The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-11-17
Harmless PlcnsnntrIcs.

| II must have been prescience which in
spired the fierce onslaught upon the judici-
airy, Of which the Charleston Clubhouse
was the scene and the black February of
| 1868 the epoch. Our readers will remember
| with what ferocity Of invectiye the chair
man of the loyal, virtuous and intelligent
! body who then and there demolished the
State of South Carolina, denounced the
bench as the constant bulwark Of oppression
and tyranny. Surely the chieftain of the
Mackeys was gifted with second sight; he
foresaw the coming woe, and already armed
himself to battle for his clan.
To-day the predicted hour has come. A
peaceable gentleman of his race, suffering
from violent attack Of morphine, became
the victim of strange hallucinations; he went
a-shootng in the Council Chamber; he made
game of the city fathers Coffee was the
antidote he needed, but, to his bewildered
fancy, coffee was connected with pistols, and
he took the latter instead, and sought to ad-
minister the remedy by clutching the stock
in his hand and pulling wildly ut the trigger.
The weapon was u defensive one and ought
not to have gone Off but then it must be
remembered that it was taken ut unawares.
The pistol was not 30 much TO blame, otter
all And as for the conduct of the Alder
men, that was admirable. Had the dignity
OF the State been endangered, they would
have sat serene as the Roman Senate at the
irruptiOn OF the Gauls and perished TO IL
man. But with condescension that does
them infinite credit, they entered into the
| fun OF the thing. They romped around with
| the agility Of Pickwick ut the review. They
humorously ducked under tables and slid
| down banisters. AS the patient gigantic
Stoker said OF his 1.-THE virago of wife, who
was trying to beat him: Let her 60 on
''she doesn't hurt me, and it does her good 4"
SO the gallant Council dealt with q distin-
guished colleague.
Now, we would like to ask what business
tyrannical, despotic Judge has with this
little fraternal celebrationf If there was
smoke, it has cleared away; If there were
pistol shots, nobody was hurt; il there was
| excitement, Ciat was not extravagant in
view OF the precious moral conveyed.
| Heretofore, we make bold TO say, that no.
body ever suspected the fcrocity and explo-
siveness OF morphine. In comparison with
it, kerosene is harmless. Henceforth, let
every Alderman confine himself to gas. We
have also learned with great satisfaction
that the City Council are invulnerable. Thcy
have survived such arrows of ridiculc as
would have caused common men to die n
thousand deaths. But now they show a
superior power They wear front of brass,
from which enlcn bullets glance us lightly
rs they do from the hides of 80 many alliya-
tors. This is a most encouraging circum-
stance to many of us, who feared that our
dear city fathers were in danger OF commit
ting suicide, or of butchering each other in
the Council Chamber. But now We know
that our fears are idle. These civic SOL
dicrs-
Full of strange Oaths and bearded like the
pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in guar
| rel,
Seeking tho bubble reputation,
| Even In the pistols month
These gallant men will never die that way.