The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-08-15

<fA &FA luGl uN ApOl ldhSCs w III
ye have another shootin'
Donnybrook an me a-bearin' av all the
divilmint, same as 'twuz last year?
Wild the riputashun av the camp too!
In the name av innisince, have ye no
heads for an emergency"
Dillon was clearly in earnest, and
when Il man of his racial character
istics is in earnest things are likely to
happen, whether the scene Of action be
Spitzbergen or Timbuktu. His indig-
nation at our stupidity-at the mayors,
the sheriff's and mine-was offensive,
but we could offer ne suggestion that
might stand for us as combatant.
There were men in the camp with Of
fetal title,- and men very prone to
swift and accurate shooting. but these
collectively were as naught before the
breath of Dillon.
Galena was like most other north
western mining towns. If at all dis
tinguishable from them, it was by
slight accentuation of that air of bon
homie which is more or less apparent
on the visages of all communities of
the genus. In plan and construction
it was certainly in nowise individual.
The single main thoroughfare, extend
ing in a parallel line midway between
the fianking gulch sides; the various
short traverse cuts, the Uttered shaft
workings and entrances to a number
of mines. the thin sprinkling of stores
and semidisreputable hotels. the ungov-
ernable 6ux of wide open and wholly
disreputable saloons and faro banks
these were features of utmost general
ity. But If there was that additional
coloring | have just noted it was i'm
parted by the enforcing personality of
Dillon, who owned and genially pre-
sided 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
benefactor, of the town. And thus was
it that we were called in conference to
be assistants to him in one of his great
humanitarian functions. the mayor and
the sheriff by reason of their political
headship, by some small commercial
standing. being at that time the Gale
ma manager of the NJ. Mining and
Smelling company. The Fourth of Ju-
ly was hard upon us, and Dillon was
committee hunting that action might
be taken to prepare for the advent Of
this glorious day. On the preceding
Fourth no such special arrangements
had been made, and series of wild,
deplorable events had come off, events
that were to be remembered long after
Galena had passed into the obscurity
OF most boom camps. Only seven men
In the town had not been hilariously
and rampageously drunk, and these
seven were kept very miserable and
engaged. Three of the thirsty major
ity had died. and it had cost Dillon
and some others the entire refitting of
their establishments.
The mayor, the sheriff and sat in
back room of the saloon listening in
tently to Dillon's harangue. After he
had given us every opportunity to sug-
gest ways and means for the day of en-.
tertainment, fruitlessly, he elucidated
to us his own idea of a programme,
which was voted on and adopted by
unanimous and immediate consent.
This narrative deals solely with the
first number of the programme, so you
will be compelled to surmise the others
from 1t.
"We will begin" says Dillon, sin the
mornin' wild what ye might dishignate
a toornymint This is the way av ut: We
wull have rounded up bunch av thin
| divils av bronchos, an we wull also
have rounded up a bunch av jolly
bhoys. We wull beguile the bhoys 10
the backs nv the bronchos an wull
give the best busther av thin foine,
fat purse, which he wull spind imme-
| Jutly. This. ye may understand, is
legitmut, wild excoitement enough to
kape aff the raw idge av their timper.
| Thin we wull''- But this is as much
as concerns Us.
Now. that species of rough riding
which is known in the west United
States under the provincialism "bron-
cho busting" is not. as a business. nice.
IL is brutal and violent under any con-
dltions, but when resorted to on gala
occasions as n sport 1t has elements of
character that would have endeared 1t,
mildly at least. to the amphitheaters of
medinval Rome. | have only once seen
1t in this aspect, though not unfamiliar
with the regular forty dollar per month
skirmishes.
Galena was busy little town. Ev-
cry man In Montana that could dis
tinguish pay stun from pyrites OF iron
extolled II, and 1t was an actual center
OF vast expanse of stock country.
Dillons was the extreme inner point Of
this centrality. the meeting house and
council chamber of prominent citizens,
the rendezvous of wide assortment of
the erring human animal. Dillon had
need to be a splendid whip, and he
was. Skittish leaders or sullen wheel
ers. vicious or gentle. all alike felt the
strong hand on the box.
A goodly purse was collected against
the coming of the popular event. Dill
Ions ante (his own wordl was a hun
dred, and a number Of others came
down handsomely. But in the interval
between the statement OF the idea and
the day Of fulfllment there arose the
necessity for some modification in the
plans Dillon had relied on procuring
a number OF bad and unbroken horses
aud on having the many volunteer
riders break them on time, or some
! thing Of that sort When the trial was