Walla Walla Statesman

DEADWOOD CITY.
Glimpses of Life in a Pioneer Black Hills
Town.
From a Deadwood City letter to the New
York Sun we clip the following: On the
other side of the street, a little lower down,
stands "the Cricket," another great resort.
It is a dance-hall and variety theatre, the
latter being a novelty here. It was in the
Cricket" that General Crook danced in the
same set with Mayor Farnum. His partner
is still employed in the house. A violin and
viola furnish the music. Six girls are em-
ployed in the dance hall, and are on the floor
from dark until midnight. Their partners
varying in social standing from such digni-
taries as those just named to the dirtiest,
blackest and coarsest of 'bullwhackers.' The
men dance with hats on, and huge cigars be-
tween their teeth, and seem to enjoy the ten-
minutes' set, for which they pay a half dol-
lar. besides treats for self and partner. The
theatre is reached through two doorways.
One leading to the lower part of the house.
The other to the gallery, which is divided off
into seven boxes. Decorum is unknown to
"Cricket" audiences, and as a consequence
the performance is virtually one of show and
not for the ear. Great clouds of smoke fill
the room, while many girls, dressed in the
loudest fashion, peddle drinks through the
audience. The performance begins with the
first part of a minstrel show, the circle con-
sisting of "bones" and "tambourine" in
cork, two girls, the interlocutor, and a banjo
player uncorked. The great aim of all is to
be as loud as possible, and in this particular
there seems to be no restraint. Singing and
dancing fill up the programme. The perfor-
mance continues until the last auditor leaves.
The amount of money nightly squandered
here upon wine, women and gambling is
simply enormous. With drinks and cigars
at "two-bits" (25 cents) each, wine (very
poor) at $5 per pint, and everything else in
proportion, it takes but a very short time to
run through a big sum of money. Gambling
is the great bane of the town. One can
find but few public houses where there are
not one or more games in operation, while in
many saloons the tables are counted by the
half dozen. Yet there are many excellent
people here.
Deadwood apes the airs and dignity of the
oldest city on the continent. Postal service
has been secured, and to-day Postmaster
Adams, a carpet-bagger from Omaha, with a
boiled shirt and shiny hat, opened a regular-
ly established office and began the sale of
stamps. Heretofore it has cost ten cents to
receive a letter, except by the Cheyenne line.
The latter has the contract until the close of
the fiscal year ; and will carry a daily mail.
As will also the Fort Pierre and Bismarck
lines as soon as they begin running, which
will be in about two weeks. The Sidney
Stage Company has sold out to the Cheyenne
Company, and hereafter daily stages will run
over that route.
The first daily paper in the hills, the Times.
made its appearance here last Saturday. It
is a folio, five columns to the page ; has the
Associated Press dispatches: is well edited.
And presents a fine typographical appear-
Its editors. Messrs. Warner and New-
hard, are old Denver printers. and are confi-
dent of success. The Pioneer. the first Black
Hills journal, will also soon appear daily.
The arrivals of "tender-feet" in this city
alone average 100 a day, and as the season
advances, the influx becomes greater. Hotels
can accommodate about one in ten; the other
nine sleep in the stables, tents. wagons, etc.
You can safely assume that four-fifths of the
entire number will be on their way back to
the States with empty pockets. All the good
mining ground has been taken up. A number
of farmers have arrived, taken ranches in
Red Valley. and begun tillage. I counted
thirty-six on their way to the Belle Fourche
one day last week. They will make money,
as the soil is excellent for agricultural pur-
poses, while the market will be the best in the
country next Winter, unless the business is
overdone. Hay now sells at $100 per ton,
and it is very scarce at that figure. It costs
about $3.50 per ton to gather it.
Another very fortunate speculator is our
solitary ice man. He harvested several
thousand tons last Winter, and as he intends
charging five cents per pound, his profits,
will be enormous.
Building goes on rapidly all over the city.
Keeping sawmills and carpenters busy night
and day. Rents are outrageously high, a
small cabin of unplaned lumber brings $25
to 35 per month. Masonic and Odd Fellows
lodges have been established. Divine service
is held every Sunday. A largely attended
school has been opened.
Mines are being opened rapidly, but the
abundance of water prevents a thorough work-
ing of them. Merchants and bankers have
decided to take and pay out gold dust here-
after at the rate of $16 per ounce-a reduc-
tion of two dollars.
A mass meeting was held here last Sunday
to discuss the feasibility and wisdom of form-
ing a new territory out of the Black Hills
country. This action was brought about by
the conduct of Governor Pennington in ap-
pointing non-residents to every office created
by the ratification of the new Sioux treaty.
The question was ably discussed, and a call
issued for a convention to assemble here on
the 21st inst. A petition will be presented to
Congress at the coming special session, and
there is but little doubt that the prayer of
the 20,000 people now in the Hills will be
promptly and favorably answered.