The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-04-23
DEADWOODS DOWN.
FALL IS COMPLETE
The Former Toughest Town on
! Earth Closed as Tight
as a Drum
DONE BY "GANG" OF PARSONS
The One-Time Terror Of the Mining
Country Has "Deeenerated" into the
Prosaic Quiet of a New England
VilIaee-Bad Men Tanned.

Deadwood, South Dakota.-Dead-
wood, once the toughest town on
earth, has been shorn of the name
which it boasted for almost quarter
of a century, and the one-time terror
of the mining country has degenerated
into the prosaic quiet Of New Eng
land village. The last step in the
degradation" of the city came when
all saloons 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 a bar.
To be sure Deadwoods citizens new
er have been accused of being back
ward in their quest for "booze," and
side doors never were considered nee
essary to a saloon location, but the
fact that these doors have been nailed
up only shows the depth to which
the one-time Toughest Town on
Earth" has fallen. And while the
nails were being driven into the doors,
the roulette wheels, which for more
than twenty-five years have sung their
song to the accompaniment of the lit
tie white ball, we're forced to cease
turning. Even the time-honored games
of stud poker were ordered stopped
and the cards and chips confiscated
and the players dispersed. Faro boxes
were taken possession of by the off,
GERS and the faro dealers ordered out
of business.
And all by gang" of preachers.
The Deadwood Ministerial Union
got in the game some time ago. 1t
took six months for the clergymen to
force matters, but this weeks action
of the officers is the result.
Heretofore Deadwood has looked al
most with contempt at the laws which
have been passed by the State Leg
islature looking to the government Of
gambling and saloons. And such leg
islation was all right for the eastern
portion of the State, but not for Dead
wood and the Black Hills. That coun-
try was a law unto itself, and the
P6EbOudl ltUSILy lONlh6 SttiACho VI
the Hills" decided that no saloon nor
gambling laws passed by the Legisla-
ture 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.
AM oil hu n
say the regulars, with supreme dis
gust.
Time was when Deadwood boasted
that no preacher did, could or would
live within the limits of the two or
three gulches along whose narrow bot
toms or steep sides the town was
built. 1t was the boast that no dis
ease ever invaded Deadwood, and, as
preachers were only of use to the sick
and dying, they were not necessary in
Deadwood. Those dying in Deadwood
passed away so quickly that a clergy
man never would have a chance to
say a word or utter prayer. There
were some mighty good gun men in
Deadwood in those days.
But one day an odd kind of preach
er came into the gulch. He carried
two guns and he could use them. He
showed that he could drink with any
of the citizens, but he wouldn't drink
except on special occasions. And
when he sat in at game it always
was on the square. He stayed.
When the saloons were closed, there
were only twenty-four booze shops in
the town. And Deadwood has nearly
1000 inhabitants, too. When the city
was far smaller every other building
was either a saloon or gambling den
In fact, the proportion of saloons to
other business houses was far greater
than an even break. But civilization
caused many of these to go out OF