Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-16

| swallow toy" which is piece Of tin sent
When the cats away, the mice Will play: on
| every occasion when Gambetta does not preside
at the chamber the Bonaparttsts organize
! row.
! A provincial theatrical manager has come to
Paris to consult as to the best means for empty
! Ing his theater In case OF fire. Friends urge
him to I'LL it first.
VICKSBURG,S GREAT BATTLE
WITH FIFTY GAMBLEKS.
A Story Of 1885 by an Eye Witness.
| jonathan II. Green, in the Philadelphia Times.l
1t is because 1 was in vicksburg when the
| event which l am about to describe occurred
that am able to give the exact facts Of what
| was the most exciting epoch Ia the history OF
! that city up to the war. This occurrence,
| believe, has never been descrbed-at least |
have never seen it-and It furnishes perhaps
| better than anything else an idea of the state
| OF society as 1t existed at that period In the
| Wild southwest. On the Fourth Of July, 1885,
| national holiday. The Town was gayly decor
| ated, bands were on the streets. and there were
evidences on every hand that the day was one
| feature OF the Fourth of July celebrations In
| the south-was the event OF the day, and to
This every body was invited. For the time the
| geance sworn against the gamblers was forgot
! ten, Or. IL not forgotten, at least suspended.
Eminent speakers had been invited from other
states. and among those there on that day were
| Alexander McClung, OF Kentucky, with Foote
and Prentfss and Others equally well known In
that day, II not so we'll remembered in this.
and the other eminent persons present. and at
this were seated some thirty five or forty men.
In such mixed assen1blage as the barbecue
attracted there were not unnaturally large
| number OF gamblers-professIona gamblers
OF whom there we're not less than $50 In the
city at The time. These gamblers had their
In three houses, known as the "Kangaroos,"
NOS. l, and g." With them were associated
the most abandoned wretches of both sexes to
notorious among these gamblers were known
Ia every state along the Mississippi. among
Them the being George Blackburn, Frank Caoler.
Tom Carr. The military had turned OUT a. d
were under arms as part OF the attractions OF
TIE day Wh;le the speech-Inaking was going
IN company With Cabler, his partner both be
Ing seated at table apart from the speakers.
began an interruption, Blackburn relnarking
| cleaned out the whole table. Somebody shout
ed to Blackburn to sit down ana noE cause a
disturbance 1t was no use. He was bound
Jumped on the table.
THE FUN STARTED IN EARNEST
AS he Gid so several Of the soldiers jumped
manded that he sit down. Blackburn refu 1,t
and def1ed them. Presenting their guns, the
soldiers damned them against Blackburn and
| pushed him of the table. He struggled fierceiy,
but was finally overpoNered and cut in the
| struggle. Cabler, whU attempted to assist
MIN, was also mastered. Both men, bleeding
got, and they were placed In it and pushed
! from the shore. In another moment they were
! floating down the Mississippi. being rescued
by their fellows some half-mile below. The
gamblers were furious, and threatened re-
venge. making no secret OF the threat that
they would burn the town down during the
fs ta laks t ne gaosas
| meant business and that the lives and prop
erty OF all respectable people were in the most
thought OF anything but safety, al d the Wild
est excitement prevailed. Citizens everywhere
were seen arming themselves to await the
| midst OF all the commot1on, however, there
! were some people who did not lose their heads
ore OF these was DR.: William Bodley, Of Ken
lucky. he quietly selected number of men,
formed them into vigilance committee and
placed himself at their head. This DONE the
vigilance committee assumed the offensive and
| five hours to leave Vicksburg or -, Many
OF them did so. But in the meantime five
gamblers gamble were not idle. Tney were North.
| ana another man whose name have forgotten.
These men had gathered at North's gambling
rooms, near the river. Here they barrlcaded
| that they would not move and would kill any
| man who 1nterfered with them. DR.. Bodley,
hearing OF this, went down to North's place. as
he said, to make one last effort to convince
them OF the folly OF resisting The people he
made his last enort-he had hardly got within
speaking distance when shot from one of the
his tracks. He never breathed again. The
result may be imagined. The peace-loving
o.kens. who but an hour before were simply
Dent on self-protectfon, were transformed for
the time into blood-thirsty mob, and reckless
OF danger they charged on the house, and
breaking down the barricades captured the
| five gamblers.
TERRIBLE RETRIBUTIoN.
The "Kangaroos" were separated from the
city by bayou, which was crossed by wooden
Rqsps sn of 9y the Of
frenzied people hurried the captured gamblers.
| Onthe other side trees were selected and in
Bodley the i've gamblers were swinging by the
necks dead. But this was not the end; it was
only the beginning OF the terrible retribution
to be exacted. The mob advanced on the three
houses known as the "Kangaroos' and found
that there were still many OF the gamblers
who had not taken flight while there was
down, others driven into the river and two
of them taken by the mob and thrown from,
the Bridge OF Signs" into the stagnant
waters OF the; bayou .far below. For over an
hour this terrible scene continued, before the
vengeance OF the mob was satisfied and their
work considered done. How many men per
have heard OF between fifty and sixty who
we're at the 'kangaroos" on the Fourth OF Juiy.
and who were never heard Of afterward. Tie
bodies OF the five gamblers who were hanged
were kept swinging for two days, q guard
standing by with orders to shoot down anyone
who should attempt to remove them. Nor
were the people OF vicksburg even then salts
led They followed the most notorious OF the
gamblers into adjoining states, and more than
one fell victim TO tneir vengeance. But they
did their work thoroughy-they rescued their
Town from the dominition Of the cut-thr0ats
VINO mad ruled It., and thereafter vfcksDurg
was never called, as she had been before that
memorable Fourth OF July, ''the gamblers
Before marriage girl frequently calls her
intended her treasure" but when he becomes
urer.
| "A tail man having rallied his friend on the
snoItness OF his legs, the friend replied. my