The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-21
THE DOWNFALL
 OF DEADWOOD Once The Toughest Tswn In
 The World IS NOW CLOSED TIGHT "Gane" of Preachers Get Busy and Saloons Must Close at ii O'clock at Night and All Day
 Sunday.

Deedwood Cor New York Press.
 Deadwood once the toughest town on earth has been shorn of the name when 1t boasted for almost a quarter Of cen tury and the one-time terror or the mining country has degenerated into the prosaic quiet of a New England village. The last step in the degradation" of the city came Monday night, when all sa- looms in the town were forced to close at II o'clock. and the proprietors were notified that no more should their places of business be opened on Sunday. At the same time the side doors were nailed up, and hereafter the thirsty Deadwood man must use the front door In reaching bar.
 have been accused of being backward in their quest for "booze," and side doors never were considered necessary to saloon location, but the fact that these doors have been nailed up only shows the depth to which the one time Tough est Town on Earth" has fallen. And while the nails were being driven into the doors, the roulette wheels. wren TOT more than 25 years have sung their song to the accompaniment of the little white ball were forced to cease turning. Even the time honored games of stud poker were ordered stopped and the cards and chips confiscated and the players ois- persed. Faro boxes were taken posses sion of by the officers and the faro deal- CTS ordered out of business.
 And all by a gang of preachers.
 The Deadwood Ministerial union got in the game some time ago. It took six months for the clergymen to force mat ters. but this weeks action of the off, cers is the result
 Heretofore Deadwood has looked almost
 | l.xw xuyhSn been passed by the state legislature looking to the government of gambling and saloons Any such legislation was all right for the eastern section of the state. but not for Deadwood and the
 Black Hills. That country was law
 unto itself, and the ''personal liberty loving citizens of the ''hi1ls" decided that no saloon nor gambling laws passed py the legislature should interfere with the sweet will of Deadwood. Consequently the greatest surprise that Deadwood ever was up against came when the saloons and gambling dens were closed by the officers.
 And all by a gang of preachers" say the regulars, with supreme disgust Time was when Deadwood boasted thai no preacher did could or would live with in the limits of the two or three gulches along whose narrow bottoms or steer | s,des the town was built. It was the | boast that no disease ever invaded Dead wood and. as preachers were only or use l to the sick and dying, they were not necessary in Deadwood. Those dying ir Deadwood passed away so quickly that a clergvman never would have a chance te sav a word or utter a prayer. There were | some mighty good gun men in Deadwooo | in those days.
 | But one day an odd kind of preacher l came into the gulch. He carried two ! guns and he could use them He showeo 1 that he could drink with any or the citl | zens. but he wouldn't drink except or special occasions. And when he sat In a a game 1t always was on the square H' l stayed. l Monday. when the saloons were closed | there were only 24 booze shops in thu | town. And Deadwood has nearly 400 | inhabitants. too. When the city was ia | smaller every other building was either l saloon or gambling den. In fact th' | proportion of saloons to other business l houses was far greater than an ever l break. But civilization caused many O | these to 20 out of business. When thu | time came that "Deadwood the Tough | hoasted of only A such places the old | timers began to look upon the town as | stronghold of prohibition. Yet the Min ] isterial union (think of such an organiza | tion in Deadwood) thought the fquo
 laws should be enforced and the stat
 attorney-general was called upon Tn tur'
 this official notified Sherin Plunkett t'
 'get busy"
 But Sheriff Plunkett's roundup wa
 nothing to a roundup pulled on by tn