Oroville daily Butte record., 1856-11-25
Onuille Bully 9utte Returh.
RetributiOn.
AN INCIDENT ON BOARD A WESTERN
STEAMER.

OF the strangers The sinister express
sion of their countenances, too, began
to excite his alarm. Before, however,
he could decide upon any course of ac-
tion, his arms were suddenly pinioned
from behind by the strong grasp ofone
of the throc visiters, while boarse
voice growled-"Be quiet, or I'll take
the pelt of yer"
Stephens, as | said before, was lad
of fifteen 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 ruflian with all his force across the
forehead, temporarily stunning him so
that he released his hold, and stagger-
ing few steps backward, fell to the
ground. In the mean time the other
two men had dawn their knives from
their belts, and were advancing tow>
ards the emigrants. Quick as thought
Calef drew pistol from his breast and
warned them off Instead of retreat
ing, they rushed forward with loud
yells, brandishing their weapons. He
fred, and, at the same instant, the
formost one stumbled slightly, the ro-
covered himself, and finally fell for
ward upou the earth, a corpse. At
the same moment Stephens was depriv-
ed of consciousness by heavy blow
from the man whom he had prostrated
with the goad stick and who had re-
covered sufficiently to take part in the
affruy.
How long he lay unconscious upon
the prairie sod, Stephens knew not,
but when he had recovered his senses
it was night and the moon was shin
ing. The robber 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 upon his head.
His father lay near him upon the grass,
and with much difficulty d he succeeded
in crawling to the spot. lie was dead
and cold Resting his head on the
breast of his murdered parent, the boy
passed weary night. The cold dews
of evening were insufficient to quench
the fires of fever which burned with
in his veins.
The party who had goue on, await
ed with impatience the arrival of those
who had been left behind, and finally
search was made for the missing ones.
Words cannot describe the frantic
grief of Mrs. Caleb, when the awful
truth was revealed to her that the part
ner of her life, the husband Of her bos-
ON, 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 SO
mntilated his features as to render them
usrecognizabls. Stephen Calef was
found to be dangerously wounded. He
hsd been stabbed twice with knives,
and the ruffiaus had doubtless left him
for dead. He recovered his wonted
health only aster months Of severe ill
ness OF the murderers of his father
he could give no description likely to
lead to their detection and punishment,
with the exception that he remembered
to have observed upon the forehead of
the one who had commenced the attack
upon Mr. CaleH, a broad scar, COM
mencing near the middle of his fore
head and extending high up into the
hair.
The sad events changed tbs plans oi
the surviving members of the familv'
and instead of purchasing farm in IL
linois as had beeu proposed, they pro-
ceeded on to St. Louis, where, with the
assistance of kind friends they secured
a shelter and a home.
Such was the simple story with which
our young fellow voyager begniled a few
hours of our passage. He subsequent
ly however, seemed to regret his COM
muticativeness, and showed in our fur>
ther conversation an evident unwilling
ness to recur to the scenes OF the past.
During the brief stay of the boat at
Natohez we we're joined by number
of Other passengers, and among the new
comers were several whose lll-iavored
I'M l.