The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-03-11

The FIRST COUPLE CAME 10 ME, AND l
MARRIED THEM.
and the knife were resorted to in set
Element of every dispute. The osten-
sible occupation of the people was
mining, but really gambling and sim
liar methods of plucking strangers
when they were to be had, and at
other times plucking one another.
l went to Deadman's Flat and be-
fore attempting to do any work with
the inhabitants made an investigation
as to what basis there was for my OPP
eraions. The mines were valuable, but
needed capital for getting out the ore
Capital was not forthcoming, princi-
pally on account of the bad character
Of the people. The only women in the
place were worse than the men, having
come from dives in the east.
! was unable to work on both sexes
at once, and by far the better chance
was with the men. found no hostility
to ue as clergyman. Indeed, l was
respected and deferred to where other
men were expected to fight their wey.
I called meeting, Of men alone, and
made them an address. did not speak
one word about religion or the saving
Of their souls. began on a lower foun-
dation-their interests. / told them
that to make their mines valuable they
must get capital; in order to get capital
they must reform; in order to reform
they must first get rid of the women
who were among them and fill their
places with those who would make
them good wives and build up homes
for them. But they would find the wo-
men like the capital they needed-timid
about coming into so uncouth con-
munity. AS they could not get the for
mer without giving promise of reforma-
ton, so would they be deprived of the
latter without first putting away their
aweapons, getting rid of the gambling
and dance halls and by tidying them
selves up. If they would do these
things would bring out from the east
a carload of respectable young women
10 marry them. Having thus stated the
case and made a proposition, invited
a response from any one who would
speak for them
Hickory Ben-so called for being of
excellent and tough fiber-arose and
said:
"Parson, there's a hull gold mine o
sense In what you been sayin' We
thought you war goin' to tell us about
kingdom come, but instead you've toIG
us how to improve ourselves right here
in Deadman's Flat. which is a good
sight higher, and we got to go through
tina Flat to get to the kingdom. Gents.
you've seen the hand the parson has
asqlr you Do you consider it a four
ace showdown or a bobtail fiushl Air
you goin' to come in or stay outY'
Comm iny' was the universal
shout
Call" cried somber voice.
| was escorted from the meeting to
the stagecoach by every male citizen
when / returned | would find the place
"all cleaned up" The coach was drlv-
en- away amid a chorus of hurrahs
When women were shipped for wives
to Virginia in the seventeenth century
man had to pay for a wife's trans
portation in tobacco, but l, fearing to
fail by compelling the men to pay out
money they didn't have, obtained the
transportation funds from a friendly
philanthropist. The women l obtained
from homes for friendless persons, 6
number being drawn from orphan asy-
lums, the volunteers having reached
an age where they were expected to
do something for themselves. Having
collected my cargo, l put them on a
train and started west with them to
Denver, where extra stages were pro-
vlded, so that all could go to Dead
mans Flat together.
On our arrival at our destination, as
we drove down the main street,
noticed that the tin cans had been re-
moved, sidewalks laid and trees plant
ed beside them. Certain shantIes had
been cleaned up, evidently to house
the women till after they had beer
made wives. At the tavern where the
stages pulled up the citizens-all men,
stood in two lines, every man uncover
ed while the stages passed between
the lines Each man wore q serious
look, which was partly intended as re
spect for the newcomers and partly
from anxiety as to how he was to
come out In the scramble for partner.