Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-06
Hotel Gossip

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| II. L. Rodgers. hailing from Boston and
travelling in the interest of glove house
located at the Hub" is at the McDer-
, mott. When the Hotel Gossip re-
porter got next to the New Enslander.
the conversation drfted upon compare
son OF conditions and people in the
mountain country of the west and those
OF the extreme east particularly those
residing in the New England states.
1T is a mistake to assume that the
people of Boston, even literary Boston.
are so grave and reserved in manners
as to leave the impression that the mar
Die face is presented to the visitor. least
OF all. to the western visitor" said Mr..
Rodgers Il never saw in my travels
better example of sociability than such
as that presented by the people of all
classes in Boston. Among the Young
people. especially. there is a burning de-
sire to know all about this mountain
country. fed by an ambition that out here
are opportunities which New England
cannot give them. and would lead TO
wealth Montana and it's resources are
looked up by investors, and plenty of
H"ston capital in invested in Butte min
ing properties. as YOU we'll know.
~
but there are great many people
living IN Massachusetts who have no
comprehension of what this mountain
country IS like. They are people who
nave never been twenty miles from their
- 'iNe towns IN the state: perhaps once
~ ,ielr nves making trip as far az
foston. Yet they are intelliRent neo-
ga bounds Montana on the north. Idaho
and Wyoming on the south. the IVA na-
kotas on the east. and Oregon and Wash.
feton on the west. But their ideas of
the west are still associated with the
stories told in early SchooIday histor
les Oh lndlan wars and maSsacres: that
every settlers house bristles with rifles
showed through holes on all Sides They
are amazed and skeptical when a New
Fnglander returns from the west and
tells them that in Butte, for instance
there are carriages to take YOU from the
depot to the hotel and in the hotel thera
are elevators to convey a guest to his
room, just the same as if he were in
Boston, that men do not go about dressed
III pear SKINS with knives and revolvers
dangling from belt bound about their
waists: and that cowboys are not elec4ed
be other than the New England concep-
''oh u the terrible cattle puncher.
II know merchant in Worcester
continued Mr. Rodgers, whose volume
OF business exceeds $4,000 per year and
ms profits are something like Is per
cent. lie IS man of business sacacity
ana fair Intelligence, but his world is
no broader than New England. Talk
ing with him one day about the west
and Montana especially, l remarked
that while his business in Worcester
yielded him a fair income, if he moved
II out to Montana, profits on the same
stock OF goods would be three times
greater DO You know what reply he
ilaue: lie said his store and goods
"oaia De IN constant danger by reason
of prowling Indians, and he stood
chances of being murdered every dav
ne lived in the wilderness Of Montana.
Give him Worcester where re h.d
every convenience at hand ana cou,d
go to church on Sundays Without car
rylhg prayer-book in one hand and
a gun IN the other, as they do in Butte ,,
A native OF New York state. who
llVed ten years in Salt Lake and other
parts of Utah before taking up his resi-
dence in Butte, sat beside Mr.. Rodgers.
listening to his story. At this point the
erstWhile Utahnan took hand in the
conversation.
People east have the most srotesoue
ideas of what Mormon is like" he be-
gan. I'm 1898 I paid visit to Chicago
and took in the worlds fair: One
evening l was invited to social
gathering at the house of a friend. Il
was introduced as Mr.. c. from Utah
In some way l became the chief at
traction at the gathering; but il could
not be through any gift of conversation,
although | took every opportunity to
speak of Utah: it's people and it's Won
derful resources in the highest terms of
praise. lady present asked me how
many women I had as wives. Taking
in the humor of the query, I replied
that I had only nine, but most people
out there We're not content with less
than Dozen The company took my
joke as gospel truth Before the even-
ing had been spent, a gentleman APP
preached me, and placing his hand upon
my head, clawed around 1t like a fake
phrenologist When he desisted, much
amused asked him what object he had
in paving over my head.
~ wanted to satisfy myself about
the shape of Mormon's head the man
replied. DO you know I was told that
Mormons are a flat-headed people.
But 1t must be mistake. as the top
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