Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1855-05-03
The BROTHERS.

: r--NA ~o, Wv PAinoiPoA D'nAA'- y
n institution of the chance kind in Sa
Francisco, were the Bella Union
; 'Verandah,' mine de Oro,' 'Eldor'
n do, and Parker House, all situate
about the Plaza, and each employin
: : a band of music,to lessen the tediou
: hours of that rainy winter, and t
e drown the noise of gingling gold an
silver and the eursing CALCULATIONS
the gamesters. Many sad seen
has taken place within those saloon
! that chilled the blood of the beholders
and is remembered with horror. va
: once carelessly sauntering througl
one Of these places. My attention Wa
attracted towards a;person who ha'
) large piles of gold before him. Th'
startling eyeballs, the swollen vein
!, upon his forehead, the cold sweat OF
4 bis face and clencbed hands, told o
heavy losses;mingled exclamations o
horror and contempt would escape
him, and be seemed unconscious o
all else going on around him; his
gaze bent upon the cards, as if his
life's blood was the stake at issue
and in this case his last dollar was
put within the Dealers bank, when
with the frenzy of a maniac, be
drew a long dirk-knife, and plunged
it up to the hiltin his own body, and
sank corpse on the table. A few
rude jeers followed the act, the body
was removed, and the game went on
asif nothing had happened--as though
another victim had not been added to
the pages of the gamblers damning
record! or another soul had not gone
to its final account. o
| learned this much of his history:
He started With a stock of goods CIV
en- him by his father to sell on COM
mission, and the fathers fortune de-
pended on sure return of the money
SO invested; but as usual he INDUCED
in the full liberty of funbridled licence;
while the ship stopped at South
American port, he engendered the
first seeds ofplay, but for awhile after
bis arrival the excitement of trade
and the energy necessary to accom-
plish a successful issue, kept his
mind busy. One day by appointment
he was to meet a mercantile friend at
this house, and while waiting for his
friend he staked a few dollars upon the
turning cards, when The latent disease
sprang into life and carried him head
long over the precipice, and ended in
the tragic manner related.
The Mine de Oro' was gambling
saloon on Washington street, and
the 'El Dorado and in 1S49
it was the principal resort of the dis
banded soldiers Of the California reg
iments, and also of tie soldiers who
had been engaged in the war with
Mexico. Behind one of, the largest
monte banks in the room sat man
who had won for himself honorable
mention, and an officers commission
was given him for his bravery at the
storming of Monterey; but preferring
the climate of California and its gold
en- prospects to a mQre northern
home, be embarked for that country
at the close of the war with Mexico,
and upon his arrival he opened a
bank for gambling. The emigrants
came In by thousands, and few
nights after his arrival a young man
entered his saloon, seated himself at
the bank and staked various sums
upon the cards, until he had lost
nearly all the money he possessed.
Excited with the play, and mad
dened by bis loss, be accused the deal
er of cheating; the dealer replied
sharply to the accusation-the lie
passed, when the young man struck
the dealer a, severe blow upon his
face; as quick as thought the sharp
report of a pistol followed, and the
gamblers clothing was covered with
blood-he had shot the young man
through the right breast. The room
was soon cleared Of. the spectators
present, the doors closed and medical
attendance called, in aid of the
wounded man, The gambler sat mood
ily over his bank, running the small
monte cards through bis fingers, and
perhaps thinking of the deed just
perpetrated,, when the wounded man
gave a moan of agony as the doctors
probe reached the bottom OF his
wound. The doctor inquired what
State he was from, and the wounded
man replied; .ggls5 riaf} gai'