There he bought a house from one Johnson, with the intention of fitting it up as a sporting resort.
The town of Parker’s Landing takes its name from one of its residents who is familiarly known as Old Parker. At the time of which I am writing, Old Parker owned a good deal of property, and wielded a large influence in the town. No sooner had he heard of Ben’s purchase, than he informed Hogan that he could not remain in the place. Ben replied that he had bought the property and paid for it; that he intended to keep a thoroughly first-class establishment; that everything would be conducted in a quiet and orderly manner, and that there would be no disorderliness anywhere about the premises.
Old Parker thought that there mas no such thing as a first-class variety hall, and that two women would be two too many for the morality of the neighborhood. The dispute waxed hot and hotter, until Ben finally lost his temper and resolved to go ahead and run any sort of an establishment he pleased.
Accordingly, the next day he opened up with six people, and the day following procured six more. In a month’s time he was doing a business big enough to justify the enlargement of his house, adding a wing forty feet in length. He also bought a nine hundred dollar piano, and with fifteen stars under his management, the establishment was in full blast.
Ben remained in Parker’s at this time three years. During that period, he met with innumerable incidents and adventures, only a part of which can here be narrated.
The house, it should be remembered, was really conducted on a high-toned scale. Artists were there who could speak all languages which any of the patrons would be apt to understand. The patrons were drawn from the prosperous citizens of Pittsburg, Oil City and elsewhere, and included speculators, bankers, capitalists and merchants. Many a respectable citizen found it frequently necessary to go to Parker’s on pressing business—and the business usually proved so very pressing that it necessitated his remaining over night.
So far as it was possible to conduct such a place honorably, Ben did so. Of course there were ways enough for the visitor to spend his money, but there was no violence used toward anybody, nor was robbery permitted. An idea of the amount of business done may be gained from the announcement that the income of the place during the three years amounted to fully fifty thousand dollars. If some pious people objected to the nature of Ben’s business, it must, nevertheless, be admitted that that business did a great deal toward keeping up Parker’s. It called to the town hundreds of men who otherwise would probably never have gone there; and it kept in circulation a large amount of money, for Ben spent as freely as he received.
Among the earliest incidents which occurred to Ben during his early sojourn in the place, was one in which Parker himself figured conspicuously. While Hogan was first preparing to open his house, he was engaged one day in painting the outside, when Doc Barnes happened to pass along, and Ben, from his perch on the step-ladder, sprinkled some of the paint over Doc’s new clothes. Thereupon a friendly tussle ensued, in the midst of which Parker put in an appearance. He straightway concluded that the two men were fighting, and he regarded it as his Christian duty to interfere. Just as he got under the step-ladder, the pot of paint, in some mysterious manner, tipped over, and the contents struck Parker on the head, and trickled down his clothes, giving him a coat as brightly colored as Joseph’s. Perhaps the paint pot upset itself without any aid from Ben; and then, again, perhaps it didn’t. At any rate, Parker, with the paint dripping off of him, vowed that he would never interfere with a fight again.
In such a house as Ben presided over, it was inevitable that a good many tough characters should at times assemble. To manage these properly called for nerve and pluck. Here is an incident which illustrates how Ben played the champion at the risk of his own life:
A fellow by the name of Stilson came in to Hogan’s place one night and became smitten by the charms of one of the young women. He was bent upon thrusting his society on this girl, who was equally determined not to have anything to do with him. Stilson became angry, and began to use abusive language. Ben, who always kept an eye open as to what was going on in the establishment, stepped up to the fellow and told him that he must stop his noise or clear out. Stilson sullenly withdrew; but in a dark alleyway which led along the side of the building, he ran across the girl whom he had been importuning for favors. Finding her alone, he openly insulted her, and her cries brought Ben to the spot. Stilson drew a revolver, and holding it toward Ben threatened to shoot. It was so dark that the men could not see each other; but Ben could feel the muzzle of the pistol against his coat.