Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-10-19

On last h0unoSUAy mOFIiluS touolucF-
able excitement was created in our place
by the report that Matthew Birchard
had shot Mr.. Samuel Derr. The facts,
as we learn them, are, in brief, that at
about 9 o'clock of the morning above
mentioned, Judge Birchard and Mr..
Derr were standing on the railroad
track near the Gaskill House, talking
about the election, Birch I'd claiming
that the returns indicated the State had
gone for the Democrats. Robert Miller,
an old citizen of this place, was present
and took exceptions to Orchards infer
ences. and after a few verbal passes, Mil
or pronounced him a id old trait
or" whereupon Orchard drew a pistol
from his p~antaloons pocket, to resent
Miller's accusation, but instead of giving
the contents to his plain-spoken Union
antagonist, he accidentally-it is thought
shot his Democratic friend Mr.. Derr,
who was standing in an opposite direc-
ton from Mr.. Miller. The ball entered
Mr.. Derr's breast, in the region of the
heart. but its force icing resisted by
thick clothing, it passed around to the
side, infiicting a rather severe, but not a
mortal wound.
The affair caused much establishment.
Men we're astound ed to learn that an x
Supreme Judge f the State not only
carried a concealed weapon, in violation
of the statute, but That he was so desper-
ately reckless as to use it with murder
GUS intent, on so trivial proyocation as
the mere bandying of epithets. Had he
not blunderingly missed his mark, but
shot his opponent instead of his friend.
we can not say what scenes might have
followed. But the denouement was so
ludicrously stupid on the part of Birch
ard that public indignation found vent
in ridicule. Yet this unfortunate affair
will not, we trust, be without profit to
this community. When men of the
standing of Judge Orchard go about the
streets of our town armed with deadly
weapons, in defiance of law and in hos
tility t O public peace and safety, it pan
not be longer doubted that there exists
among the rebel sym%pathizers in the
North, organizations little better than
bands of assassins, who go prepared to
strike down unsuspecting citizens, on
the slightest propagation. There is rea-
son to believe that the copperheads gen
orally are armed with pistols and ready,
when opportunity offers, to strike IN con-
cert with their more brave rebel breth-
rem of the Souta. 1t is fearful to con-
template that even this community Is
cursed with some of this cowardly, sneak
ing banditti, who have not only treason,
but murder in their hearts. 1t is a no-
torious fact that one of the principal
men in the ~copperhead party in this
place, boosted publicly in the streets, a
few days prior to Orchards exploit,
that he and his political friends went
EARNED 10 defend themselves" Defend
from what? Conscience makes towards
of you all" THE thief doth fear each
bush an officer" Do the bloody stains
of your treashery to the country always
stare at and haunt you, and impel the
awful conviction that justice is on your
track and will overtake you unawares?-
What else prompts you to mortal resls-
lance? Can it be that your political
character has become SO frail that the
filings of a befuddled, rough old man, de-
mand such summary vindication as Judge
Orchard esssyed TO execute? Yes, you
go armed. Your pockets filed with pis-
tolls and your mouths reeking with fork
ed tongues of malice and treason. But
your Weapons are harmless for great in
jury. Even your pistols fail to do your
bidding and rebel against you. If Judge
Birchard is not a good deal more obtuse
and perverse than a mule, he will recog-
nize in his late target excursion a loud
call from Providence to change his course.
His Bretched politics will ruin him if
not Immediately rejected. a man who
aims SO poorly as he, cannot but fail.
But our duty as good citizens, as con-
SENATORS of public morals and the peace
and welfare of the community, demands
that an outrage of such magnitude as an
attempt against the life Of a citizen in
the streets. for simply expressing his po-
litical convictions in plain Saxon, should
not be allowed to be passed over as of no
concern. 1t is a matter of vital concern
TO all decent men to know whether the
law is strong enough to disarm smothered
rebellion and suppress embryo treason
The man who carries concealed weapons
in OHIO is in rebellion against the law
Let the law be enforced and the rebels
punished. A few examples will have a
salutary influence. Indulgence will n
courage the violators, will induce reck-
lessness in the use of their weapons, and
in the hands of men who handle them so
awkwaldly, every body is in danger
There is no guaranty except their natu-
raj contrariness, that they will only
shoot each other, in which case outsiders
feel Indifferent. The reptile might
be left alone if it were certain that ii
would sting itself to death, before in
hicting injury to any thing else.
In conclusion We would say We have
some sympathy for Mr.. Birchard. We
have no doubt he is ashamed of his o.
duct, and is especially mortified to real
ize that in this foolish, rash affair, he IT.
retrieyably lost that Of which he was al
Boosting, to wit: his skill as a crack
Munchausen stories of the
astounding fatality of his pistol among
the muskrats of the canal, will no more