New-York tribune., 1897-08-01
STORIES OF CREEDE.
THE MINERS SUICIDE RECALLS SOME
W'ICY YARNS OF THE COLORADO
TOWNS EARLY DAYS.
From The Salt Lake Herald.


u multimillionare
The late Joseph B. McCullagh sent me out to
Creede to write up the camp for The Globe
Democrat" 1t was in February 1892. My in
structions from Mr McCullagh were queer.
was to stay in the camp about three weeks and
write my stuff" after returned to st. Louis.
This did.
When arrived at Creole the San Juan Noun
tains. which tower above the camp were COW
ered with snow 10 a depth varying from SIX to
twenty feet. The camp or town was nestled
in two narrow gulches walled in by prccipitous
cliffs that seemed thousands of feet high. Down
through these gulches came tumbling and
SplaShng a stream of water clear crystal.
1t spraWled out into a miniature river in Ante
lope Park. which lies two three miles below
the town and is the finest natural park in the
world. according to the testimony of widely
travelled persons.
Walking through this park one afternoon in
the company of former Attorney-General Sam
Jones, of Colorado, | flock of VultureS
Erecdily dcrorrng carcass under clump Of
bushes. Nccrcd my course around close to the
tu!tureS IN order to get look at them. I'm
agne the horror of a "tcnderfoot" when dis
covered that they were feasting the dead
body of human being, 1t was the body Of "A
man dressed in the rough garb of a miner The
ravenous birds had piuckcd ont the eyes. torn
the flesh from the face. breast and arms and
with Their beak had ripped open the abdomen.
exposing the visCera. In horror / called General
Jones to witness the spectacle. He sauntered
leisurely toward me. as if knowing instnctvely
the cause OF my horror, and when he saw what
1t was he calmly observed:
"Oh. that's only the body of some blankety
blank who jumped some other fellows claim
and got what he deserved according to mining
camp ethics. Better not say much about it.
You might set into trouble yourself"
When we got back to the camp told Creede
what ! had seen down in the park.
well. did the buZZards seem TO be enjoying
their feast?' he inquired. with the indifference
Of man Injured TO such occurrences.
That was the only dead man saw while
stayed a, Creole, and heard nothing more
about this one than have related. Scores OF
others probably suffered the same penalty as
this rash unfortunate, but if so their bodies
were left in the mountain Businesses where
they were slain. Tho law in the camp the
will of Bat MlsterSon, who has since developed
from the terror of terrors into of the biggest
hackers of prize fighters in the country. The
camp grew into d city almost in day. When
the place one or theSe was little log hut
owned and occupied by Creole. The other
two-sto:y frame structure made out of un-
seasoned timber and occupied by Bob Ford the
slayer Of Jesse James a saloon and gambling
house. Tho other habtats were tents that
sheltered COCO or 5000 people mostly men. with
hardly "a decent woman among the thousand
more females that made the nights hideous with
their reveis: In less than forty eight hours the
building operations had Irogressed With such
rush that one could got all the comforts Of
a modern city even to the detail of a warm
bath.
And such population there congested
in that narrow guch. It seemed to me that all
the notsam and jetsam Of humanitys wrecks
ndU bCPN tOSSeu III lile!t DE lle angry OllOWS OF
iviliZation--adVentuIers OF every stripe, muir
dcrcrS. gamblers, confidence men, thieves. pick
pockets. painted harlots and pale-faced Great
ures whose daredevil manners indicated dis
regard Of fate that was at once revolving and
pitful to behold. And there were gentlemen,
tOo-but one had 10 converse with and study
them q bit before determining their character
For all the men dressed alike. in overalls. rough
flannel shirts and heavy OvercOats. The town
situated at the meeting place OF three
counties, and this suited the purposes Of the
lawleSS because litigation long drawn out had
10 fix the county jurisdiction In this emergency
Bat MaStecsOn was by common consent accorded
all the functions Of the consabulary. the judic-
iary and the executive Of a perfectly organized
community. He had saloon and gambling
house close to Bob Ford's. and whenever trouble
occurred In any part OF the camp that threat
cned to involve any considerable portion Of the
population the news few TO him on the wings
Of the wind. and he wasn't long in settling it.
One night ! accompanied Mastcrson to a dance
hall. The belle of the bail comely tall
female. who vas universally known by the
sobrquet Of "Slanting Annie" by reason Of the
fact that when she imbibcd moro liquor than
She cod.d we'll carry she moved about with her
body careened like a ship half-seas over.
Under the social code Of the dance hall gentle
men who participated in the eddy whrl were
expected to escort their partners to the bar at
the end oC each dance. and pay double prices Cor
any sort OF liquid refreshment the lady" might
desire. A slender young tenderfoot from Penn
sylvania, who had been in camp long enough TO
know the dance hall social code, was monopoiZ-
ing the company Of Slanting Annie that even
ing When she espied MastefSOn in the crowd
OF spectators. Sl&Eting Annie left her infatuated
partner long enough 10 slip over to Masterson
and hold u whispered conversation with him.
When she LEFT Masterson told me to keep my
eye the Pennsylvania tenderfoot and watch
Developments in his case. He has danced with
Slanting Annie half dozen times this evening
without HQridatins at the bar. said Masterson.
His game is to have two or three more dances
with Slanting Annie and then bow himself
out. shc is to him and will show him that