The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1909-12-16
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CHRISTMAS ON THE PLAINS.

never shall forget our Christmas
dinner in a construction camp in the
year 1900. said a former Coloradoan.
We were building a reservoir out on
the plains about ten miles east OF
Pueblo. We had 100 men on the job,
all white men.
We had q poor cook on the job and
couldn't seem to find any other. AS
a result there had been men leaving
every day and constant grumbling all
the fan. and it came 20 q head Christ
mas Day.
1t was q Beautiful, bright Colorado
Christmas The men were to work in
the morning, have a rturkey dinner at
noon and lay off in the afternoon. The
old man had bought three pounds Of
turkey per man-450 pounds. The
birds had come out the day before
About ten minutes after noon
heard kind of an angry roar out
side. ] never heard anything Ike II
I before, and 1t made me jump 1t
meant trouble of some kind. / hur-
ried out and saw a surging mob at
1.-The door OF the cook tent. The men
were all shaking their fists in the air
and yelling with one steady. hoarse,
! prolonged YELL went around behind
the tent and slipped in. There stood
the cook raging. hghting drunk.
steady stream Of pfofanity. In front
OF him surged the mob. just out OF
reach of the meat axe, crazy mad. 4
didn't blame them They had cone
off work with their mouths all made
4 up for turkey, and not table was
set, not spark of fire in the stove
and $50 pounds OF turkey scattere
lover the section of alkali plain which
formed the floor.
The cattle was short The men ran
In behind the cook, tripped him, and
the minrte he was down had a rope
around him.
Hang himl Hang himI" they roar
ed. and started off with him to the
meat pole. -
In all my life / never was So scared
as / was that day. I~Siidn't care in
the least whethc~,fe'the man was hang
ed. drow q or died in his bed Yet
's.s,SrffzatiOn rose up IN me. and knew
II had to save him. / ran like q deer
TO get around the crowd ard reach
the meat pole first, and all the while
] ran I was cursing the cook When
Y they got to the meat pole they found
me on a box facing them with gun
What do you want7" they reared
Get quiet" said L.
\ When they were still said: Boys. Tn
sorry this thing has happened It's
lose ant we ca,s xvai, fs'os fs,r.
keys and have good dinner yet Il
some OF you'll turn In and help me
scum of a cook. / don't care any more
about him than you do. But I'm II
charge here and cant let him b
hanged. You can go ahead and hang
him II You want to. but you'll have K
Kill me first No go ahead.
/ waited. 20 one stirred, There
we're pietst~rof guns in the crowd. bul
no one feas ready TO undertake tn
job Of killing me. I gave them only 8
inmate to think. Then I said TO the
man that held the rope, Unite him.
4 He cid It. sect out OF here" / said
TO the cook. The fellow got up. white
Then 4 turned to the men and asked
Z II there were any who had ever done
any cooking, who would help me. Halt
4 q dozen volunteered. We washed The
Il turkeys and put them on to boil.
4 never worked over anything in my life
as & did thai Christmas dinner. The
men were still silent and .sulIen, and
y didn't know but they'd hang me II
the dinner didn't suit them. / tried
Fdesperately to remember all the cook.
ing I'd ever seen my mother do, and
thanked God when / found that one
of the men could make pies and an
II other sosfa biscuit. About o'clock W.
had the beet dinner the camp coulC
turn cut, boiled turkey, boiled potatoes
a canned squash, canned corn. cannEs
peaches, d9ted apple. pie. hot biscuf
and coffee---New York Press.