Early Globe Christmas

 The holding of the celebration to commemorate the birth of

Christ, the Saviour of mankind, in a saloon, was the talk of the

Territory at the time. But, with due respect to churches that are

dedicated to celebrate this transcendent event and impress its

divine inspiration upon the minds of their votaries, let it be said

here that no gathering of people in cathedral hall or simple church

ever paid a more reverent homage to the Master of mankind's

higher ideals, than the rough-hewn denizens of the mining camp

of Globe that memorable Christmas Eve in the year 1876.

The Knox and McNelly Saloon was one of the finest in the

southwest. Its bar was of bronze oak and mahogany surface,

which shone as glass. The back bar too was highly ornate, with

its wonderful long mirror, decorated with glass chandeliers and

beautiful vases, goblets and drinking vessels. Huge Rochester oil

lamps suspended by other glass chandeliers illumined the large

spacious hall as if it were day. Gambling layouts, faro, roulette,

monte, and poker games were played in the back part of the

saloon and the respective tables were crowded every day and

night where thousands of dollars were won and lost.

When the news that Knox and McNelly were going to have

a Christmas tree in their saloon with everybody invited, and that

the bar and gambling would be closed during the event, reached

the miners and prospectors in the hills and the people in the camp,

the novelty and unique proposition took hold of their minds.

They approved heartily and vowed to make the celebration an

honored success. For, with all their wild, boisterous, rough, and

daredevil mien, there was a tender cord in the souls of every one

of them. The sentiment that played that cord was memories of

Mother, Home, and Childhood -- Christmas Eve! What a feeling of

joy it brings to millions of the Christian faith all over the world,

and to the hardy and indomitable pioneers of Globe, its cheer

and joy were none the less.

Committees had been appointed to select presents for the

pioneer families in the district, the John Branimans, Richard

Freemans, Mr. Clover, John Hise, John C. Clark, grandfather of

Mrs. Tony Neary, Mrs. John Griffin and Mrs. Doc Perry, now

living in Globe, and a few others whom the writer has failed to

learn. The exemplary pioneer family of William and Miriam

Middleton, were living at Wheatfields at the time.

A beautiful young pine tree was brought down from the Pinal

Mountains and set up in the saloon, its balsam fragrance filling

the space with pleasing odor. Eight inches at the base, ten feet

12 PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC

high, with its numerous branches one to four feet in length taper-

ing to its top, it was indeed a wonderful tree fit for the gods to

adorn. Red, white, yellow, green, blue, and brown ribbons were

draped and twined around its boughs and trunk. Candles were

arranged to shed a soft glow over its verdant beauty and then the

presents were placed.

The saloon had been closed during the preparation, and its

bar, back bar, and gambling tables were covered with white muslin

cloth, as one of the gamblers said, to clear the minds of the most

pious and prove to the sceptical that the celebration was in spirit

and truth a real Christian affair.

It had been gently snowing through the day and when night

came the little camp was wrapped in a mantle of white. The road,

or street, through camp and rough board sidewalks shone brilliant

where the lights from shacks and buildings along the way il-

lumined the frozen gems of snow.

At eight o'clock the doors were opened and the people came

to the saloon. As they entered, any sense of ridicule or banter,

toward the event, was soon banished and reverence and silence

gripped their minds instead. An usher directed them to where

they were to stand during the ceremonies and, as they crowded in

and took their places, and officer asked, "Did you leave your gun

at home?" "Yep," "Sure," and "You bet your life," were the re-

plies; one brawny miner, known for his fighting ability, cried out,

"Any man that would start a rumpus on a night like this otter

be strung up on the sycamore," (the hanging tree on main street).

As the crowd awaited the coming of the women and children

to receive their presents, they represented a true type of the

west; tall and short, stalwart, broad-chested, bearded men from

the mines and trail, wearing hobnail or cowhide boots, blue over-

alls or jeans, blue, red, and brown shirts, low-crowned felt hats

and mackinaws or blanket-lined ducking and buckskin coats. The

town folks wore "store clothes" and kept up with the times,

while the gambler and his class wore the most immaculate dress

suits, boots and shoes, hats and derbys.

Subdued and low were the tones in which they addressed one

another. No levity or expressions of ridicule escaped their tongues.

Rather, a feeling of supressed emotion masked their faces as the

memories of childhood had taken hold of them again and with

that same tense feeling of pleasant expectation they waited pa-

tiently for the most honored guests.

Finally they came, the women and children of Globe's earliest

days, hesitant in their plain, neat clothes, coarse shoes and scarfs

or shawls over their heads, timid as they approached the wonderful

tree with boys, girls, and babies. Their timidity was soon dis-

GILA COUNTY, ARIZONA 13

pelled when W.T. (Bill) McNelly, master of ceremonies, tall,

Debonair, and handsome, spoke in kindly tones to them. Then

Felix Knox, a dead game gun man, gambler, and gentleman,

assured them that wonderful Christmas tree was for their pleasure

and everybody would be disappointed if they did not enjoy it.

The reserve was broken and one lady spoke, saying, "Mr.

McNelly, I wonder if we cannot have a few words in prayer from

someone?" This was a stickler for Bill; he had overlooked a bet.

But his mind was active, he answered, "Sure ma'am." Then he called

out, "Is there anyone here who has real honest religion enough

in his toughened soul to give us a word of prayer?"

Out from that hardened crowd of rough frontiersmen a tall,

powerful man with black beard, blue eyes, and raven black hair

hanging down to his shoulders, blue shirt opened at the throat,

brown jeans tucked in cowhide boots, a wonderful specimen of

physical and intelligent manhood of the west, stepped to the side

of the tree and in a clear, mellow voice told of that Divine Hour

at Bethlehem centuries ago, when Christ, the Son of God, was

born to the world to teach mankind of the true and only God

that they might enjoy eternal life. He painted, in words, a pic-

ture of the sufferings of the Saviour and His death and final

victory over mortality and His ascension to the throne of God.

His hearers stood spellbound as he discoursed to them. Hand-

kerchiefs were to be seen wiping away starting tears upon

women's cheeks. Men, when their emotions were about to over-

come them, drew back into the crowd to hide their weakness.

"And now, my friends," he concluded, his face aglow with

zeal and fervor, "I will close by quoting a verse which I feel you

will all agree is appropriate to this assembly of people and the

celebration:

'Whether it be in cathedral hall,

Or the snow bound north where the moose herd calls

Or out upon the raging main,

Or the Dantic regions of our western plain,

The spirit of Christ abides in men.

And to those who are of a rougher mien

With that self same spirit, we say, Amen'."

After these simple truths were expressed a short prayer was

said by the lay preacher, then he withdrew to the crowded doorway

and disappeared in to the night. No one tried to stop him; no one

knew who he was, but his mellow fervent voice and the sermon

he gave to them lingered in their minds and it was some time

before the spell or its soothing influence was broken.

The distribution of woolen mittens, scarfs, and other valuable

necessities for the women, and nuts and candy for the children

14 PREHISTORIC AND HISTORIC

and gifts from personal friends to each other climaxed the occa-

sion; the merriment and rejoicing waned and the families de-

parted, happy and bubbling with glee.

The bar and tables were stripped of their coverings and

opened for business. Those who remained were hesitant and shy at

beginning their wild life again, as if the event, just over, was too

sacred to mar by the spirit of Bacchus being presented to the

saloon. However, the urge to maintain the standard of life they

lived was too strong to resist and soon the scenes of Christian

prayer and festivities were turned into a wild, boisterous roar

of mingled songs and happy greetings; the old carefree life of

the frontier was in full swing again.