The sun., 1899-03-05
ToMBST0NES TOUGH DAYS.
ONE TEAR WIEN 1T ExCELLED IN
ITS WICKEDHrcSS.


sFeuds and the Big KiHlnR--A Love Affair
ana Two Deaths-A Tombstone Funeral.
TUCSON. Arlz,. Feb 27.-The old gold miners
: and others who were once part OF Tomb bstone' q
population OF 5000 are Interested In the re-
liRlous revival meetings that Dwight L. Moody
has held there In the last few weeks. To-day
thera Ia not.a more moral, pencetul and staid
community In the Southwestern Territories
than Tombstone In 1879 and particularly In
1880 there was not a more turbulent, aban-
doned. hardened and depraved community.
not even excepting Dodge City. Knn,, or Lead-
Vile, Col, Its population dwindled from 1882
to ,1SS5. when the ledGes OF precious ores pc
tered out. and with a population OF about 1000
IL settled down TO get q livelihood from herds
Of cattle and docks OF sheep and from working
few little copper and silver mines among the
mountains.on the border between the United
States and the state OF Sonora, Mexico. The
people who remained we're largely young men
and women who had left good. old fashioned
homes among the hills OF New England and
farms IN central and western New York. For
q dozen years Tombstone. with It's little public
library churches. public school and social and
literary societies. has been model town In
Arizona.
But Tombstone was truly a wicked tough
community when the mines there were BOOM
ing twenty years ago. In any mining camp
in the West to-day. one will hear the old SOL
diers Of fortune who have mined gold and oil
yer from Chihuahua Mexico. to Vancouver
for more than generation. say that Tomb
stone was the worst OF all the hard towns.
The graceless days OF Tombstone are common
" used as standard FOR comparison by vet
eran miners and cowboys Of the West when In
reminiscent moods
There were several reasons for Tombstone's
unusual wckedness. The town was result
Of ths first and greatest strike OF golden riches
IN the Southwest. All the hardened vicious
men. all the outlaws and refugees from justice
who Ind lived on the boarder between the
United States and Mexico. where escape into
either republic might be conveniently made
flocked to the Tombstone diGGings. There
were there at one time In 1880 more than
twenty Of the most dangerous criminals who
had ever escaped over the San Rita Noun
talns from Mexican Justice into Arizona. Then.
too, the glories OF the famous tough cowboy
towns of.Newton, Dodge City and Abilene.
Kan... had almost departed at the time that
Dick Gird and the Schaetfelins struck It rich
ut Tombstone. and every border gambler.
tough saloon and dance hall keeper. and
small army Of thoroughly bad men from the
cattle trails started for the new gold camp.
Another lot of abandoned men and women.
through Texas and New Mexico saw oppor-
tunities for Gain.in Tombstone. and they start
cd overland for Arizona. California and Ne
vadh were stirred by the news OF the wonderful
growth OF Tombstone and its mineral riches.
The Comstock lode had about petered out. and
q hundred bnJ men moved southwark from
there to Tombstone with alacrity. From set
Element of about fifty Mexican and thirty
American miners in May. 1870. Tombstone
grew to 1000 population before the year was
out In 1880 the population grew to 5000.
and there are some people who insist that the
big mining camp had about $500 men and
more than sou women early In 1881.
There was no penal institution worthy OF
the name in Arizona In those days. In 1879
and 1880 every one in Arizona was so excited
over the wonderful influx OF population and
the reports OF the millions which the miners
were to gain among the San Rita Mountains
that the few United States Marshas and other
peaee Officers gave little attention to their
duties and devoted ther time to getting rich
from mining or to profiting blythe bling in
sttncts OF the men who swarmed into the Ter
ritory from every part Of the Union. Every
form Of crime and vice thrived in Tombstone
for u year. II men were hardened in Dodge
City.,Abiiene and Virginia City. they became
absolutely wicked in Tombstone. The hot air
and the wild. dreary environment seemed to
breed within .bad.men n spirit that led to des-
perate acts and reckless disregard for human
life.s Less than 200 men out Of the several
thousands there in 1880 went unarmed.
About every one was armed on some occa-
siohs. Many men carried two loaded re-
volv4rs within easy reach constantly. There
were forty-hre murders In Tombstone be-
tween July. 1870. and June. $780, and as
mahysmen more were wounded by pistol balls.
Merehants had their bedrooms on the first
floor walled in with extra thicknesses OF
wooden bonrds so MS to be able to sleep in less
fear Of stray bullet. Indeed. John W. Bourne.
. wholesale liquor dealer. was killed by a stray
bullet that whizzed. through the wooden wall
OF his ehambe one night while he lay asleep
OF dance halls there were many, and they were
the largest buildings in town. The dan sing
girls twho included women from IA to so years
Of age) went to Tombstone from all over the
West. but principally from San Francisco.
Kansas City and Denver. Rows of saloons and
gambling houses were run openly and in full
blast day and night week after week Every
gambling houses. Mining capitalists neRo-
tiateS deals Sd there I one man wanted to see
houses and saloons to find him.
eais nhe sbf hes 9t PAID al II the aEgre
thought to be another bonanza strike A
dozen mon who had been poor. ragged p-os-
pectors for twenty years previous got great
lieved they had located claims in the noun
tain sides and gulches that would soon make |
them mining kings An era OF wild extrava-
gance began. There were no railroads within
300 miles OF Tombstone In those days and |
everything brought there cost exorbitant stage
50 anywhere else cost SIS and $50 in Tomb |
stone. Still thousands Of bottles OF cham
pagne were sold there In 1890 and 1881. The |
yisst brain rain ;destroying whiskey cost IS cents
Rars which sold elsewhere for 5 cents were
worth 25 there, Men would throw down half |
q dollar for cigar and would be too proud to |
ask for change. The cheapest meals cost rs |
cents. and half the.town:would pay 81 each for |
meals in cheap wooden structures, WI ere |
benches were used in lieu OF chairs Many a |
miner earned $50 week with pick and shovel |
and spent every dime of his pay in. a;dance |
hall or gambling saloon on Saturday night. |
Mining capitalists who wanted to be popular |
with the, boys used frequently to spend $500 |
in night. Mahlon A. Cogswell. now Of Po- |
mona. Cal, says that he knew faro gambling
house which started in Tombstone in the fall !
OF 1870 with $1,000 capital and made IA clear /
gain OF $4l 900 in twelve months, There were
four murders In Tombstone during the same
year. Many q man from Los Angeles and FL |
Paso went to Tombstone with several barrels
of Cheap whSkeY md n capital of G1OD or