New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-05-28
BEARDLESs BOYS WITH LOADED PISTOLS

BEARDLESS BOYS WITH LOADED PISTOLS.
The entire hardness of having loaded
pistol in your pocket was illustrated again
last Sunday morning, in Brooklyn, by young
gentleman of twenty, who shot and instantly
killed his mother. The young man intended
to kill some one else, to wit, person OF about
the same age, who was intoxicated and also
armed with the always handy revolver. Two
young men of the mature age of twenty, one
of them intoxicated and quarrelsome, both
armed with revolvers which they had drawn
upon each other with murderous intentions,
the mother of one of them while attempting to
separate the combatants shot dead by the pls-
toll of her own son-picture at once graphic
and CHASTITY of condition Of society in which
youthful precocity is 30 rapidly developed in
the direction of brutality and sensual indul-
gence, that the beardless boy lays aside his
top for o revolver and is graduated from the
play ground to the groggery and brOtheL Its
such manly thing to carry revolver; 1t
adds 80 much to ones intellectual stature, to
ones personal dignity, reputation for courage,
and to ones pride of behavior and sense of
self-respect. Doubtless this young man Rode
rick, twenty years old, thought when he dressed
himself on Sunday morning and completed his
personal adornments with the loaded revolver
that he was much moro a man with
that than if he went unarmed; that
that intangible and incomprehenslble thing he
called his personal honor was safer from the
possible disgrace of an insult; that he was
better entitled to be looked up to and re-
spected by his fellow-men while he had in
his breast pocket so sure means Of ayenging
discourtesy or slight. And the other budding
murderer no doubt plumed himself on bis
manliness as he armed himself for his Sun
days recreation, rum and riot. Not to have
pistol was, in the consideration OF both
these young men, evidence of the callowness
and inexperience of youth. BY this token they
were men.
So when they met the days dissipation had
prepared young Corcoran for any exhibition
of brutality, and both had fixed themselves
deliberately for the taking of life. A few mo-
ments' violent alteration, an assault by the
drunken young fellow COrcoran, both draw
their pistols, and Roderick'S mother, endeaVOr-
ing to separate them, is killed. BY accident,
of course; that Isl it was an accident as to
the person killed. but not as to the killing.
If these two boys had any purpose in arming
themselves with loaded revolvers, as they did
deliberately on Sunday morning, it was to take
life-somebody's life. Possibly they deluded
themselves with the idea that it would be in
sef-defense; but that the intent was to kill
somebody under some circumstances is plain
enough. Indeed, it may as well be taken
for granted that when any man or boy arms
himself with loaded pistol to so out into
crowded streets, where the only game is
human, he means murder. This boy meant
to kill somebody, and he killed his mother.
Of course he feels badly about it. He would
have felt badly, though not perhaps as badly,
il he had shot and killed some one else. 1t
was the logic of events that he should feel
badly. 1t follows the killing just as naturally
as the killing followed the loading of the pistol.
There's no need of saying, and there g no
sense in whining, that this young man bears
q good reputation, and that he is overwhelmed
with grief because he killed his mother Let
us stop all this business of personal and private
sympathy and see whether upon tho whole
society has not some rights in the matter.
Here is great staring fact, not of accidental
killing, but of deliberate preparation to do
murder. 1t is not isolated or sporadic; it
illustrates fashiOn-the fashion of carrying
deadly weapons, and of using them upon
whatever occasion offers. We hold human
life pretty cheap at the best in this country;
but if it has come to this that beardess boys
"of good reputation" travel our streets habit
ually armed and waiting only provocation to
take life, it is quite time that we do some
thing besides waste sympathy on them when
they happen to kill the wrong person.
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BRIEF COMPARISON.