The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-29 00:00:00

LIFE IN TEE AMERICAN GOLD

DIGGINGS.

A correspondent of the Neu/ York Tribune, writ-
ng from Denver City, Pike's Peak, Aug. 2, tells
the following tragic story :

" This week, at least, I had hoped to spare you
the perusal of our ordinary catalogue of crimes ;
for though holding, as a journalist, a sort of mer-
cantile interest in ►hese horrors, the bloody busi-
ness' hue become extremely revolting. Lut the
reign of terror is not ended.

"In an affray in this city, a few weeks since, a
negro, known as Professor Starke, was fatally shot
by Charley Harrison, a gambler. The Rocky
Mountain News, in its issue of last week, denounced
the homicide as a wanton murder. Harrison felt
aggrieved at this language, and issued a handbill,
signed by one of our prominent citizens, setting
forth that the act was done in self-defence. W. M.
Byers, Esq., the editor of the News, appended to
this bill an explanatory card, containing a quasi
withdrawal of the imputation, and expressing the
hope that an investigation about to take place
would prove Harrison blameless.
" This was satisfactory to Harrison, but not to
his brother gamblers, who were greatly incensed at
the refusal o the editor to make a direct retraction
without satisfactory proof that his charge was false.
On Tuesday last Mr. Byers was sitting in his office,
engaged in conversation with General Larimer,
Edward Creighton, Esq., from St. Louis, and the
Rev. Mr. Rankin, frotn Wisconsin. None of the
party were armed, and as the two gentlemen last
named had but just arrived in this region, the sue-
ceeding events must have given them a novel idea
of the state of society at Pike's Peak.
" Four gamblers, named George Steele, Carl
Wood, James Ennis, and John Rucker, suddenly
entered the room, with their cocked revolvers in
their hands. -Wood seized Byers by the collar,
and while the four weapons were all aimed at the
head of the astonished editor, applied the most
abusive epithets to him, and insisted that he should

at once accomnany them to the Criterion Saintm,
two squares distant, to meet Harri. m. Resistance
was out of the question, for the only weapol in the
office was a single shot-gun in another apartment.
Mr. Byers was theTefore compelled to go with
them, Wood retaining his grasp upon his colla-:
during the walk, and repeatedly exclaiming with
the most profane and insulting epithets, If any
of your f:iends make the !east movement for your
rescue, I will shoot you upon the sr ot.'
"On reaching the saloon they insisted upon a
retraction of the offe-asive article ; but Byers main-
tained his former position. It appeared that Harri-
son had done all in his power to restrain the despe-
radoes, and, taking Byers aside under the pretence
of conversing with him, he succeeded in enabling
him to escape from the room and accompanied him
back to the office.

