Mannie Clements & Resolutions

It’s that time of year when one reviews what has taken place over the last 12 months and vows to make changes. It got me wondering if people in the Old West celebrated New Years. Outside of the usual revelry that took place at a saloon I couldn’t find many references to particular parties being held west of the Mississippi. Asians in the West traditionally celebrated the Chinese New Year with a parade, fireworks and gifts. In Rock Springs, Wyoming, China Town residents had a thirty-foot-long silk dragon with a huge head, red and green eyes and a forked tongue. Between thirty and forty men carried the dragon by placing it over their heads as they paraded through town, stopping before each Chinese business and bowing several times. At the Coney Island Saloon in El Paso, Texas in 1908, the celebration the patron’s were having got way out of control 10 minutes after the new year was rung in. Frequent saloon guests and shifty characters, Mannie Clements and Elmer Webb had had their heads together most of the evening planning some sort of wrong doing. The two men were joined by a third shortly after midnight and an argument ensued shortly thereafter. Mannie was shot in the head and killed during the conversation by persons unknown. Authorities speculated that the shooting may have been in connection with a racket to import Chinese into the United States. I don’t have any examples of settlers making resolutions for a new year, but I’m sure they must have. The tradition of the New Year’s Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar. In keeping with tradition I’ve made a few resolutions. I want to write more, take on more private investigative work, and pursue a degree in communications. Most importantly, I’m going to fight harder for my brother. With God’s help marvels will be done in 2011 with the bad hand he was dealt. I wish I could resolve to free myself from the hurtful people that have haunted my life for so many years, but don’t know how to make that happen. In our lives, we meet all kinds of people. Some we never think about again. Some, we wonder what happened to them. There are some that we wonder if they ever think about us. And then there are some we wish we never had to think about again. But we do.