Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-10-28
TELLS OF A FLOOD


AT That time, to, the rats had a iash-
ion Of gallOpiug over our blankets az
night Unless You have had eXpeueuc.
You do not know how sOcippo au Old
gray rat VIII become when DEE thinks ne
has established confidential relations
with YOU. There We're so many of them
that people ceased TO expostuote vita
them, and they uad Iull right of way.
a few weeks after J reached Marys-
vile Hood swept the city and mil
lion of them were drowned. Speaking
Of that flood, an incident Of il may be
worth relating that you may know
something of the free and easy GUS
toms OF the place The Arst story Of d
large store was inundated but some
- on 20 men had taken refuge in the
upper story. one night two Of those
men who had been drinking a little en-.
gagged In a Discussion about pistol
shooting when one said he could out
shoot the other. Not for $50" was
the reply But how can we test tha
matter3' asked the first speaker "Eas!-
~ enough, said the other. Take a
candle and Your gun, 80 10 one end Of
the room, ! win go to the other / win
give you the first shot, and bet you $50
mat In six shots apiece. can snun
your candle oftener than You can mine.
The re- > of the company ranged along
the wal ION the other side Of the room.
The men held their candles in their
hands one would shoot, then the other
would drop his candle to his side, ana
shoot at the other candle so feet away,
and so they emptied their revolvers.
one candle was eStnguished three
times the other four OF course there
were some tough men there, When one
of those died. his friends always gave
him grand funeral, and the band liz.
Varlahly played Pleyel's hymn. ! never
hear that stately hymn now with organ
accompaniment, that those festive fun
erals are not recalled to memory
when | reached the city he who was
later the famous Justice Field of the
supreme court of the United States,
had lust retired from the Office of Al
calde which Is the Spanish for justice
OF the peace William Walker, the
gray eyed man of destiny who later
went as a iilIibuster to Nicaragua and
was shot, was poor lawyer there. or
course, there We're many drinking and
gambling haunts, and to soft Spanish
watzos, Fandango houses ran all
night
WHEN THEY WERE BOYS.
Il mention these things merely TO
give YOU an idea Of "a California town
when Mr.. Packard and myself were
boys. IN that school we took our post
graduate course. 3ut despite the ex-
Clement and the sin, despite the fact
that many young man was lost in
those days, there was many a splendid
soul there, fine scholars, lawyers, doc
tors, and merchants who answered the
description of the Now York merchants
of three-score years ago. who We're
called merchant princes. and from the
first among those fame and fortune
seekers, the one attribute priced above
all others was manhood A narrow and
mean and petty man was isolated in a
week, great souls always had the right
of way. If men had SORROWS and trou-
! bes they locked them In their own
| hearts and turned a smiling face to the
world. The experience OF going 10 Cali
| fornia in those days had expanded and
softcned mems hearts, the absence OF
women and children drew them closer
| together and there were friendships
| formed there that i'm their Intensity
| were deep ms the love Of woman
Some men grew into the habit of do
| ing grand ana generous deeds by
| stealth and If caught in the act would
| stand up and lie about them like gen.
| tlemen.
HABITS or MIR. PACKARD.
II must have been I'm those days that
| some of the habits of John Q. Pack
! ard were formed.
II was a remnant Of one Of those old
Wayg Of his sim glinyIny IN HE sgnl