The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-12-23
LURE OF The GAMING TABLE M MONTANA IN Frontier DAYS is
TOLD By NOTED WESTERN FARO DEALER WHO BECAME FARMER

loon. He did not object to watches.
Some men carried potatoes in their
pockets. have seen a potato that
had been carried for years. They
would be dried out and as hard as
rocks"
Life Was Strenuous
That the life of the early-day
gambler was not one of ease is the
declaration of Young, who found 1t
les strenuous, under the conditions
that obtained in the early sos, as
any work he ever did.
"Games that lasted two or three
days were not uncommon, and have
seen them last four and five days
without q STOP" he said. "Men who
became engrossed in a game would
sit at the table constantly, even hav-
| ing their meals sent to them. It was
. great strain on nerves and body
and few men could stand such life
for years continuously without break
ing.
II have seen q play delayed for
half an hour or more while two men
sat staring at each others counter
ances," he said. "Just try to imagine
yourself holding an expression while
q stony-eyed gambler tried to look
through your face. It was not an
Occupation that increased mems
years. It broke them down young
when they followed it steadily and it
broke them financially in time, too.
"Of all my acquaintance who
lplayed, and many Of them made big
stakes, not one that I remember quit
with anything worth mentioning.
Some of them spent their last years
in the poor house. Some of them got
laway from gambling entirely before
lit ruined them and that was what
Ibid.
while money came easy it went
1.-THE same way and every winter was
lsure to see much suffering here
men thought less of saving then thar
they do now and hard times found
many depressed and dependent upor
the good will of those more fortunate
Shelter for Homeless
Charity was not organized II
those days the way it is now" hi
said. I'm the winter of 1882, thu
hardest / have ever seen, with thu
Temperature at IS degrees below
zero, l have seen 500 men sheltered
in a brewery. Saloons and gamblinl
houses would be filled also will
homeless men. 1t was a matter o
life and death for the homeless ant
. they were given special considera
! ton in such times. Ordinarily tn
sleeper was not welcome in a saloon
There was an unwritten law tina
: the police would not bother man
: he were not asleep. Consequently
= ithe loafers who were awake wOul
: show it by moving when a policeman
= showed up. It was common for
man to sit with legs crossed an
swinging one foot. They woul
3 swing their feet for hours just
: show they were awake and hav
: seen a man sitting in this positio
!. and swinging foot after he ha
:" fallen soundly asleep and was snol
ing. Even in his sleep he was tel
trying to the fact that he was elie
ible to remain in the warmth an
;. comfort Of the saloon.
). "The Salvation Army and othe
;. like charitable organizations wei
not operating then like they are no
- and there was no place for man
= apply for help except to other mel
:, Some people are always complainiu
. about the restraints they feel no
- and wishing for the freedom of ear
.. - days. They don't stop to consid'
=. the drawbacks. We are better o
-. today than we have ever been. It
:. merely hard for some folks to g
B. adjusted to changed conditions.
+. a person lives right today he has Il
- best chance he has ever had to
happy. II he fails to live right