The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-12
THE PLAYFUL REVOLVER.

We wish that Ii should be- perfectly understood
that, ~ general thing, between man and man,
rs private individuals, we have not the least OBJ
jection to shooting, We consider that the native
born or duly naturalized American citizen has
perfect right to stand of within ~ many or as
few PAGES Of his peer as he chooses, and bang
away at his pleasure, SO long rs he goes through
the performance In an out OF the way place, where
he can miss his adversary without danger to third
parties. This Ia the prerogative Of fres citizen,
and ought, II anything, to be encouraged, inas-
much a. 1t would ultimately (some balls may
luckily make hit,) rid the country Of qusrrel-
some individuals. There is one practice, how
ever that we can not stand, and that is promis.
cuous shooting on the streets. As we have said
before, We like shooting rs an art, but Vita
brcrs. tonga life 10 short and art Is long, audit
takes the average individual some practice before
he can properly shoot the fellow he aims at.
This promiscuous shooting, In fact, land that ID
why we object to it, is more SPIT to shorten the
lives OF innocent third parties than to improve
the noble art Of destroying'a fellow creature, In
self.defense.
The above reflections were suggested to us by
Bourbon street yesterday between two gentle
their quarrel in more becoming and less danger
Gus way to third parties. They owed each other
grudge, the reason why is neither here nor there
They met by chance. Is We charitably suppose,
and ~ convenient bystanders stood around,
fair receptacle for bullets, out came the
playful revolvers whose compromising lead,
avoiding the wary fighters Gas is generally the
easel, trAversed the calf Of the leg Of an inno-
cent woman passing by, and made an ugly
wound on the head of = gentleman who evident
ly, "a the consequences show, had no business to
be there.
| Now, a. we have said before, we have no objec-
ton to gentlemen shooting at each other provided
then do not miss their aim. On general principles
We rather like square fight, but we cannot rea-
sonably understand why third parties should be
made to suffer for some indefinite anf suspected
wrong between the party Of the fir and the
party Of the second part
Therefore, IL Ia our serious opinion that the
thing should be stopped. In the anomalous
state Of society which has been our lot for the
last eight or ten years, the carrying Of weapons,
we are sorry to say, has become very nearly q
necessity. The law Of self representation, in the
absence Of protection from the government,
| uh5 mAuo euo pahVuou Gil mbHsuhUu
In consequence We mildly suggest that our
Legislature, foregoing other arduous labor be-
fore IL adjourns, and after having elected 4 Sen
ator, pass mn act authorizing, or even command
ing, every member Of the community to wear
about his body some sharp steel weapon, OF
whatever size or length he may chose, with which
he may, upon any emergency, mako away with the
life Of an enemy without danger to bystanders
thus, in conservative train OF reasoning, pam
dering to bloody appe,ites in a legitimate way.
As provision to the law aforementioned we
suggest that after the proper delay and promu-
CATION, any person caught within the corporate
| limits Of the city with loaded gum revolver or
pistol. should be immediately hanged and quar-
tered after the approved fashion Of our ancestors.