The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1909-01-28
OEADWOOD is REFORMED.

"DeadWood, the Toughest Town on
Earth has at last been shorn OF the
name il has boasted for nearly a quar-
ter of a century. The II time terror
OF the mining country o approach
as the prosaic quiet of a Now England
village.
The last step in the elevation Of
the city came this week when all the
saloon, in the town were forced to
close At II O'Clock, and the proprietors
Were notified that no more should their
places II business open on Sunday.
At The same time the side doors Of
their places of business were nailed
.up. and hereafter the thirsty DeadWoOd
man must use the front door in reach
i . the bar.
And while the nails were being
driven IN the doors the roulette wheels
were t0rced to cease turning; Slot ma
chine. were carried out: players dis
.pers-j. -avo boxes were seized. and
the s.rJ dealers ordered out Of bust.
ness.
Th- D-adwood Ministerial union got
into The came some time ago and de
cideJ % stop gambling in the Black
His and 20 see to the enforcing of
the laws against all night and Sun
day eli1ons. 1t took six months for
The ministers to force matters, but
this w--k action of the officers is the
result.
Heretofore DcadwOod has look al
most wiki contempt at the laws which
have been passed by the state legis-
latUra looking to the government of
gambling and saloons. Any such leg
islation vas looked upon as being all
right -or the eastern portion of the
state and 1t vas all right for that por-
ton If South Dakota lying east of
the Missouri river to accept and abide
By these laws. But none Of them for
Daadwood and the Black <hlls.
That country was a law unto itself.
and The personal liberty" loving citi-
zen Of the Hills decided that no sa-
loon or gambling laws passed by the
state legislature should interfere with
the sweet will of Deadwood. Conse-
quent!y the greatest surprise that
l.~ Hv-1nl in oil itc nyahtfn1 aud 1n-,n
career, was eve up against came when
the saloons and gambling dens were
closed by officers.
Tine was when Deadwood boosted
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.
n the early days Deadwood decided
that they needed no preachers. 1t
vas the boast that no disease eve in
vaded Deadwood, and as preachers
were only of use to the sick and dying
they we're not necessary in Deadwood.
Those dying in Deadwood passed away
so quickly that a minister would never
have gotten a chance to say a word
or utter a prayer. There were some
mighty good gun men in Deadwood in
those days.
Monday, when the saloons were
closed, there We're only twenty-four
booze shops in town. And Deadwood
has nearly 1000 inhabitants, too. When
the city was far smaller than at the
present. nearly every other building
was a saloon or a gambling den. In
fact. the proportion of saloons to other
business houses was far greater than
an even break. But civilization caus-
ed many of these to go out of bust
ness. When the time came that
"Deadwood the Tough" boosted of only
twenty four such places the old timers
began to look upon the town as a
stronghold of prohibition.
But the Ministerial union thought the
liquor laws ought to be enforced and
the state attorney general was called
upon. In turn. this official notified
Sheriff Plunkett to "get busy" and the
roundup occurred.-Chicago Tribune.