| In 1881 the Reverend F.M. Warrington
called Bodie "a sea of sin, lashed by the tempests of lust and passion". Bodie
was a rough and rowdy town. Its streets were lined with saloons, gambling dens, and
brothels, as it was populated by mostly young males. The Bodie Morning News Oct. 28, 1879 described a typical Saturday night:
The later half of Saturday night was a wild one. The consumption of bug juice was
something wonderful. The down-town dance houses were scenes of numerous pugilistic
passages, and pistols were several times drawn to enforce fistic arguments. No one had his
measure taken, however, for a wooden overcoat, though the prospect at times looked as if
it would develop into a bonanza for the Coroner and undertakers, but simmered down to a
few rich "pockets" of broken noses and black eyes....
The Daily Free Press April 20, 1880
described a Sunday night:
Instead of remaining in their rooms and reading moral books, a great many citizens were on
a the rampage Sunday night.... At one time it looked as though the undertaker would be
blessed with a victim.... |
