New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-08-19
SHOOTING Ar SIGHT.p

Two typical Southern ARRAYS were reported
during the past weck-one between two doc
tors, which was saved from a murderous end
ing only by the pistol being snatched from the
hand of one of them; the other, one in which
a clergyman was killed for domestic " reasons
Ivy man whom "no one blamed" Human
life has not been, and is not, safe in the
South as in the North, and tho difference is not
an easy cue to explain. The North has been
several generations ahead of the South in its
progress out of the barbarism Of duelng and
promiscuous shooting, and In the comparative
rate of homicide, and the comparative certainty
of punishment, maintains about the same dis
lance from it to-day. Mr.. Curtis in the Easy
Chair" points to the killing of Hamilton by
Burr as the event which startled the public into
such realization of the horrors of duelling
that from that time 1t was generally con-
demned. There were noted dues after that,
such as the one in which Decatur was killed,
but, in the North at least, tho practice vas re-
garded with abhorrence That the feeling was
far less strong in the South Is shown by the
fact that IN Ost of the famous dueIs Of the first
half of this century were those in which
distinguished public men Of the South, such as
hdUuOlpU, CldJp OdCkbOD, OIdMlOIu, gnu SCOItb
of others among the later generations, took
part. But even in the South duelling was in
time put down. 1t was succeeded, however. by
the practice OF shooting az sight" about which
a member of the Supreme Bench of Georgia,
Judge James Jackson, contributes curious
article to The North american Reuiew. Per-
haps tho most curious feature Of 1t is that
we do not find there the explanation of the
origin of shooting at sight" which has been
given already on Southern authority, and which
seems plausible.
This was that it offered the easiest way of
evading the laws against dueling. Most, if
not all, of the Southern States have stringent
statutes furnishing every act connected with
duel, whether on the part OF the principal or
the second. In Georgia, for example, it is even
made msdemeanor to post 4 man as a coward
because he refuses to fight duel, ard if the
printer of such a communication declines to
give up the name of the author he is put in
the authors place. and may be fined. impris-
oned placed in the chain -gang-any of these
three, or all. Under these circumstances men
who were in earnest about shooting each
other were liable to be forestalled and annoyed
IN other ways if they made preparations for
formal duel The quickest and surest way was
for one to send word to the other that he
should "shoot at sight" Then each went
armed. and the aim was to see which should
get the drop" on tho other. When the
Drop had been got" the usual sequel was
~ no arrests" inasmuch as both parties were
of the highest social standing" This was the
chivalrous way Of conducting such an affair,
and 1t seems to have been moro common than
has been supposed. 1t was far more barbarous
and brutal than duelling, but each man was on
his guard and the practice was certainly not to
be classed with ordinary assassination. On