The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-04-11
CHANGED THE NAME
Camp Was Called DEVILS Hole, They
Named 1t Paradise Flat.
AFTER THE STRANGERS VISIT
ncounter the Young Man With
the Sad Face Had With Big sam
Drake. the Bully. and What
Happened Afterwards.
From the Detroit Free Press.

From the Detroit Free Press
When a couple of hundred men are
gathered together, as in a mining camp
living in tents and shanties and hav-
ing no refining influences, there is re-
PROGRESSION and physical force is con-
considered the superior of mental in
telligence. 1t was so with us at Wolf
Greek. AS we dug and delved and
washed for gold and herded together
the brutal in human nature came to
the surface. All up and down the creek
our camp went by the name of Devils
Hole" While we had certain camp
made laws which must be respected by
ALL we were ruled by bully. He was
king of the camp and looked up to I'M
til some harder fighter deposed him.
We came to pride ourselves that we
had the best fighters on the creek, and
IL stranger came to stake out a claim
and cast his lot with us he had to do
battle with his fists before he was ac-
corded the privilege.
One summers day, when big Sam
Drake was the reigning bully of our
camp, q young man about % years Of
age came UP the trail from Grass Val
ley and halted among us. One could
see by his step that he was not WELL
but q look into his face told that he
was one of the kind that would drop
down sooner than complain. He had
come to the land of gold to seek his
fortune, and no matter how bad his
luck, he would bear up under IL.
was working away in a claim close to
the rock on which he sat resting him
self and / watched the stranger closely,
wondering how he would bear the test
he would surely be put to. He spoke
with me, and his voice was so gentle,
and there came into his face at times
such look of sadness, that / found
myself wishing he would continue his
journey until he came upon a better lot
of men. BY and by. when he had spok-
en- to others and expressed his intention
of stalking out claim, big Sam walked
up to him, looked him over in contempt
and finally said:
"A gal has come among us with
mems clothes on. What's yer name,
sissy, and how did we come to leave yer
mammyv'
The stranger flushed holly, but re-
strained his temper and made no re-
ply. 1t was not until the custom of the
camp had been explained to him that
he spoke. Then he drew himself up,
gave a look around which took in every
man, and quietly said:
IT beg your pardon for trespassing
and will go on. find / am mistaken
In the can Pr
'Then's the words of a cowardv'
exclaimed big Seam as he took a step
forwar1. DO r~u mean to say this
camp nais't geo< 'nuff fur the likes of
your
"Thss's vhsa mean" was the firm
reply.
'.And yca w~,s aght2"
"fio."
AS he vallrrd cut of camp he was
followed By jeer and jibes and yells of
derision. but W aid not even turn his
head. He was 'buf a mile away when
the crack of -fles and the shouts of
men came up 10 US from the valley.
We knew what the sounds signined
The emlgrant trail led through the val
ley, and party was being attacked by
Indians. We had but few rifles among
us. We were getting these out and
tumbling over one another in our con-
fusion when the stranger returned to
camp. Out OF our whole crowd not
over dozen men were ready to make
dash for the valley, and we had no
leader until the stranger seized a rifle
from the hands of one man, a revolver
from another and showed us the way
down the trail. After a run of half a
mile we had them in sight-two white |
topped wagons surrounded by at least
20 Indians. but were still far below us |
The stranger not only kept the lead
but kept shouting encouraging words
and he was far ahead of us and the |
first one to open fire as we finally got
down to the valley.
We had come too late. except to take |
revenge. The pioneers had long before |
been shot down, and when they fell |
the women and children were helpless.
We drove the Indians away, but they |
carried bloody scalp locks as they went. |
As we came to the wagon we heard the |
faint cries of a child. and the stranger |
leaped into one OF them and from be- |
meath the dead body of a woman re- |
moved little boy about years old |
who had not received a scratch He |
was the sole survivor of u men, women |
and children. AS we looked about hop
ing to ind others, the savages were re- |
inforced and returned and attacked us.
We were pushed back from the wagons
back across the 40 rods of green grass |
up the trail by which we had de- |
scended until we got the shelter of |
some rocks. In this falling back the |
stranger was the last man instead of |
being the leader. He had placed the |
child on his back. and the little fellow |
chung tightly and walled and wept at |
the reports of the rifles and yells of the |
Indians. A man dropped here and |
there as we fell back, and when at last |
the Indians drew OFF there were but /
four left out OF the IL. Then the men /
left behind in camp came hurrying |
down bravo anonuh or1 ,,atn..