The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1914-12-17

NE Ol romance anu adventure ia Tie
new diggins: those old days of the
Pony Express and the Jehu of the Ov-
erland stages: the bullwhackers. the
mule skinners. the reckless thrOnging
to the new mining camps; the dance
malls, bars and gambling tables-And
all that, which combined, made a wild
and woody west. But now the trout
fisherman who whips our mountain
streams will not be permitted even to
take rattlesnake medicine for water
snake bite. Those were the old days
OF roughing it in the far west Now the
ColOradoan who would rough it will be
compelled to visit Chicago. New York
or some other eastern city where from
tier cicvilization still prevails.
| o! These our western winds! These
winds Of the sagebrush and the pine!
These western winds over which cas-
tern writer's of fiction go into fits of
ecstasy with a frenzied use of adjec-
tives. that threatens to stampede the
English language. o! These western
winds-western w-i-n-d-s, where Zeph-
yrus reigns supreme; but his breath
boy yell.
Should some Rip Van Wrinkle of the
Rocky Mountains wonder back from
the historic trails OF diggins. he might
only find consolation at the movies in
their presentation of Ten Nights in a
Bar-rOom and then sorrowfully. but
gladly, pass over the range The bro,;-
en- TASKS along the course of western
empire may be gathered even as the
shattered pottery of the prehistoric
Cliff Dwellers, or these rare twin bits
of iron that shod the oxen of the from
tier days. and preserved as relics in
museums. Suppose a new Leadville,
Silver Cliff. Aspen. Cripple Creek,
Creede or rich San Juan region should
be discovered. Suppose new and fab
ulously rich new mining camp should
be opened up in our Colorado whittier
the thousands would rush with the spir
it of the American frontier-would it
seem such without a dance hall, drink
ing and gambling? For, as our friend
Cy Warman wrote:
It's day all the day in the day time.
And there is no night in Creede.
Possibly the modern prospector and
gold hunter may adjust his life to the
hilarity of pink teas and auction bridge
while his burro. our sweetly singing
! mountain canary'-his faithful COM
paniOns of the mountains-may forget
Its old diet of worn out socks, wood
piles. clothes pins and broken beer bot
ties. for new and tempting menu of
golf balls and punctured tires. In the
coming era, teachers of Americacn lit
eraturc In Colorado schools of higher
learning, will be compelled to prepare
Bret Harte glossary for students who
peruse his works and assign collateral
reading on the nature, history and
meaning of plain drunk. If the read
er may consider this statement an ex-
aggeration, let the writer ask you IL
you know off-hand the story of BLACK
Betty" formerly familiar even in the
early days of the Trans Mississippi?
1t has been year in which the word
HI has been copiously used in this
state. Without being profane-for even
at its best profanity is fiercely vulgar
it may be most emphatically stated
that the past twelve months or more
has been HI of year In Colorado.
First came Mother Jones' In her ad-
dresses on strike conditions she used
HI as the chief ammunition for her
Maxim gun speeches fired at Rockefel-
Ter and others of that ilk Later came
Billy Sunday. Then Mother Jones' Max
I'M became as mere Aliens pepper
box OF the old frontier compared with
the krupp gun Billy Sunday loaded
with the highest and most explosive
type of HI fire ammunition, aimed at
the Devil and King Alcohol The word
mas become so common in Colorado
that those who wish to appear very
very naughty and wicked, now saw
"Ey-Heck" in lieu thereof.
In the early days the Denver sa-
looms and those of Pixies Peak region
only afforded saw dust floors, Gamh-
ing debts were often paid in gold
dust, some of which would be spilled
on the floor. Spurious gold dust was
made of brass filings. When in do,h+
the acld test was given to see whether
1t would sizz or not. AS occasion might
warrant, the floor was swept and tho
saw dust cleaned up for the stray par
ticles of lost gold.
Billy Sunday gave Denver Christian
ity by the acid test as to whether it
was pure or would sizz and in the saw
dust, sought lost gold-human sou,s