The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-10-19
i'm THE DAYS WHEN.
MONTANA WAS WET
SOME OF THE IRREGULARITIES OF
WET GOODS MERCHANT
OF BUTTE
One Non-Drinker, to Encourage Sales
Had a Wooden Cigar that He AL
ways Took From the Cigar Box;
Bad Man From Texas.


The frequent arrest of men charg
ed with selling liquor reminded tn
Silver Bow courthouse gang" of thu
days when a man might sell booz'
openly and within the law, and als'
of the peculiarities of some of the
old-time wet goods merchants o
Butte.
"The old-time saloon keeper was
usually a free-handed, generous citi
zen," said an old-timer, 'but there
were exceptions.
81 knew man on North Main
street who was given the reputation
of never allowing anybody to leave
his place while they had money to
| spend-and many people visited his
place just to see him work. He was
a wonder at his business, but, OF
course, he wasn't as good or as bad
as they credited him with being.
"This saloon keeper always plant
ed himself outside the bar, with his
back against the screen, watching his
customers like hawk. He never
drank.
when he saw patron who had
quenched his thirst start for the door
he tagged him with: Wait min
ute, Joe. Take drink on the house,
Joe never refused the invitation
and then bought in his turn. The
proprietor always drank cigars.
when the days business was done
he returned the cigars to the box.
He could buy, turn and turn, with
Joe or Tom, Dick or Harry, and be
nothing out.
"The best in the line of saving the
bartender's drink was also in bust
ness on North Main street. He had
learned that it was against the inter-
to the box, so he adopted subter-
fuge.
"He got himself wooden cigar.
This man operated inside his bar.
When his patrons treated him or he
treated them, he picked up the wood
en- cigar and put it in his pocket with
a flourish. A little sleight of hand
and the cigar was back on the bar
again waiting to be picked up sec
ond time when somebody bought
Patrons of that saloon used to
say that this saloon keeper collected
Is cents on that wooden cigar an
average of five times each day for
every day in the year, including Sum
days. He made it pay the cost of his
license, and when prohibition put
him out of business, he gave it to a
bootlegger, who is still working it
with satisfactory results.
'"The average saloon keeper, even
the most stolid, had his share of wit.
There was a fat little German or
Swiss who ran a saloon on West Park |
street. He served free lunch. Among |
he, to him, tempting items on the
to be given to his most |
favored customers-was limburger
cheese.
Every Man to His Own Taste
"a Yankee COW puncher imbibed
heavily in this particular place one
evening and the saloon keeper, to
how his regard for his liberal Gus
omer, offered him limburger sand
yich.
"The COW puncher glared at him.
Limburger,' he exclaimed, shifting
t. I'D as soon eat garbage
VAIL the saloon keeper came
ack at him, every man to his own
aste. You eat garbage. I eat lin
urger.'
There was another foreigner who
an saloon in Melrose many years
go. One day cattle man, full Of
ooze, and spelling for row, went
Ito the place and loudly called for
quor. The saloon man set out the
ottle.
ct don't want bottle goods
imme something out of the BARREL
zclaimed the drunken man, slap
ing down big AS on the counter.
IN a bad man from Texas, and it
MT safe to rile me-
"a hard look came into the saloon
ans face. He stopped beneath the
ar. The cattle man laughed exult-
lilly, believing that his AS had
brown scare into the bartender.
1.-THE saloon keeper came up from
shind the bar with jerk. He had
sawed-off shotgun in his hands. He
lshed the muzzle of the ugly-look-
g weapon into the breast of the
'unk with the remark: You want
mething out of the barrel? Now
ch barrel do you want it oudt?
8 son-of-a-gun from Texas mine
vn SELF"