Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1902-06-06
TIE PARSON OF
NUGGET CAMP
[Original.1

Il . VI a. Itl NNSlNlll bNllllOAS anu Oil
bright spring morning entered Nugge
Camp. Addressing myself to an oil
man washing for gold in the creek,
told him my object and asked if tn
inhabitants of the place would be like
ly to give me hearing.
Reckon not, parsOn," he said. 1--WE
had man along here on the same
business year ago.
"Tell me about 1t"
at was jst sech mornin' as this
when man walked into this place an
said he was parson. He was not
q straitlaced, long faced duffer, but
one of them ginoine sympathizin' sort
of felers carc'lated to take right hold
of camp like this. The first thing he
done was to sit down to game OF
poker with the boys, an it wasn't long
afore he cleaned 'em all out. Then he
set up the liquor fur the gang an
drunk one stiff horn hisself.
Now. boys he said, sence I've
shown you that I'm no whinin', long
haired, sniyiln' evangelist, but one of
your own kind, l think p'a'aps you'll
pay some attention to what | say. I've
mined an struck it big, an mined an
mighty near starved. I've gambled an
soaked an done heap of Ornery
things too numerous to mention. Then
one day struck it bigger'n ever done
afOre. l got what's with mOre'n all
the gold in these yere mountings-re-
ligiOn. Sence that time I've wanted
other people to enjoy my find, an l
want to give it to you all right yere,
an after you git it you'll all say it's
the biggest nugget ever found in this
yere camp
What do you want us to do, par
sOn?' asked one of the gang. &
want you to tome outen the
woods back of this place an listen TO
what l got to say to you. Come right
along now while the sperit moves you.
Tell all the rest on 'em. Scatter
through the camp an say tLat man
has come among you who'll distribute
q treasured treasure not of this
world, but of kingdom come
"Waal, the man had got such an in
fiuence outer 'em that they went round
collectin' the people Some come from
curiosity; some because they had once
got religion an, havin' lost it, wanted
to git it again; some because the men
huntin' 'cm axed lem to. Leastaways
1t wasn't mOre'n half an hour before
every man, woman an child in the
camp was In the woods waitin to lis
ten to the parson. When they was all
there, the stranger stood up on a stump
an says to 'em:
"'Gents, this yere woods is now con-
secrated to this yere holy purpose. 1t
isn't meet to come inter a tample of
the Lord with Sich OInary things as 45
caliber rcvOlvers or ten inch dirk
knives. You're expected to come meek
an humble. Now. before the service
begins | want all weapons deposited
over there on that mound. Any man
as keeps so much as a rusty pocket
knife may expect eternal damnatiOn.'
THE men that the parsOn cleaned out
at poker was the first to move. Then
the rest Of the miners. seem what had
been done, or, moved by the holiness
of the occasion, goes to the mound, I'M
straps their weapons an throws 'em
on the pile. When it was all done, the
parsOn aXed EN-:
Has any man concluded TO desc
crate this place with weapons hid un-
der his shirt? If so, that man will re-
pent in sackclOth an ashes
He looked so searchin' that one
man who had KEEP his pocketknife
wilted an vert out an throwed it
over
"T'm glad that mans Conscience
said the parson. has forbid his COM
mittin' an objectionable sin. Is there
any other sneakn' sinner who's got a
weapon?'
"Nobcdy else moved, an the parson
knowed they was cleaned out. Then
reachn' under his coattails, he draw
ed out two bankers an addressed the
meetin';
'Sence you're all unarmed an got
the drop on you would announce that
the fust an the last thing afore this
meetin' isp contribution. All step up
rs pint you out an deposit your
valyhlcs afCre this yere stump
"DO you know. stranger that rascal
n,o oN- C., IL 70 hn
foot of the stump he was a-standin'
OH an throw down what he had.
There was Il pie OF things. some on
en- yalyblC, some on EN- no USE fur
he people VAS so frightened that they
pitched over all they had When the
asst one had contributed, the parson
got down an, still hOldin' his bankers
IN keepin' one eye on the congrega-
iCn, picked out what he wanted When
ned stuffed his pockets, he backed up
IN ter the stump an pronounced
"'GalCots.' he said, T've gone
through a multitude Of suckers, but /
never bled stupider lot than you peo-
DE of Nugget Camp
Thar was one real religious man in
he crowd, an he spoke up an, look
n at the bogus parson, said, quotn'
"'FOOl. This night thy soul shall
,e required Of thee
''He hadn't no sooner spoke them
words than rifle cracked from be-
lind the man on the stump, an he
etched headfomost an lay dead with ,,
bullet through his head. Ole Ike
from over the divide,
comm into camp, had stumbled on
4