The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-21

der. AS he ran the young lawyer fired
twice, n hit him both times He
was not seriously injured, solely be-
cause the revolver was almost harm
less. They say in Dakota that Jones
is running yet. He has never since
been seen, for he left the country the
following week. He could not face the
people again as a bully, and it is said
that he went into Montana"
THAT trip to the hills was an event
full one to me-" continued the senator.
The night after our arrival DeadWoOd
burned to the ground. l was asleep in
a little hotel, and right across the hall
from my room Maj. Reno, of Custer
massacre fame. slept. l was awaken
ed about l o'clock in the morning by
the cry Of fire. Hastily donning my
clothing L opened the door into the
hall, when a blaze came in which
nearly burned my whiskers off. L
hastily closed the door and locked it,
but in that momentary glance l saw
two mel, in the flame dragging another.
1t proved Is ~ Maj. Reno, as L after
wards learned hal re vas taken out In
an ~unconcious condition. l opened d
window, jumped upOn a roof near Hf
and escaped. l went through blazing
streets to the residence of Judge, late
ly Senator G.. G. Moody, on a side hill.
From his front yard, /, with a couple
u IitSlidS, SlOOu dllu Watched TIE HUI
tier city below us disappear in dame
and smoke. The houses We're nearly
all of pitch pine. They sizzled with
the heat, and finally famed up and
disappeared n after another, like tin
der boxes. Before the sun arose every
vestige of human habitation, all along
the gulch, was in ashes. Town lots
were jumbled together, and II took a
long time TO mark their lines again.
But by s o'clock that morning tables
were rugged up on the ruined streets
and gamblers were at work with their
games. By night temporary counters
were set up, and saloons were doing
business. In enc year a new city had
been built and it is prospecting today.
"One Of my companions on that trip
to the Black hills was an cX-member
Of congress, who had been largely in
strumental in securing the passage of
the bill which opened the Black hills
to settlement. He was not personally
known to many, but his name was a
household word. The people of the
hills were ready to worship him.. Well,
when we entered the town Of Dead.
wood, the night before the fire, this ex-
congressman, who had a weakness for
liquor, entered the handsomest bar
room in the town. He had been drink
ing considerable, and I followed him
to take care of him. He marched up
to the bar and shouted in a tone loud
enough for all in the crowded OOm
to ear him: Give me some rot gut.
l amt asking for whisky, but I'm ask
ing for what you've got. I want rot
gut
THE barkeeper, an athletic and fierce
looking young fellow, was insulted,
and came around from behind the bar
to assault my friend with a club. Just
as l stepped between them, to remOn-
strate, my inebriated friend shouted:
I'm Judge Blank, an the hills are
mine. | want rot gut, an I'm going
to have it.
LAS soon as he mentioned his name,
the barkeeper stopped and asked me
if that were indeed Judge Blank. I
told him that it was, and he rushed
back to his place behind the bar, eX-
claiming: Here all you buffers. Stop
your games and come right up to the
bar and drink at the expense of the
house. Here is to the health Of our
guest, Judge Blank, who owns the hills
OF course, they all came up, anG the
judge had to shake hands all around.
Then turning to the ~bdrkeeper, he
shouted: Where is my rot gut" The
barkeeDer commenced pulling cham
payne cOrks, and they popped at a live
ly rate. Every man in the immense
room had champagne, and it was of the
AAAiC0I HOo1llJ lOO ~ AC u LIS
glass, Judge Blank roared. I knew
I'd get what 1 called for. That is the
weakest whisky l ever tasted
by that time the crowd was as j0l-
ly. good natured and harmless as you
would be likely to find anywhere on
earth, in a place. of that kind. They
had lots of fun with the judge, and
told him that the champagne was apOl-
linaris water. He stood there and drank
until he was carried to bed. He slept
all through the night of the fire, al
though he was carried out and driven
about five miles in a wagon to a place
Of safety. Later, when informed Of the
narrow escape which he had exper-
fenced, he stopped drinking and re-
manned a temperance man as long as
he lived. He always said that the
DeadwOOd lecture cured him. 1t was a
fiery lecture"
"Does the rough gambling element
still predominant in Western South Da-
kota?'
mo, the Black Hills country is set
tied by a p~eaceable, law-abiding COM
munity. The history of all frontier
places is alike. First comes the adVen-
turers, who tax everything in sight
in their own peculiar way; then follows
an orderly occupation of the country
by home-seekers INC home builders
from the better element of the older
states. We used to have a pretty hard
time of it in the eastern portion Of the
territory with claim jumpers. L was
obliged when a mere boy to guard my
own homestead entry with a shotgun.
Since then the beautiful and prosper
Gus city of Sioux Falls has grown up
about my homestead, so that my resi-
dence is now in the heart of the city.
THE growth and development Of Da-
kota territory have been phenomenal.
It is now divided into two sovereign
states. Crops are promising and the
people are happy. Gambling is al
most unknown. The barroms are
closed. Temperance and prohibition
prevail. Churches adorn our p~rairies
in city n country. Even our Indians
are partly civilized and becoming more
and more reconciled to the changed
conditions. No more sharpening of
knives for duels, no more shooting Of
antelope with carbines, 10 more eX-
citing times of a frontier character can
be seen or heard; and I'm glad of it.
Come to Dakota and see US, and you
will settle there and thank Coo you
have found the modern paradise or
promised land"
HE WAS ROBBED.