The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-06-22
SHOOTING IN SPORT.
a Number of Recent Cases Which We're
Decided bv the Courts.

4 Number of Recent Gases Which Were
Decided bv the Courts.
A recent English trial will be in
structive to American "target-shoot.
lists" Three young Englishmen visited
O vacant field for amateur rife shooting.
They placed q bit of board in the
branches of a tree for q mark, and COM
menced firing, without any special pre-
cautions as to who or What might be in
the distance beyond. They fired in
turn, but before they had gone twice
around people came running flom
the rear of the target to tell them
that they had killed a little boy. And
so it was. The rifles were able to
carry a bullet nearly o mile. In q gar
den, far beyond the target, two chill
dren were at play. The little boy
climbed into a low apple tree. Just
then these balls came whistling by, and
he fell from the tree, dead, at his sisters
feet. The three young men were tried
for m%anslaughter, Now, it was not pos
sible to ascertain with certainty whose
bullet did the mischief. But the judges
said that all three must be punished
alike. It was not necessary to detect
the Individual. Rifle shooting under
such arrangements, and with no precau-
lions to avoid doing mischief, was a
dangerous and unlawful practice. The
killing of the little child was manslaugh-
ter, and as all three of the young men
had participated in the shooting they
were all liable to the punishment.
A curious shooting case is related
from Illinois. A young man had lately
been married and had brought his
wife home to his fathers house. Appar-
ently-although history does not say so
in express words-the match was dis
pleasing to the neighbors. At all events,
the house was visited late one evening,
soon after the wedding, by o /" chart
vari." Now, a charivari is a serenade
turned wrong side outward. It consists
of a great crowd surrounding the house,
hooting, shouting derisively, beat
ing burlesque drums and footing mock
instruments, firing guns, and the like.
The father and head Of the household
rushed out without much deliberation
and commenced chasing the riotous
visitors, and in the melee one of the
latter was shot by him, as several wit
nesses said. Now, it is a well-estab-
lished rule in the courts that nothing in
the nature of mere words, threats,
abuse or ridicule will justify shooting
in retaliation. But the judges said that
they thought the charivari might fairly
be deemed a provocation sufficient to
exempt the father from punishment.
AS the constitutions generally say
that the right of the people to bear
arms shall not be infringed, it seems to
be established that laws cannot be
passed to forbid men from carrying fire
arms. But most of the States proba-
bly, have laws declared that these
weapons shall not be carried concealed;
whoever wears a pistol must wear it
openly, so that his neighbors can see
that he goes armed and may take care
accordingly. Alabama has a stringent
law of this kind. One man lately at
tempted to evade it by carrying in his
pocket a pistol which could be
taken apart and put together; the
cylinder would unscrew from the bar
lei. He carried the pieces separate,
but they were all in readiness and
could be screwed together and put
Lin order for use at short notice. He
pieces of the pistol were not q
the courtdecided against
pistol cannot be
saythat carry
=! % IS !