Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-10-08
TENNESSEE, THURSDAY, o.

On arm about me to show their friend-
ly feelings or their lack OF fear at my
threats.
Then I'd have shot them, or they me.
In either case | should have been pun.
ished severely.
One winter was spending week
with brother-in- law.
slept on the second floor and he
occupied the back parlor on the first
floor
One night | was awakened by a
woman's shrieks of "Helpl Murder!
Thievesw proceeding, as imagined,
from below me in the house.
AS quickly as possible |, again with
no weapon, opened my door to The
hall (where the light had gone out
leaving it as black as my midnight
walk was) and CROPPED my way down
the stairs to assist the person in
danger
At about the middle of the staircase
| ran against man coming up.
We had each other by the Threats in
an instant, and after n short life or
death struggle VIC both, still trying to
strangle each other fell and rolled,
locked together, to the bottom. There
in the darkness we fought and choked
aud only stopped when my sister
bravcly opened the parlor door and let
the lighted gas illuminate the combat.
Lucky indeed it was for all con-
cerned that she did SO, for had she de-
layed much longer my poor brother-in-
law, on whom was sitting and pound
ing, would have been seriously dam
aged
The servant girl, it afterwards turned
out, had an attack of nightmare and
her screams had made the trouble
Here again was case where re-
volver in either of our hands would
have caused irreparable disaster
Inmy mind comes one instance after
another of the woes that happen by
owning handy pistols.
A little boy know found his fathers
revolver carelessly left in a bureau
drawer. Before he finished playing
with it he shot and killed his smaller
brother. =.
A friend fearing burglars was in the
habit of sleeping with pistol under his
pillow.
One night while in a vivid, half
awake nightmare, caused by keeping a
pistol and thereby dreaming of burg
lars, he fred at some one moving across
his darkened bed chamber 1t was his
bride, and she died in his arms
A neighbor had an alteration with
his hired man. Stung by his inso
lence he left the stable, went in hi:
house, got his pistol and returned tC
enforce his commands. In his fit Of
passion he murdered the man, ant
though he escaped hanging he lost his
reason.
Another neighbor left his revolver
under his pillow one day. His daughter
on making up the bed tossed the pisto
on the floor, where it exploded ant
manned her for life.
| knew of several men who carried
revolvers for security against inagin
airy dangers aud shot no one but them
selves.
Then again know of more wh'
have walked about with pistols in thei
pockets and slept with them undo
their heads for years without ever once
having occasion to use them and neve
will
consider those people as very un
safe and undesirable folks to be near
and sincerely pity their families WIFI
arc always in danger.
Long ago discarded the pistol i'm
agined was so necessary for the preser
walton of my life and in consequence
live without the slightest thought o
burglars and have peace of mind sleep
ing or waking,
The average pistol-carrying man j
not only liable to kill his family, hi
friends or himself but is in actual dan
ger of being shot by rogues who, at hi
first movement toward his 'pisto
pocket will shoot him down in thei
"self-defense" and not be hung for
either.
And where there is a single case of
revolver being a protection to it
owner there arc thousands where
has proved just the opposite.
When a woman can alone go aroun
the world in perfect safety a man Gel
! tainiy need not be afraid.
In fact only coward in these civil
lied times will go armed, although, W
must confess, that Il man must hav
considerable courage to have about
weapon almost sure to hurt him soone
or later
The old farmer who fixed gun i
his chicken house so when the doc
was opened it would shoot the chicl;e
thief found that out For he forge
the gun was there when he went afte
the eggs in the morning
May his fate and the fate of Others
have mentioned make men sensibl
enough to rely only on their fists.
pistol is danger and nuisance an
of no use at ALL "Shoot it" before
sho OTIS you'll. c. Dodge, in Goodall
Sun.