The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-02-28
T own 7 opics.

If town talk is to be trusted the
city contains quite a sprinkling of de-
tectives just now. The superstition is
that each of the big mining companies
which are parties to the suit now on
trial in the United States court have a
corps of detectives in town. A number
of people have been annoyed by them
lately and an old time resident of the
west side has been particularly vexed.
Every place he has gone the past few
days he has seen this shadow standing
around, watching him and trying to
catch what he says. The shadow fol-
lows him home and waits outside of the
house for him.
Saturday evening the Swallowed man
felt as though patience had ceased to
be virtue and, suddenly turning on
the man who was logging his steps,
he pointed a gun into his face and re-
marked:
Young fellow. if l ever see you
within a full block of me again. this
gun will explode. Now, git"
The west side citizen has not been
annoyed since and there are others
who are seriously thinking of following
his example.
Inasmuch as Butte's gambling houses
pay no license any more, it would
seem that the city ought to derive
revenue from the pool rooms where
pools on the races are sold. There are
three of them now running and all
have been doing a big business all win
ter The city might as we'll derive IA
little revenue from them ana doubtless
the pool rooms would DE very glad to
pay a license of 800 per month. as
that would tend to confine the business
to a few and shut out the little two
bit and four-bt pool rooms which
spring up occasionally and run for
short time.
BY the way. isn't it possible that the
Butte city authorities had the right
of it after all in making the gamblers
pay a fine and thus giving the city
some revenue? The city was accused
of compromising a felony in accepting
fines from the gambling houses, but
now the city gets nothing at all and
the gamblers are so much ahead. MI
merous attempts have been made in
Butte and Anaconda to convict gam
blers, but not a single individual has
been found guilty yet in either city.
So long as juries will not find gamblers
guilty of gambling, why shouldn't the
city get some revenue from this
source?
There are a lot of young pool play
ers developing in Butte said some one
the other day, and If you watch them
play you can see indications of the
kind of men they are likely to make.
Almost every High school boy appar-
emily plays pool nowadays and some of
them will make good players There
is lots of human nature shown in the
way they play. Some are careless and
reckless, while others are steady and
careful. Some trust entirely to luck,
while others show that they rely only
on their making a good shot to win and
they are the ones who keep improving.
Some curse their luck or the cue or
something else IL they miss and never
think of such thing as that they
didn't shoot right. Others blame only
themselves and when they miss you
can see them studying the shot to see
If they can't make it next time Some
are good players while they are ahead
and winning, but when the balls roll
the wrong way they quickly lose their
nerve and can get nothing. Others
play a better uphill game and don't
really play a good game unless they
are behind and are forced to do So
When they get ahead they become
careless and Indifferent and as long as
they are safe from losing the game
they are satisfied. l have noticed.
though concluded the observer, with
a smile. that nearly all of the boys
have a tendency to cheat a little in
the matter of scratches. 1t seems to
be generally agreed among the boys
that to lie as to the number of
scratches one has is no sin and no dis
honor A scratch is such a mean thing
anyway that the boys are not much
to be blamed. perhaps, If they cut off
a couple of them now and then. As
the boys get older however, | notice
that most of them disdan to misrepre-
sent their scratches and own up to all
they have. That's a good sign"
All the unions in Butte have received
invitations to send delegates TO a gen.
eral conference to be held at Salt Lake
on May 10 under the auspices of the
Western Federation of Miners. The
object is to bring all the labor organ
izations of the West to a better and
closer affiliation. Undoubtedly Butte
will have a large representation at
the conference.