Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-07-02


awaited himself without stint of the so
norous church oaths and evocations)' Is
a matther av importance. Wud ye nave
another shootin' Denny brook? an me d
bearin' av all the divilmint, same as 'twuz
last year? Wild the riputashun av the camp,
too In the name av innis1nce, nave We no
heads for an emergency?
Dillon was clearly in earnest. and when
nan of his racial characteristics Is in
earnest things are likely to happen, whether
the scene of action be Spitzbergen or Tim
buctoo His Indignation at our stupidity
at the mayors the sheriffs and mine-was
offensive; but we could offer no suggestion
that might stand fer us as combatant.
There were men in the camp with official
titles, and men very prone 10 swift ana ac-
curate shooting, but these collectively were
as naught before the breath of Dillon;
Galena was like most other of northwest
ern mining towns; If at all diSttnguiShaDle
from them it was by a slight accumulation
of that air of bonhomie which is more or
less apparent on the visages OF all COM
munities of the genus; In plan and con
struction Ii was certainly In Eowise indl-
yidual. The single main thoroughfare, ex-
tending in parallel line midway between
the fianking gulch sides, the various snort
traverse cuts. the Uttered shaft Workings
and entrances of number OF mines the
thin sprinkling of stores and Semi-olsrepu-
table hotels,s the ungovernable nux OF WOE
open and wholly disreputable saloons ana
faro banks; these were features OF utmost
generality But IL there was that additional
coloring L have just noted it was impaired
by the enforcing personality or Diilon' VINO
owned and genially presided over one OF the
biggest and brightest and most bemirrored
of the combination saloons and gambling
re sorts.
Conceive, then, his popularity. He was
the patron the philanthropist, the bene-
factor of the town. And thus was 1t that
we were called in conference, to be assist
ants TO him in one of his great humanl-
tartan func tions; the mayor ana the snerl1
by reason of their political headship; L by
some small commercial standlng, pelhg at
that time the Galena manager OF the NJ
Mining and Smelling Company. Inc fourth
of July was hard upon US, ana Dllion was
committee hunting that action might De
taken to prepare for the advent OF TINS
glorious day. On the preceding Fourth no
such special arrangements had been mace,
and A series of wild, deploraple events had
come off events that were to be remeH-
bered long after Galena had passed INTO
the o5scurity Of most boom camps Oniy
seven men in the town had not been hiiar-
iously and rampageously drunk and these
seven were kept very miserable and en-
gagged; three of the thirsty majority had
died and it had cost Dillon and some others
the entire reftting of their establishments.
The westerners are nothing if not essential
ly patriotic.
back room of the saloon, listening intently
to Dillon's harangue. After he had given
US every opportunity to suggest ways and
means for the day of entertainment, fruit
lessly he elucidated TO us his own idea OF
a program. which was voted on and adopt
ed by unanimous and immediate consent.
This narrative deals solely with the first
number of the program, SO you will be
compelled to surmise the others from It,
We wull begin" says Dillon, in the
mornin' wild what ye might dishignate
toorymint- This is the way av ut: We wuil
have rounded up bunch Thin divils ay
brnr1COS - wIIll also have rounded
a bunch av jolly bhOys; wull beguile the
bhOys to the backs av the broncos, an
wuH give the best busther thin a foine
fat purse-which he wull spind immejutiy.
This, We may understand. is legitimut,
wild excitement enough TO kape aft the
idge their timper. Thin we wull-'
but this is much concerns US.
Now that species of rough riding which
is known in the west United States I'M
der the proyincialism "broncho busting"
Is not. as a business, nice; it Is brutal and
violent Under any conditions, but when re-
sorted to on gala occasions as a sport it
has elements Of character that would have
sDdeared 1t. mildly at least. to the amphi-
theaters of medieval Rome. l have only
once seen it in this aspect, though not I'M
familiar with the regular S40-per-month
skirmisnes.
GaIena was busy little town. Every
man In Montana that could distinguish
pay stuff from pyrites of iron extolled IT,
AMI Ii was an actual center of a vast ex-
Panse of stock country. Dillons was the
u
meeting house and council chamber of
prominent citizens, the rendezvous of a
wide assortment OF the erring human
animal Dillon had need to be SPLEEN
did whip, and he was. Skittish leaders
or sullen wheelers. vicious or gentle, all
alike felt the strong hand on the box.
A soodly purse was collected against
the coming of the popular event Dillon's
'ante'' (his own word) was a hundred and
Q number Of others came down handsome
" But in the interval between the state
fnent of the idea and the day of fulfillment
there arose the necessity for some mo6i-
ncation in the plans. Dillon had relied on
procuring number of bad and unbroken
horses. and on having the many yolun-
teer riders break them on time or some
thing OF that sort. When the trial was
made, however, 1t was found impossible
To bring together the required number of
sure-enough bad horses: that is, horses
which could be depended on TO make ex-
element under any circumstances; so a
big list OF Snapped and sombreroed COM
petltors could Lot, consequently, be oc-
cOmmOdated-
1t was decided then that each of the two
great cow valleys which converged near
Gelena should set up its best man, the most
This concentrated interest. which, when
the eve OF the great day really arrived.
was possibly several degrees beyond blood
temperature.
The morning of the Fourth dawned In
All th9 chaste radiance of July in the foot
fiiis. such a day recompenses a man
Ior year lived IN hut, $50 miles from
the nearest railroad artery and as they
ray In Montana, only half a mile from
hell As was my tnvariable won't 1 rose
early. and hearing that the competition
ponies were in the town corral strolled
down to catch a glimpse of them There
were two ponies corralled, fast enough.
and surveyed them from the fence during
the burning of a cigarette. going over their
various points with much interest They
were wholly dissimilar. except for that
single qualification which made them es-
peciaily precious-their plain, staring ma
ngnancy.
The one was a beauty. dark bay, of fair
height. peaked and slender, clean wiry
roman-nosed and with the widest pair OF
glass eyes l ever saw IN any brute The
look or him was actually carniyoroust He
had several dead men to his record they
told me, and he certainly did have a prom
or cast for IT. I almost doubted II his
Achilles existed. The other was a far
more unhandsome type. a low, fiat-backei
lump of a horse. dirty buckskn I'm color.
name and foretop moppish and unkernpt.
tow-hung head. and sits Of eyes scarce
opened to the thickness of knife blade
he bay should have been a small horse
OF blood. but the most unlikely iack-tar
could not have mistaken the other for
anything but an unmiXed lunkhead. NY
pympathy went first to the man who mist
bestride the symmetrical bay, but I had
also seen too many cayuses and southern