The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1909-09-22
RAISING HELL
WITH SALOONS"
DOWN IN STATE OF CALIFORNIA
That Is Bitter Tribute of Whiskcy
Sellers of Whiskcy- Cured Cali
fornla to Young Preacher.

wipe out the petty iealousies between
this town and the neighboring Valona
and to wipe out at the same time at
least a portion of the forty saloons in
the two places, is the dual object of
the Rev. Alexander Pulcifer, and he is
accomplishing it by means of club
house. In a big city his clubhouse
might not be a noticeable affair; in
place of this size 1t is something to
point out to visitors.
Alexander Pulcifer came to Crock
EFT two years ago and found forty sa-
looms and little else-eXcept a street
brawl every once in a while. The
brawls he very soon learned, when
they were not the result of too much
patronage of the Solid Forty, were the
climax of insoluble disputes over the
comparative merits of Crockett and
Verona Crockett had been founded
by one early settler. Vernoa another,
after the two had failed to agree over
the proper site for the one place they
had intended. Modern squabbles
were, therefore. to a considerable ex-
tent heritage of the past.
He Goes to Work.
At any rate they smote unpleasantly
as they had long smote upon those of
q certain portion of the rival villagers
The difference between Pulcifer and
the villagers, however, was that with
him the unpleasantness went further
than mere cogitation. The villagers
had merely complained; he went to
work Besides the Solid Forty, Crock
EFT is the site of a monster refinery
-,
co. Pulcifer enlisted the aid of the
managers and received enough money
to erect q clubhouse. He put it right
square between the two towns, in a
little hollow. He took the first syla-
BILE of the word Crockett" and the
last syllable of "Valona" and called
his club house the "CrOlona club" He
got piano billiard tables, card ia
bles, a cigar and tobacco counter, a
soda water fountain and he erected a
stage. Some of the work he did him
self; some of it was done by the boys
of his congregation; some the sugar
company paid for. Several of the
good ladies of his flock held up their
pious hands in horror at the thought
of card tables and tobacco counters.
"We'H have all these things" said
Alex. Pulcifer quietly. This is to be
place where men and boys will
WANT to come"
And they do want to come and they
do come. The wide veranda of the
clubhouse is the first and most invit-
ing place one sees as he alights from
the train at the depot. The interior H.
comfortable and pleasant. There is
not a forbiddingly sanctimonious
board in the walls or floor. Your cor
respondent found group of boys sit
ting on the veranda reading and an
other group inside at the billiard ia
bles both times he came here. One
of the group though he was neatly
and clearly dressed. showed evident
signs of previous dissipation
He used to go up the street" was
The Rev. Pulcifer's brief whispered
comment up the street are the
Solid Forty.
Kiss and Make Up.
There are about $500 people in the
two towns, Crockett and Valona, and
ii is only since the clubhouse has
grown to be an object of common pride
that any considerable portion of the
people of either place admit friend
ship for members of the other COM
munity. They positively preferred
either covert or open hostility. Since
the advent of the clubhouse they have
seen the errors of their way to such an
extent as to work jointly for a union
high school-and to secure it, a model
building-and even permit the Rev.
Pulcifer, pastor of a church in Crock
EFT, to deliver weekly sermons also
from the pulpit of church in Va
Iona!
What has he done to the Solid Forty?
Well, they are all there yet, but listen
to what the proprietor of one of them
told your correspondent:
ado | know Pulcifcr? Know all
about linn l want to. He's raised h
with our business. Runs that fool
club down there by the depot" After
u brief silence he concluded with II
sinister grin:
ale amt got any use for us fellcrs."
Which, apparently, is absolute and
unqualified truth.