The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-08-29
Like Napoleon, he was UNDUE.

inclined to stoutness, but very dap
per. His steel-gray eyes were abso-
lutely without expression, but he was
kindly companionable man COM
pared to Wingfeld. Wingfield gath
cred newspaper or so into his net.
Usually he had to take them on fore
closure proceedings, for he was a
patron of literature when it came to
lending money to a Nevada newspa-
per, although he was inexorable
about claiming what was due him
when the term of the loan expired.
In those days, about six years ago,
when everything and everyone was
riding on the top wave of prosperity,
the Democrats were victorious in the
State election. Sparks was elected
governor, and Denver S. Dickerson,
the candidate of the labor unions,
lieutenant governor. Some time be-
fore that Dickerson had been confined
in the bull pen" at Cripple Creek,
when the government had intervened
the quell the labor riots there. Not
long after that a labor war threat
ened Goldfeld. A few of the "wise
ones saw it coming, and sold out
their holdings at top prices. They
made millions. They rather liked
the idea of labor war, so they could
buy back their stocks at bankrupt
sale prices. 1t was then that Wing
field practically broke the back of
the labor revolution that threatened
Nevada. 1t was then also he proved
that he was man of the coldest
daring.
Goldfeld was in the power of the
miners federation and the high
graders" had the situation, they
thought, by the throat and were die
tating their own terms. Even the
newsboys on the streets were for
bidden to sell papers that said any
thing against the miners. Every
form of industry was f1ocking to the
side of the miners. The whole coun-,
try was terrorized by them. At this
juncture Wingfeld let it be known
that unless the miners shut up and
crawled into their holes he not only
would shut down all the mines in
Goldfeld and Tonopah and Bull Frog
and the other big camps, but when
he had starved the miners back to
work they would have to resume at
reduced wages. The miners were
aroused to a fighting pitch by his
announcements. Then, when every
thing was at it's greatest tension,
Wingfeld sauntered up and down the
main street of Goldfeld. He let it
be known that he was armed to the
teeth and that he dared any miner
to "get him. He showed himself
ostentatiously, contemptuously. He
told the newsboys to sell what they
pleased; that he would kill the first
man who raised finger against them
or any one else who was his friend.
Wingfeld was the coolest man in
camp. Pale-faced, anemic, ill-look-
ing, this one man defed the whole
miners federation, and not one man
dared even look askance at him.
Wingfeld's reputation as a "gun
man. seems to have been well de-
served 1t is reported that he 'swent
bad" when he was fifteen. Whether
the tales about his personal encount-
ers and the many notches on his gun
are true or not, two things are indis-
putable. One is that in every gam
bling house he ever has had anything
to do with the most perfect order
has been. maintained. They have
been much less noisy than the United
States senate. The other is the con-
temptuous courage that he showed
at Goldfeld in those days of the la
Dor war.
The Tonopah Club is a rather
handsome and imposing gambling
house even for the far west, where
such things flourish. In elegance,
of course, it could not be compared
to Canfeld's or some of the other
noted places that New York has
known, but in size and quantity of it's
play even New York has nothing on
it. The usual Nevada gambling
house is a very business like place.
In Reno the principal games are on
the street along which the railroad
track runs. They are on the ground
floor. The rooms are about 20 feet
wide and perhaps 10 feet deep. The
floor is bare and covered with dust.
The places run night and day, and the
men employed there work three shifts
of eight hours each. Every house
has an automatic piano, and one