The Lumberjack Sky PilotWhittles, Thomas D. (Thomas Davis)
History
The Lumberjack Sky Pilot
Whittles, Thomas D. (Thomas Davis)
Church work with loggers -- Minnesota; Higgins, Francis Edmund, 1865-1915; Presbyterian Church -- Clergy -- Biography
"All a man is responsible for is being honest," he replied. "I have
been honest in all I have done. No man was ever robbed in my place,
and the games are straight. I may go to hell when I am through here,
but my job will be shoveling coal to make it hotter for the hypocrites
who profess to be honest and then steal when they get the chance."
They talked freely of their business and one gambler had the courage to
make this assertion:
"There isn't a more honest set of men in the country than the
professional gamblers. They are all right, but the associations are
bad."
The above may be a description of some gamblers, but not of all, for
it is well known that the games are often crooked and by mechanical
devices are made a sure thing for the house.
In one of the range towns a cruiser entered a gambler's place with
several thousand dollars in his possession. It was not long before he
had lost all. Satisfying himself that the game was not "on the square,"
he drew his gun and shot up both the gambler and the wheel, took his
money from the till and left the place. The gambler was maimed for life.
The saloons and gambling places are palatial and attractive. They
are fitted with the best the town affords, resplendent with glitter
and flash of lights, showy woodwork and decorated walls. Courtesy
and attention await the victims, for an army of men is ready to
respond to any desire the lumberjacks may express, no matter how low.
Everything is designed to allure. No wonder the men who have known
only the discomforts of the camps, with their hard, grinding labor and
unaesthetic surroundings, are easily caught in the net that is spread
at their feet.
Because of this lawless element so common in the lumber towns, and the
unrestrained ways in which almost all of the towns are run, the "open"
policy being the common one, there is work for the camp missionary to
do. The Rev. Frank Higgins goes into the saloons to find the stray
sheep. His errands of mercy have led him into hundreds of dram shops
and gambling places.
The writer was with him in one of the towns and the following incidents
are only a part of that day's work of helpfulness:
Having heard from a contractor that one of the boys had been reduced to
helplessness through drink, and more than drink, Mr. Higgins started
for the saloons and continued his search through many groggeries until
at last he found the man. The poor drunken wretch was lying on the
floor behind the stove, and the missionary put his strong arms around
the besotted being and almost carried him to a lodging place where his
needs were supplied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account