Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1850-06-01
PIAQUEAIINE, PARISH OF BERVIILE, La" JUNE l, 1850

features, golden hair, keen eyes of preternatu-
raj Brightness and his firm, thin lips wore a
perpetual smile, of the strangest, the most in-
scrutable meaning. With the exception of his
red calico shirt, this person was dressed Who'll
ly in buck-skin, ornamented with Ion g swal-
ing tassels, and wild figures wrought out of
varegated beads, after the fashion of some
western Indians. He stood close beside the
card-table, and held in his left hand sheet of
paper, and in his right hand large pencil,
with which, ever and anon, he dashed off few
words, as if engaged in tracing the progress of
the game.
Still the merchant and the gambler persevered
in their physical and mental toll. The dial of
the stars, with it's thousand fingers of golden
fire, pointed to the world shadows of midnight
but still they did not pause. Itstill was "shuf-
fe and cut, and pass, ante up, and | call you,
and rake down the pile" Towards the morn
ing tremendous storm arose. The red light
ming flashed awfuliy-the hail poured like a
frozen cataract-the great river roared till it
rlvaled the loudest thunders Of heaven; and
the very pilot at the wheel was alarmed; but the
mad players heard it not. What was the tu-
multi of the raging elements to them, whose
destiny hung on the turning Of card! And
the9smilling blue-eyed stranger in buck k-skin
|
per, calmly noticing the developments Of the
game.
Finally the storm passed, as the beautiful
daybreak came out like a thing of glory in the
great gray East Then the infatuated merchant
distracted with his heavy losses, dared the eli
max of folly. He staked five thousand dol
lars, comprising his last cent of money in the
world, on "two pairs of kings" The whisker-
red gambler scaled" him; the showed hands;
| the blackleg had "two pairs of aces,' and rak-
| ed the board" The merchant dropped to the
| floor as ifhe had been shot through the brain,
| and that beautiful young wife flew to his side
and fell shrieking upon his bosom. They were
both borne away insensible to the ladies' cabin.
AS he deposited the winnings in his pocket,
the gambler emitted hoarse laugh that SCUM
ded frightful as the chuckle of fend; but he
instantly lost color as a low, calm voice re-
marked in his ear
"Villain, you play strong hand at many differ
ent games, but here stands one who can beat
you at all of them!''
He turned, met the glance of those keen blue
eyes so preternaturaly bright, and shuddered.
But he immediately regained his presence
OF mind, for he was no coward, and then he
frowned till his shaggy brows met like the coil
of serpent, and demanded sterny-
"Begggar! who are y9u to banter gentleman
thus rudelyp'
Il am James Bowie, of Texas" the other an
swered with ringing laugh; ssand you are John
Laftte, natural son of the old pirate!'
The gambler reeled in his chair as if he had
been struck wi}h thunderbolt, but recovered
again from the shock in moment, and asked
in firm tone -.trr
"What game do you wish with me?!'
sPoker first, and pistols afterwards if you
play foul" replied Bowie.
every WELL" rejoined the other, and they
took their seats at the table.
For time the success seemed about equally
balanced, the gain and loss being alternate.
At last the gambler ventured..on Of his skillful
maneuvres in dealing Bowie smiled strange
ly as his quick eye detected the trick He said
nothing, however, but looked at his hand, and
bet five thousand dollars, stalking the money in
ten large bills The gambler went five thou
sand dollars higher, Which resulted in "call.''
Bowie held .four jacks;;" but, with his habtu-
al fiendish ehuckle, his antagonist showed
ssfour queens" exclaiming as he did So
sBy heaven, the pile is minew
"Not yet" shouted Bowie, as, with both
hands, he raked the heap of notes, to the tune
of twenty thousand dollars, into his own pock-
Choking, and purple with rage and shame, the
"To the hurricane deck, and let pistols be
trumps this turn!" =
aGood as gold.' replied Bowie, and the two
hastily assembled the stairs and assumed their
separate positions-the gambler over the stern
and Bowie over the Prov. @ l2e
At this instant the sun was just rising in
cloudless sky; Nature looked sublime
bride worthy of her Almighty Husband and
God. The woods and waters appeared as part
of one divine picture, with the boundess blue
of heaven for its background. The broad
bosomed river rolled away like an immense
sheet Of FURNISHED silver, speckled here and
there with the flash of golden bubbles; shining |
fishes gamboled in the sparkling wave; and all
the bright birds-those sweet singers, whose
life is q dream, and that dream only music
'chaunted their wild anthem to the new day; |
while the two duelists, the most deadly ever
known to the southwest, stood with cooked |
pistols, eye to eye and their fingers fixed ON
their hair-trigger, prepared and waiting to slay |
and be slain. i
Il am ready, you give the word" cried Bowie,
in his clear, ringing voice. and with that nseper-
able smile of strange meaning on his lips.
q am ready. Fire!" shouted the gambler in !
tones murderous as death. st e
The two pistols reared simultaneously. Bo-
vie did not move, though he had barely escap- |
ed with his life, for the bullet Of his foe had cut
away one of the golden locks Of his yellow |
hair. The gambler was shot through the heart |
and dropping on the brink Of the. deck, had al
most tumbled into the river, He was buried |
by the squatters at the next wood yard. And
thus persisted justly q natural son Of the great
pirate Laftte. y te :. f7
There never was jury empanneled in the
west who would have brought ina verdict e
gainst any man for killing him, and more espe-
cially under the circumstances, because public
opinion pronounced that che onght to be kill