The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-08-09

continued until dawn. But at this
period all track work on the Kansas
Pacific being temporarily suspended
by Indian outbreaks. the graders made
both night and day alike hideouS and
the single dirty street which com.
posed Sheridan. lined with shacks,
crowded with saloons. the dull dead
prairie stretching away on every side
TO the horizon. was congested with
humanity during every hour of the
twenty-four.
II was a grim picture Of depravity
and desolation. the environment dull,
gloomy, forlorn; all that was worthy
the eye or thought being the pulsing
human element All about extended
the barren plains. except where On
one side . ravine cut through an over.
hanging ridge. From the seething
street one could look up TO the sum.
init. and see there the graves Of the
many who had died deaths of violence.
and been borne thither In their
boots" Amid all this surrounding
desolation was Sheridan-the child OF
few brief months OF existence, and
destined TO perish almost as quickly
the center OF the grim picture. q mere
cluster Of rude, unpainted houses,
poorly erected shacks. grimy tents
tapping In the never ceasing wind
swirling across the treeless waste. the
ugly red station, the rough cowpens
filled with lowing cattle. the huge. un.
calmly stores. their false fronts deco.
rated by amateur wielders Of the
paint brush. and tho garish dens OF
vice tucked In everywhere. The. pen
dulum Of life never ceased swinging.
Society was mixed: no man cared who
his neighbor was. or dared to question,
OF women worthy the name there
we're few, yet there were fitting fe-
male forms In plenty, the saloon lights
revealing powdered cheeks ana paint
ed eyebrows. 1t was a strange, rest
less populace. the majority here TO-
day. disappearing tomorrow-cow-
boys. hslf-breads, trackmen. graders.
desperadoes, gamblers. saloon keepers,
merchants. generally Jewish. petty of.
f1cials. and q rifY-raf no one could ac-
count for. mere floating debris. The
town was an eddy catching odd bits
OF driftwood such as only the frontier
ever knew. Queer characters were
everywhere. wrecks of dissipation, de-
relicts Of the East, seeking nothing
save Oblivion.
Everything was primitive-passion
anG pleasure ruled. To spend easily
made money noisily. brazenly. was the
Ideal. From dawn to dawn the search
after icy continued. The bagnios end
dance halls were sblaze; the bar
rooms crowded with hilarious or
qusrrelsome humanity. the gambling
tables alive with excitement. Men
swaggered along the streets looking
Tor trouble, and generally finding It;
cowboys rode into open saloon doors
and drank In the saddle; troops of
congenfal spirits. frenzied with liquor
spurred recklessly through the street
firing into the air, OF the crowd. as
their whim led; bands played popular
airs on balconies, and innumerable
"barkers" added their honeyed invi-
tations to the perpetual din. From end
To end II was saturnalia Of vice, a
babel OF sound, glimpse Of the In
ferno. Money flowed like water: every
man was his own law, and the gun
the arbiter Of destiny. The town
marshal. and few cool.headed depu.
ties moved here and there amid the
chaos, patient, ureless, undaunted,
seeking merely TO exercise some
slight restraint THIS was Sheridan.
Into the one long street Just at dusk
rode Keith and Neb, the third horse
trailing behind, Already lights were
beginning to CLEAN In the crowded
saloons, and they were Obliged to
proceed slowly. Leaving the negro az
The corral to find some purchaser for
the animals. and such accommoda-
tions for himself as he could achieve.
Keith shouldered his way on foot
through the heterogeneous mass r..
ward the only hotel. a hong two-storied
wooden structure, unpainted, fronting
the glitter OF the Pinoeer Dance Hail.
opposite. A noisy band was splitting
"a s'r with oisooruant notes. a LOUD
voiced barker" yelling through the
uproar. but Keith. accustomed to simi.
lar scenes and sounds elsewhere.
strode through the open door OF the
hotel. and guided by the noisy. contin-
uous ciatter OF dishes. eaeily found his
way TO the dining-room. II was crowd
ed with men. few women scattered
mere and there, most OF the former In
shirt-sieeves. all eating silently. A
Few smaller tables at tho back OF the
room were distinguished from the 9th
ers by white coverings In place OF OIL
cloth. evidently reserved for the more
distinguished guests Disdainipg cere
mony, tho new conner wormed his way
through. finally discovering a vacant
seat where his back would be 10 the
wall. thus enabling him TO survey the
entire apartment.