The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-03-24

Judge B., and one intimate with the fam
ily was passing through this village on the
Alabama river, and before leaving visited the
scene Of poor Lilian's death. Passing beside
the grave which had been her last place of
rest, his eyefcll upon the plain wooden lead
board which marked it. It had been painted
white, and on it was an inscription i'll black
letters:
HENRY A., AGED ABOUT 25 FoUND
DROWNED; APRIL 49,, 1861 3] .s+a.f
This was all that was ever known concern
ing his fate The body had driftcd ashore
just below the graveyard, and those who had
bui:d him had inscribed upon his grave the
nameaound marked on his clothing
- ~ --------< -s---------- .s-i.s-
Struck Dead while Gambling.
The number of persons who have died sud
denly IN gambling houses in New York du-
ring the past year, has been remarkable. AT
II Ann street is gambling hell, kept by a
man generally known among the fraternity as
g Uncle John" One night about six months
since, young man dressed in the height of
fashion, with gold watch and diamond pin
and ring, entered and began to gamble. He
was unlucky, and rapidly lost his money !;
then he staked his watch, and that, too, fol-
lowed his money. His diamond pin was next
risked, and still fortune was against him.
Then he took from his finger ring-a beau
tiful solitaire diamond--and for which he
was allowed one hundred dollars. And now
he won. Fortune seemed to have changed
and was smiling upon him. Every bet he
made he won, until his g stack of IS checks
was larger than that held by the bank"
Suddenly his head dropped forward on the
table, and he was dead. Of course, immedi-
ately all was excitement and confusion around
the table, during which {" Uncle John |" qui
city raked in the checks" and closed the
=" bank, = thereby saving himself over $4,000,
which the dead man had won. On the in
side of the ring was engraved the dead mans
name He was young man of good family,
and was to have been married next week. His
friends were notified and took the body away.
and it was given out that he had died sud
denly Of heart disease while reading paper
at home.
Far distant from this wa: the case Of the
poor devil who died in gambling hell in
East Broadway short time after. He was
one of the g regulars" For twenty years he
had been constant habitue of faro banks.
When he commenced he was doing good
business, had happy wife, and was in fair
way to fortune when he died he was va,
grant and outcast-his wife died of a broken
heart long ago, his children had grown up in
misery and vice, and he had not friend in
the whole great city, where once he had hun
dreds of them. The coroner was notified, an
inques. was held, and verdict rendered that
he, too had died of heart disease, but no
effort was made to conceal the fact of where
he died. He had no wealthy friends Or inAu-
entail politicians to "sec" the coroner and
press, and 'fx" things. No one was harmed
by the fact that Henry Pettibone died sudden
| ly in a fourth rate gambling hell in Fast
Broadway. ..rf.-
There have been at least half dozen
other sudden deaths in faro banks in this city
during the past year, to say nothing Of three
who committed suicide there.