The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1918-06-29
LIFE AT IT'S WORST
Wild Orgies in Mushroom Towns
Along Union Pacific.
Scenes That Can Only Be Described
az Reversion Of Mankind to the
Savage, Common in the Early
Days Of the West.

Travellers who whisk across the
country in luxurious trains today IT.
tie realize the vision, the toll ana the
sacrifice that made possible the steel
road over which they roll along. III
the building of the first railroad across
the continent is to be found the theme
which has thrilled Zane Grey IN 1.-The
u. P. Trail"
Among the pictures drawn by MI.
Grey of the scenes and incidents at
tendant upon the building of the Union
Pacific one of the most vivid is that OF
a night following pay day In Benton.
one Of the towns of the type that
sprang up in the wake Of the road IN
the DAYS during it's construction. an ex-
change says:
Life indoors that night in Benton
was monstrous, wonderful and hideous.
The gold that did not flow over the
bars went into the greedy hands OF the
cold, swift gamblers or into the Gluten
ing fingers of the wild-eyed women.
The big gambling hell had extra lights.
extra attendants. extra tables; ana
there round the great glittering mir
ror-blazing bar struggled and laughed
and shouted drink-sOdden mass or
humanity. And all through the rest or
the big room groups and knots OF men
stood and sat around tables. Intent.
absorbed, obsessed, listening with
strained ears. watching with wild eyes.
reaching with shaking hands-only to
gasp and throw down their cards and
push gold toward cold faced gamblers
with muttered curse. This was the
night Of the golden harvest for the
black-garbed, steel-nerved. cold-eyed
card sharps. They knew the brevity
of time. and Of hour, and Of life.
"In the dancing halls there was
maddening whirl, an immense and IN
credible hilarity, wild fling OF un-
leashed. burly men. an honest drunken
spree. But there was also the hideous.
red-eyed drunkenness that did not
spring from drink; the unveiled pas
sion, the brazen lure. the raw, corrupt
and terrible presence of bad women In
absolute license at n wild and baneful
hour.
1.-THE scene Mt midnight was unreal.
livid. medieval. Dance of cannibals.
dance of sun worshipers. dance of
Apaches on the warpath. dance Of cliff
dwellers wild over the massacre OF a
dreaded foe-only these orgies might
have been comparable to that wild
whirl of gold and lust.
might wore on and the hour OF
dawn approached.
"The lamps were dead; the tents
were dark the music was stilled; and
the low, soft roar was but a hollow
mockery Of its earlier strength.
Like specters men staggered slowly
and wanderingly through the gray
streets. Gray ghosts! All was gray. A
vacant laugh pealed out and strident
curse, and then again the low murmur
prevailed. Benton was going to rest.
Weary. drunken. spent nature sought
oblivion-on disordered beds, on hard
floors and in dusty corners. An i'm
mense and lowering shadow held the
tents and halls and streets. Through
this Opaque gloom the silent and the
mumbling jewellers reeled along. Loud
er voices broke the spell only for an
instant. Death lay in the middle of
the main street, in the dust-and no
passing man halted.
"But the dawn would not stay back
In order to hide Benton's hideOusness.
The gray lifted out of the streets, the
shadows lightened. the east kindled
and the sweet, soft freshness Of des-
ert dawn came in on the gentle breeze.
And when the sun arose, splendid and
golden, with its promise and beauty.
1t shone upon CHASTITY. silent. motion
less Sleepfng Benton"