" When the gamblers learned that their prey had
fled they remounted their horses and returned to
The News building. Wood, with his two confede-
rates, remained near the edifice, pointing a double-
barrelled shot gun at the front door, and express-
ing a determination to shoot Byers when he should
attempt to escape, while Steele rode round towards
the rear of the building and discharged two shots
into it. Fortunately they did not reach any of the
occupants, and. one of the compositors returning the
fire, succeeded in lodging a ball in his shoulder.
" By this time intelligence of the affair had spread
through the city, and half a dozen armed citizens
on horseback reached the scene of the attack. The
gamblers fled in tumultuous haste, and were fol-
lowed in hot pursuit. Steele crossed Cheery Creek
into Wenver or Auraria, endeavouring to pass over
the bridge across the Platte, but was headed off,'
and returned to East Denver. While riding at a
rapid galop along Blake-street, near the corner of
G, he was met by T. Pollock, Esq., the tnarshal of
the Vigilance Committee, also riding at a break-
neck pace. Mr. Pollock instantly presented a shot-
gun, and Stele drew a revolver, but before he was
able to use it Mr. Pollock fired. Notwithstanding
the unchecked speed of both horses, the aim was
deadly ; the entire charge of shot entered the head
of the gambler near the right eye, and ho fell
heavily and helplessly to the ground. He was
taken to the hospital and dicd in two hours. Steele
was one of the desperadoes driven out of Leaven-
worth by the citizens two years ago, not on any
charge connected with t'ie political troubles, but
for his general character as a cut-throat.
" Ennis made his escape. Rucker was arrested
and placed under guard. Wood was pursued and
surrounded on F-street. At first he presented a
shot-gun at the crowd, but the sight of scores of
revolvers and rifles instantly pointed at his head
cowed him, and he gave himself up. While he was
being taken to the hall, over Graham's drug store,
for safe keeping, repeated cries of 'Hang him!'
Hang him at once !' came up from the crowd. He
pleaded piteously, however, for a trial, and was
saved from summary punishment by the officers of
the committee.
" In the evening a mass meet;ng of nearly 2,000
people assembled in front of the new Post-office.
Mr. Byers related the occurrences of the day; and
addresses, recommending watchfulness, and prompt,
though deliberate action, were made by Judges
Parkins and Waggoner, Dr. Casto, and an old
mountain man, who has exchanged his Scotch cog-
nomen of M:Gaa for the extremely indefinite ap-
pellation of Captain John Smith. Jack Henderson,
of Kansas election frauds notoriety, in a state of
inebriation, also commenced to harangue the crowd,
but was soon cried down. A resolution indorsing
the action of Mr. Pollock was unanimously adopted;
and when some one in the assembly called for
' Three cheers for Tom Pollock !' they were vocifer-
ously given.
" The trial of Wood commenced last evening,
and is not yet completed. It is conducted by the
Vigilance Committee; but the jurors were selected
from the citizens without regard to their connection
with that organisation. The public feeling is ex-
ceedingly intense, and many declare that if Wood
escapes through any technicalities they will shoot
him down wherever he can be found. He is well
known as one of the most desperate characters in
this region, and is reputed to have been one of the
destroying angels' of the Mormon Church at Salt
Lake, and to have committed many murders in that
capacity. His trial will be succeeded by that of
Rucker, who is notorious here from having killed
a gambler named Jock O'Neil a few months since.
Ennis is still at large. He belongs to the same
class, and wantonly shot John Teef in this city, on
the 4th ult.

" The predominant feeling among the citizens
of Denver is that the reign of gamblers and cut-
throats has continued quite too long, and that
the desperate state of affairs requires despe-
rate remedies. The city has been guarded for
the last two nights by nearly two hundred patrol-
men. Especial watchfulness is maintained over
the building in which the prisoners are kept, and
two of the officers stationed at every corner in town
challenge all suspicious parties, and if they are
unable to give the countersign conduct them to the
head-quarters of the committee."

_HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return,)
The deaths in London, which were 1,029 in the
previous week, fell to 937 in the week that ended
last Saturday. If the deaths from epidemic cholera
in the 34th week of 1854 are excluded from the
returns of previous years, it will be found that the
average number of deaths in the same week during
the last 10 years was 1,068; which, with a correc-
tion for increase of population, becomes 1,175. It
may be stated that the mortality in London is in
the present season so far reduced that the deaths of
last week were less by about 200 than they would
have been if the average rate for the latter part of
August had prevailed.

This result is duo chiefly to a great decrease in
the mortality from diarrhoea, as compared with that
of previous summers, the complaint probably having
been restrained by the coldness of the season, and
the unusual quantity of rain. The deaths from
diarrheea last week exhibit a decrease on the weekly
deaths, which were not numerous, of the earlier
part of the present month ; they were only 69,
jilst in the corresponding weeks of 10 previous
rs the average number (corrected for population)
was 180. In the same week of last year the num-
ber was 215. Two deaths were returned as caused
by cholera ; a boy, aged 7 months, died on the 17th
inst., at 75, Henry-street, Marylebone, of English
cholera; and a woman, aged 75 years, on the 20th
inst., at 80, Frederick-street, Caledonian-road, of
the same complaint, after 10 days' illness.
A man, aged 70 years, died of eczema. Two
children died of scarlatina at 37, Red Lion-
street, Holborn, where three other children are
suffering from the same disease. A labourer
died of exitaustion from destitution, having been
received into the Whitt..chapel workhouse, probably
not long before his death. Five deaths, of which I
4 were those of infants, were referred to murder er
manslaughter. A child died of porrigo larvalis ;
another ol stcmatatis. Only four deaths occurred
front small-pox, 40 from measles, 8 from diphtheria. •
Fear deaths from scarlatina were recorded in Pop-
lar, 5 from measles in Camberwell, and 4 from the
latter disease in Belgrave. Eight nonagenarians
died in the week, all women, and all widows except
one.

Last week the births of 827 boys and 780 girls,
in all 1,607 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corn spending weeks of the years 1850-59
the average number was 1,563.