Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-10-10
EVENING STAR.
Z E 7 TRIBU TON
An tnciden mt on board a Western s,.,x

manufacturing establishment. business az !,
portance obliged me to pass several months
travelling to and fro in the great valley of 4
J west, and ono spring morning beheld me
ot Louis, upon the point of embarking in Il
snug little steamer Lucy Wilmot, for New O
leans. There were many passengers on boa
beside myself, and the greater part of the
were destined to some port upon the low
mississippi. Among them were several sturC
planters with their families, and a number
merchants and river traders making, upC
the whole, very respectable and pleasar
company. The river was low, and we wei
delayed somewhat by the shoals.
After reaching the mouth of the Ohio rivel
however, we encountered no further deter
tlon, but Plowed the muddy waters rapid
past Memphis, Napoleon, and Vicksburs
towards our destined port
mad been so unfortunate as to secure
oerth beside one Of the paddle boxes, wher
my ears were perpetually saluted with tn
din OF the machinery and the splash of tn
waters. In the night time L was specially
| dlscommoded. It is customary for the pilots
| IN the darkness Of the night, to steer thei
boats as near the middle Of the channel a
| possible, for the purpose of avoiding snag
ana sand bars Unhappily this is the portion
| OF the stream where there is great mass Of
foatlng timbers and rubbish. and as the
steamer rushes onward, her wheels, at every
revolution, go thump, thump, against the
!he noatlng logs; so that the prominent idea
In the mind of the sleepless traveller is that of
padding all night over a corduroy road
Sometimes the monOtony is varied by the
hoarse rattle Of a slab or branch. which be.
comes entangled in the paddle and is dragged
around by it within the box for an interval of
live minutes or more
among the passengers with whom L was
Drought most directly in contact, was a youth
0i o aGout twenty years Of age, a resident If
ot. Louis. lie was slender intellectua al
looking lad, of retiring hab; 3, and was on his
way to visit relation in New Orleans, with
the design OF seeking employment in SON Q
mercantile pursuit in that city. He rarely
cOnVersed with his fellow passengers Cir
cumstances, however, conspired to bring rs
Into somewhat intimate connection during II @
early part OF our voyage, and he confded 20
me portion of his history.
he was the son Of New England farmer
named Calef, who, FIVE years previously,
seized by one Of those emigration feyers
winch, from time TO time, have ragged go ex-
tensiveiy IN this section of the country, gath
cred together his movable household goods.
converted the principal part of bis property
INTO casf, and with his family, comprising q
younger brother, a wife and three children,
me Oldest OF whom was, at that time, less
than hfteen years Of age, began his pilgrim
age towards the land of promise
One day, as their little caravan was slowly
winding its way over the fertile prairie swell.
which rlse IN undulations from the eastern
border of Rock River, in Illinois, an accident
To the wagon which contained the more bulky
portion OF their goods caused some delay, and
at length it was resolved that Mr. Calet and
MS son stephen should remain behind and re-
palr the vehicle while the remainder of the
party pushed on to their proposed camping
ground, and there awaited their arrival
HarGly had the moving wagon passed out
OF sight before three rough looking armed
men rode up from the direction of the camp
which the travellers had left on the previous
night, and addressing Mr.. Calef offered with
the usual courtesy of the prairies, to assist in
extricating him from his difficulty. Their
proner of service was thankfully accepted,
tor the emlgrant supposed them to be honest
worthy settlers of the country. But il was
Iound necessary to unload the wagon and as
article after article was removed COMPRISING
IN the aggregate, far more valuable freight
than Is usually TO be met with in the train of
western rover, the farmer remarked smiles
OF peculiar meaning, passing from one to the
other OF the strangers. The sinister expres
sion OF their cOuntenances, too, began to ex-
cite his alarm. Before, however, he could
decide upon any course of action, his arms
were suddenly pinioned from behind by the
strong grasp CT one of the three visitors, while
4 toarse voice growled-" Be quiet. or PU
take the pelt off YER"
Stephen, as l said before, was a lad of fif
teen years; but within his breast beat The
heart of grown man. His first impulse was
to raise the OK goad which he held in his hand,
and strike the rutfan with all his force across
the forehead, temporarily stunning him so
that he released his hold, and staggering a
few steps backward, fell to the ground. In
the mean time the other two men had drawn
their knives from their belts, and were ad-
vancing towards the cmigrants. Quick as
thought, Calef drew pistol from his breast
and warned them off Instead of retreating,
they rushed forward with loud yells, brand
ishing their weapons He fired; and at the
same instant, the foremost one stumbled
slightly, then recovered himself, and frally
fell forward upon the earth-a corpse. At
the same moment Stephen was deprived o.
consciousness by heavy blow from the man
whom he had Frustrated with the goad stick,
and who had recovered sufficiently to take
part in the affray.
How long he lay unconscious upon the prai-
rie sod, Stephen knew not but when he had
recovered his senses it was night and the moon
was shining. The robbers had departed. He
strove to rise, but his strength was gone and
he then, for the first time, discovered that he
had received other injuries than the wound
the grass, and with much difficulty he sue
ceeded in crawling to the spot. He was dead
and cold. Resting his head upon the breast
of his murdered parent, the boy passed a
weary night. The cold dews Of evening were
insufficient to quench the fires of fever which
burned within his veins.
The party who had gone on, awaited with
| impatience the arrival of those who had been
| left behind, and finally q search was made
| for the missing ones Words cannot describe
the frantic grief of Mrs Calef, when the aw-
| full truth was revealed to her that the partner
of her life, the husband of her bosom, had
been separated from her by death. The body
of the man whom Calef had shot, was found
| lying near the wagons, but his companions
had purposely so mutilated his features as to
render them unrecognizable. Stephen Caief
was found to be dangerously wounded. He
had been stabbed twice with knives, and the
rufians had doubtless left him for dead. lie
recovered his wonted health only after month:
of severe illness Of the murderers of his
father he could give no description likely tc
lead to their detection and punishment, with
the exception that he remembered to have
observed upon the forehead of the one whC
had commenced the attack upon Mr.. Calef,
| n