Gunnison news-champion., 1919-03-07
A HUNGER STRIKE AT TIN
CUP IN EARLY DAYS

By Lutte Wilcox, in the Colorado Press
The little town Of Tin Cup repre-
sented the high-altitude mining oper-
atoms Of Gunnison county in the plio-
Gene period Of creation and for time
1t looked like winner as . prosperous
camp. When in two years the popu-
lation had grown to . few hundred,
Joe Cotter. the local politician, who
had become the county treasurer and
had to live in Gunnison, found It ex-
pedient TO let his newspaper out on q
lease and this was the way Halsey N.
Rhoades and James T. Hiland becme
godparents to the orphan. The Ban
ner Office was tucked in behind IN old
house that had once been . family cit
adel, with . kitchen in the rear.
The men were about ~ poor ~ the
average camp bird in their line Of
Christian endeavor and decided that
they would practice economy at first
BY boarding themselves while working
for nothing and living on expecta-
tioas. II was pretty difficult at first
to make both ends meet at their frug-
q board while keeping bachelor hall
and there were times when their lard.
er resembled Mother Hubbard's cup
board. 20 thoroly bare was it that they
could hear the wolf scratching at the
door.
Both were such total prohibitionists
that they could not fall back on boose
~ IN emergency stimulant, and they
were pinned on the skyline betwixt
heaven and earth with nothing to eat
in the house.
Finally the starvation stunt became
% apparent TO their inner vitals that
they got up hunger strike, or rather
their stomaehs played In that way
against the center. and they decided
On . grand coup d-etat, - the French
wsuld call Il
Something desperate had to be done
70 separate their digestive arrange
ment with something on the order Of Z
square n.ea.. Finally, after long
And yearnful sitting Of The strategy
board, II Mss unanimously decided
that the best way out Of the under
brush was to interest the dear women
Of the fragil community IN . great
charity crusade without letting them
In On the Diplomatic secret Of their d.
spAir. The scheme was very simple.
They would get up baking contest,
Offering . years subscription for til
best loaf Of bread that would be bros
IN during the week. There was Z
painful spell Of anxious waiting and
watching, and then the whele bahsry
broke loose with IN avAlanehe Of tn
leaves Of bread Aller than mother
ever baked.
Ths effect was electrical, and with
m oecasienAl can of salmon or sar-
dinss the two domiAoss Of the hunger
.S%ptaou.iy on & &. losss. sss oes and ss. n.Ss.
Thsn came other weeks Of anticipa-
tory gr5ef, but the knead-thee-every-
hour shower hid been such . SUCCESS
they concluded to carry On The cam
paien With : regulation for cake.
Nights IN Bar Room" who declared
that - long q there was NO bread in
he house they could eat cake. The
net that Mrs. A.. B. c. Davis had
clabesd the Arst prise on TIE sta4 Of
life ut al other women ON their high
horeas over this cake banter and they
al began to make the sweet dough
~ for IN get out. The cookie went
g Nm. C. A. Freeman, % that BY
this tinae tAe contest had become .
perfect f1rore among tie rival women
who msw they eouA esok better than
any sthsr thing in camp. The try-eut
breaght Tie bon to MrA A. N. Per
rsaalt, aAd - ths merry war in tie
erineafne ranks kept up Ill summer
until II had become . regular feud
whaeh threatsaed to disrupt the entire
community. Meanwhile the two fax
irs 1t the Banner Office lived on a.
IT Of tie Land 70 TIE queens taste.
IL last course d doughnut. -n-.-'---
Cd thsm tAet the Dibls hal ~ .~hs
dope when Il said that man could not
i've By bread slone and thst by the
rveat II their inner brown they Aad
about come to tie end of their rope
70 they threw up tie lease on the
BoN0eP and boot 4.
III enp = stin q the nap, but n
- - ~ 49, vithsuf AsGFeo& ~
le9Dpn e 10y b - 61g q Z