The historic times. [volume] (Lawrence, Kansas) 1891-1891, 1891-09-12

an arm about me to show their friend
lv feelings or their lack of fear at my
threats.
Then I'd have shot them. or they me.
In either case I should have been pun
ishcd severely.
One winter was spending week
with = brother-in- law.
slept on the second floor ana ne
occupied the back parlor on the hrst
floor.
One night I was awakened by q
vornan's shrieks of "Helpl Murderl |
Thievesr 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 wasl and CROPPED my way down
the stairs to assist the person IN
danger
At about the middle of the staircase
I ran against a man coming up.
We had each other by the Threats in
an instant, and after short life or
death struggle we both, still trying to
strangle each other, fell and rolled,
locked together, to the bottom. There
in the darkness we fought and choked
and only stopped when my sister
bravelv 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-
laved much longer my poor brother-in-
law, on whom was sitting and pound
inc. would have been seriously dam
aged.
The servant girl, itafterwards turned
out. had an attack of nightmare and
| her screams had made the trouble.
Here again was a case where re-
volver in either of our hands would
have caused irreparable disaster.
In my mind comes one instance after
another of the woes that happen oy
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 vivid, half
} awake nightmare, caused by keeping q
} 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
Q A neighbor had an alteration with
u his hired man. Stung by his inso'
lence he left the stable, went in his
g house, got his pistol and returned to
Il enforce his commands In his mt OF
8 passion he murdered the man, and
. though he escaped hanging he lost his
y reason.
:, Another neighbor left his revolver
]. under his pillow one day. His daughtel
d on making up the bed tossed the pisto
Is on the floor, where it exploded ant
manned her for life.
t, 7 knew of several men who carried
ID revolvers for security against imagin
y ary dangers aud shot no one but them
selves.
al Then again l know of more VIII
Id nave walked about with pistols in thei
p pockets and slept with them unde
their heads for years without ever one
It having occasion to use them and new
e will.
I consider thosee people as very III
We safe and undesirable folks to be neal
Of and sincerely pity their families VIII
d. are always in danger.
Long ago discarded the pistol ] in
ty agined was so necessary for the prese
lie walton of my life and in consequence
he live without the slightest thought {
De- burglars and have peace of mind sleel
cd ing or waking.
Ia The average pistol-carrying man
not only liable to kill his family,
ed friends or himself but is in actual dal
ger of being shot by rogues who, at h
re first movement toward his 'pist
DO, pocket" will shoot him down in tn
is "self-defense" and not be hung for
either.
ide And where there Is single case OF
i'd, revolver being u protection to
MT owner there are thousands where
has proved just the opposite.
in When a woman can alone go aroul
WIS the world in perfect safety man CT
no tainly need not be afraid.
In fact only coward in these civ
ing lied times win go armed, although,
"a must confess, LnaI Hdh IAuoe Al"
ing considerable courage to have about
aey weapon almost sure to hurt him soor
or later
ore The old farmer who fixed gun
chy his chicken house so when the de
OF was opened it would shoot the chick
thief found that out. For he fort
ute the gun was there when he went III
L the eggs in the morning.
eeP May his fate and the fate OF other
have mentioned make men sensl
'loe enough to rely only on their fists
you pistol is a danger and nuisance
of no use at all. shoot it" before
I've shoots you'll. c. Dodge, In Gooda
Sun.
lind An Anecdote of Greeley
II was the custom of Horace~6reeI
x3aW44