Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-11-26
Otuuil!e Dailq Dutte ReturG.
RefributiOn.
AN INCIDENT ON BOARD WESTERN
STEAMER.
IC0NCLUDED'

stiffness was invaded by the loud oath
and clustering laugh of the profession.
al blackleg, and the vocation of bar
keeper remained no longer sinecure.
On the evening after this new Access
sion to our company, card party was
formed, comprising, | observed as they
gathered around the table, two of whom
| suspected to be professional gamblers.
At first, no higher stakes were played
for than cigars or "drinks for the
crowd" but as the night wore on and
the "drnks" began to exercise their
wontcd effect, money was put up, and
tho game became more exciting. At
length, after various changes offortune
one of the gamblers, "A burly, hard fea.
tured man was about to sweep up a
heavy stake, when suddenly well
dressed gentleman who had watched
the game for a considerable length of
time, laid his hand gently upon his
shoulder, saying, "stop! you did not
play fair ~
The man turned quickly in his chair
so that the light Of the lamp fell upon
his features, and launched vollev of
oaths and imprecations at the person
who had intruded on him. At this
moment Stephen Calef, who had been
readin3 quietly in remote part Of the
cabin, looked up from his book and be-
held the angry feature of the gambler.
The volume dropped upon the floor as
he started from his seat and sprung
towards the table. Before his object
could be suspected, or opposed, he
stood behind the strangers chair, and
brushing the hair from his forehead re-
vealed scar extending back towards
the crown Of his head.
"Ha," cried he, speaking so rapid
ly as to be scarcely intelligible, "where
did you get that scar? William, who
murdered the cmigrant on the Rock
River? Who killed my father -
The face Of the rufiian, but a moment
before flushed and distorted with anger
turned pale as death. Nly Ged !" he
exclaimed, as he recognized in the
STRIPPING the youth whom be had left
for dead upon an Illinois prairie, five
years before. "My God! Can the
dead speak :"
"You own it, you own it J" cried the
lad, "Gentlemen, bear me witness that
he acknowledges the deed. He MUIR
dered my father. Bloon for blood +!
Die, seoundrel, die !"
The discharge of pistol was heard,
and the murderer fell from his chair
dead. The unerring bullet had passed
through his brain. The form which
brief moment before was bounding In
life and health, uow lay upon the cabin
floor disfgured, and unconscious
corpse. The man who through the
years Of LIFE time had revelled in
scenes Of vice and iniquity, had in one
brief moment passed through the val
ley OF death, and was summoned before
the awful bar ofGod. Without warn.
ing his soul was hurried through the
gates of eternity, and ushered in the
presence of the Great Judge, whom
only the good fear not.
1t was a fearful retribution But
there was none to question its Justsce.
The sympathies OF the passengers were
with the young man, and the probable
tiles are that even if he had been ar
rested, there could have been found no
jury to convict him. AS it was, he was
not molet,ed. The body of the game
ster, who had entered his name upon
the books as Richard Whitehouse, was
tossed overheard without ceremony.
The stains of blood were washed from
the floor, and in few days the affair
ceased to be u theme Of observation.
Young Calet, after the excitement of
the moment had passed away, reIapsed
into the same quiet and reserved hab-
its as before. When | saw him last
he was standing upon the hurricane
deck of the steamer. at New Orleans,
regarding with folded aims the busy
aspect of the city which was to be his
future home. He is now thriving
merchant in that metropolis, and his
noble heart and high sentiment ofhon>
or, which shows itselfin business trans
actions as well as in private life, have