Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1844-09-13

Ion look Gown. Aeep your eye Toe
wards The top!' The boy don. look
down. His eye is fixed like Ain. towards
Heaven. and his young heart on him who
reigns there. He grasps again his knife.
Hescuts another niche. and another foot is
added to The hundreds that remove him
from the reach Of human help from below
How carefully he uses his wasting blade
How anxiously he selects the soflest pla-
ces in that vast pier! How he avoids ev.
cry flin,y grain How he economies his
physical powers-resting moment a,
each gain lie cuts. How every motion is
watched from below. There stands his
father, mother. brother and sister. on the
very spot where, if he falls, lie will no,
fall alone.
The sun is now half way down the
west The lad has made fifty additional
inches in tina. mighty wall, and now finds
himself directly under the middle of ,ha.
vast arch Of rocks. earth and trees. He
must cut his way in a new direction TO get
from under this overhanging mountain
The inspiration of hope is dying in his
bosom its vital heat is fed by the increas-
ed shouts of hundreds perched upon cliffs
and trees. and Others who stand with
ropes in their hands on the bridge above,
or with ladders below. Fifty gains more
mus. be Gu, before the longest rope can
reach him. His wasting blade strikes a.
gain into the limestone. The boy is emer.
ging painfully, foo. by foot, from under
that lofty arch. SpIiced ropes are ready
in the hands of those who are leaning over
the outer edge of the bridge. Two min-
u,es more and all will be over. That
blade is worn 10 the last half inch. The
boys head reels; his eyes are starting
from their sockets. His last hope is dy.
ing in his heart his life must hang upon
the next gain he cuts. 'Eha. niche is his
last. A, the las, fain, cash he makes. his
knife, his faithful knife. falls from his
nerveless hand, and ringing along the pre-
cipice. falls "a. his mothers feet. An in
voluntary g.oan of despair runs like a
death-knell through the channel below and
all is still as the grave. Al the height Of
nearly three hundred feet, the DEVOTED
boy lifts his hopeless heart and closing
eyes to commend Ills soul to God. lis
but a mOment-there !-one foot swings
off! he is reeling -,rembing -tnpling
over into eternity Hark ! a shout falls
on his ear from above The man who Is
lying with half his length over the bridge
has caugh. glimpse Of the boys head
and shoulders. Quick as thought the
moose rope is within reach Of the sinking
youth. No one brealhes. With faint,
convulsive effort the swooning boy drops
his arms into the moose. Darkness comes
over him, and with the words God and
mother! whispered on his lips JUS. loud
enough to be heard in heaven, The tight
ening rope lifts him ont of his last shallow
niche. Not lip moves while he is dan
glrg over ,ha, fearful abyss bn, when a
sturdy Virginian reaches down and draws
up the lad and holds him up in his arms
before The fearful. breathless multitude
such shouting. such leaping and weeping
for Joy, never greeted the ear Of human
beings so recovered from the yawning Gull
of eternity. E. b.
FRAUD IN GAMBLlNG.-.Among mum.
Der of others we were present by invita-
ton, a, the room of Mr.. J. Il. Green. the
reformed gambler, on Monday afternoon
when Mr.. G. made an exposition Of the
frauds commonly praclced by regularly
initiated gamblers. no. only upon mere
novices, but even upon prac,lced players
when the after play upon the square. a.
i. is termed, tina. is, a fair game. Ss
packs Of cards, the back of each varing in
pattern. one beng pure white. were sue.
cessively exhibited, and the private mark;
SO clearly explained tina. in a very few
minutes, every one present was enabled ,c
tell cash suit or number OF the cards by
the back In The packs with colored back.
these marks consist of some peculiar for
nation Of the flowers, stripes or stars
while in the white, in which The fraud was
much more difficult of detection, the mark
was known by the direction in whibh the
grain OF the paper ran. Enough was pro.
ven to satisfy all present tina. in the man
ufac,uring Of cards generally. advantages
arc given 10 the professional gambler
which render gaming-instead of a science
involving judgment and skill. where the
chances are equal-a perfect swlndline
transaction. OF this any one must fee
assured who will witness such an exposl
ZION of The facts by Mr.. Green as was Civ
en- before The persons assembled on Mon
| day. There Is, perhaps. no more ruinou'
ice than tina. of gambling. even where
the operators are men possessed OF tot
much honesty to take any undue adsan
| ,age but when 10 this known fact is ad
ded evidence most conclusive, Of The per-
fec, system Of swindIing i. becomes in tht
hands Of professed gamblers. the whole