not be equal to
CORRESPONDING articles of food I'm other
parts of town, but those whose only
home Is the scent beer dives OF East
Park street find the cheap food very
welcome. nf+
IN -, - A. --.o~. .S7o..- L. Y,,ot. - .,.+
only gets his beer and his soup for 5
cents, but his nights lodging as well.
Around the stove are a number OF COM
Portable chairs which are seldom va
cant. Customers have the first right
to the chairs and can sleep there all
night. When the chairs are all gone
there are still vacant places on the
floor. and these are for customers also.
The proprietors keep sharp watch,
and do not allow outsiders to intrude
on the privileges of their guests. x.
why don't you sleep where you buy
your beer?" was the sharp demand of a
bronzy-iookfng individual occupying
one of the chairs last night. n Heiwas
compelled to move, and the, chair was
surrendered to a lucky beggar who had
just invested 10 cents lin a glass of beer
and beef stew.
On East Galena street there was lit
tie to mark the day when Christ came
on earth to save sinners. In two or
three places there were branches of
evergreen over the door. One place had
merry Christmas'' in letters of green
over the inside door. In the gilded pail
aces OF Mercury street there were more
elaborate observances of the day. Lii
lie Reed had the front of her place dec
Grated with Christmas boughs, and
Christmas trees fianked the entrance.
At Lilies place, Lou Harpeps and the
Little Club there were Christmas trees
with gifts for the regular boarders.
Christmas Is usually a pretty sad day
for the abandoned. 1t Is apt to bring
back memories of a Christmas years
ago in some Christian home, ana the
girls who get their living in the dives of
the bad lands usually get drunk on
Christmas in order to drown these
memories.
There was one Individual around
Christmas eve who passed a better
Christmas than he had had any reason
to hope for. He had not been fortunate
enough to get arrested and thus get a
square meal in jail He hadn't a cent
In his pockets, but the police had over
looked him some way. He thought of
surrendering himself for a vag, but he
didn't know whether he would be &C
cepted or not. At 1890 O'Clock Christ
mas eve he was seen by some Of the
guests at the McDermott hotel picking
over an old slop barrel in the alley be-
hind the hotel. hunting for bacon rinds.
He was brought into the lobby of the
hotel, ragged. dirty miserable as a hu-
man being could be. He told his story
and a collection was taken up among
the employees of the hotel and the
guests present, and the vagabond left
several dollars better OF than when he
began exploring the slcp barrel