The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-04-08
MINISTER MADE
 PICTURE FINISH
 OF BARLEYCORN

The following writeup in a reli- gious paper will be interesting to those in Alaska who attended the last sad rites of Old John
 Ruby is the most active town on the Yukon between Dawson and St. Michael. It is a landing place for what Is known as the Ruby mining district, with Long City and Poor. man the principal mining camps. This district voted dry" by g to 1. Many of the old soaks and some of the saloon men were among those who voted dry. Many of these men showed their good faith in voting dry, by trying to drink her dry. dur ing the last days of the saloon re- gime. During the last days of this regime drinks were cheap. At first, sold at wholesale, then at half price, then a quarter off of cost price, and finally auctioned of at any price bid for it. In one case a 5-gallon keg of A. A. Marquette whiskey was sold for $5 on which s1650 rev enue tax had been paid. In Long City. bottles of all kinds of drinks were set upon the counter and every one invited to help themselves while none was sold at reduced prices, it was freely given to all who would take.
 The result of this easy booze was a great deal of drinking. even by men and some women who were not accustomed to excessive indulgence. And yet all saloon men and old soaks alike were glad to see the business close. At an early hour on Monday the 31st. selling ceased and the wet goods was poured out into the streets and into the gulch- es, until there were many colored alcoholic glaciers in various places. The Indians were not allowed to participate in the free booze, so they helped themselves to the gla- cial alcohol, and on New Years day many were drunk on alcohol ICE CREAM
 A few days prior to the closing day. the writer, a Sunday school missionary for the Presbyterian board, while at a restaurant counter eating breakfast by the side of the manager of one of the saloons, was asked to hold a religious service in the Senate saloon on New Years night. At first I thought him jok- ing, but accepted his invitation in earnest, as I am willing to preach anywhere I can get an audience, but found the man, MT. Joe Murray. in dead earnest in the matter.
 Arrangements were at once made for the service. and MT. Murray became active in arranging and is- suing invitations to the service. When I went to the saloon at the appointed time found the room scrubbed and garnished. The pool table was there, but covered, gaming scores were still on the blackboard, the bar was covered with glasses of all sizes and shapes. but pitcher of ice water was the only drink. As I entered I had some misgivings as to the at tention and attendance, but was de- lighted to find the room comfortably well filled with men and women. There were actually more people at John Barleycorn's funeral than were at the wake the evening before.
 Some of the men had not been at religious service for years. Every thing was orderly and respectful. and the service seemed to be en- joyed by all and was said to be perfectly appropriate and timely. The appropriateness of the occurrence was especially apparent to the old timers who knew of the erection of the first church in Ruby. In the days of the beginning of the camp. when it was called Rag City," be- cause of the numerous tents, a trav- cling evangelist came through. and sat upon stumps, woodpikes and lum- Der piles picking his banjo and sing ing to attract people to an open air service. Four of the saloon men who had located saloons in the low CT part of town, and who had other interests there. conceived the idea of taking advantage of the law pro- hibiting the location of a saloon within 400 feet of church. So they secured the right to lot within the limits and erected building at a cost of $1.O00 and turned it over to the evangelist for services, to prevent the location of this very saloon where the funeral of John Barleycorn was held. So incensed was the general public at the spirit and animus of this deal. that neither saloons nor preacher remained long in the town. The property was sold at sacrifice and all men left town but one. and he went out of the saloon business.
 Now that John is dead and re.