The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-11-16
'outds'nllse By an an Actor
A Tale of the RIississippfT

A Tale of the Mississ1pp1f
q We were going to New. Orleans, and
at Cairo we took aboard a party that i
was not happy to see, not a bit of it. u
don't like snags walking about on two
legs. The party consisted of a man about
thirty or thirty FIVE years old, with his
wife and young bhbysand Ibis mother.
The young man was5what I call hard
character. He wore gray coat and pants !,
and purple velvet vest, with massive
gold, or it might berngold plated, chain
across the breast. His long black hair
was curled and shiny, and smelt like =
BARRIERS shop. He had a red fluffy facej
and his eyes were black and wicked. He
had been what many people call good
lookiDg-good, do not think he could
have been with such d mother. She was
a tall and stately woman-quite as tall as
her sou, and about half a century old. !
She wore a false 'front.', and her. forehead
was shaved to make it'look more expanr
sive and intellectual I can't answer, for
her age very accurately, for she was made
up altogether in the most elaborate fash Z
ion, aud was dressed, even on the steam
boat, In the richest moire antique and the
costliest lace. There is not sin in the
civilized world that was not written on
that waman s face. rI have seen a great
many women, with little enough that vas
womanly about them, but / never saw one
who seemed to me SO bad as this SaBo
bler's mother.
The fact is, it was a party of gamblers.
The POOR little wife was trained stool
pigeon, and even the pretty little badly
was dressed to attract and lead to ac-
euaintance. Tho wife was very pretty,
but struck me as a strange compound
She seemed loving and gentle, as / dare
say she might have been in other circum-
stances. She was dressed too we'll, and
wore too mnch jewelry This [ after
wards found was not her fault. She was
made to play her part IN attracting her
husbands victims. The eo9uetry of her
appearance did not correspond with the
expression of her face. There was a sad
look in it that made me pity her. They
come from Canada, they said, and were
going to New Orleans. / kept my eyes
on then, and SO, found. did the,sexpe
rieneed chambermaid who had been on
the river too long not to know such Gus
toners at first right. = siHg So
Amorg our fellow passengers were "a
gentleman who called himself Mr.. Browne
who seemed to me to be either an actor
incog. or a gentleman intending
to adopt the dramatic profession. We
got acquainted cover sherry cobbler, be-
came intimate with our noses in our. two
first mint juleps, and when we had lit
tie party IN our corner, he amused us by
initiating those on board, 2, or others we
happened to know, very cleverly. Among
the rest, he took off the roue looking
gambler, FoddcD, as he called himself,
and the stately mother. He had made
up his mind about them pretty much as [
had made up mine. a.oE si zE
Among the other occupants of the great
cabin, where society gets about as well
mingled as you ever find it in this world,
was Young man, a Mr. John Green, a
master carpenter from Chicago, going to
Memphis He was simple, honest, and
as verdant as his name. b got acqnaint-
ed with everybody, andtold o., his means,
intentions, lnd prospects, as if he thought
everybody as innocent as himself. Rod
den made set at Green as soon as be
heard that he had money, but not by ma
king the first advances. The old lady
talked with him in the most motherly
way about bis home, his prospects, and
sweethearts. The young wife, who seem
eG at times TO scorn everything about her,
sm led on him sweetly, and gave him her
baby to hold. Whoever she may have
feared or hated, she loved the baby. 1t
was, 1 believe, the bondtthat held her, to
the gambler and his mother, and made
her submit to their internal bidding
But for the baby, she might hive jumped
into the river TO escape tyranny that
hour by hour became more apparent to
me, as II watched the drama playing
before me. ., .iii' ik''ai 81 =
Rodden, of course, had made up his
n ind to plunder the young carpenter,
and it had to be done before we got to
Memphis. They had played in a little
family party at whist and euchre for can 1
dies and sherry cobblers, or cham sne.
Green generally won, and was confident
in his luck, and little proud of his, skill
He was fascinated also with the pretty
woman, who could wind him round her
fingers. Then he tried bis hand with
Rodden alone, and won thirty dollars, as
he boasted to Browne, at half dollar a
game. 1t was of no use to advise him
He was as conceited as he was honest. -
Like many very green persons, he be-
lieved himself an excellent judge of char
acter, and as sharp as a needle.
The night before we were to reach
Memphis, iRcdder and Green were play
ing, and Green was flushed with his luck
and drinking more than usual. Browne
watched them until he was tired, and
turned In about eleven O'Clock. Then
Rodden and Green drank more, or stron-
ger drinks than usual, and they played
for higher stakes. Itlwas the oldistory-
infatGation, madness, and, of course, the
loss of the last dollar Green had in the
world. Then come another insanity,
tHor hof 0F ha and q