San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-01-30
BLooD-cURDLING ADVENTURE.
Why a Citizen Packed Pistol and
the Rema rk able Results of 1t.

hHOW InaC many citizens IN
San Antonio" said a well. known
merchant to Light man, "still
carry pistols, but there is no sense
in doing so, and the handy pistol
has been the source OF MANY a
tragedy. There are only two
classes of men that should be
allowed to carry a pistol, peace
officers and newspaper men; the
former to make arrests and pre-
serve the peace, the latter to pro-
tect themselves from imbeciles
and Cranks who would do
violence even when the
| mere cold truth was told
of them for, as Henry Michael
says, "the truth hurts" | never
carried a pistol but once in my life,
and then | had strange adven-
turc that in the end led me to be-
lieve that | was a dOg-gOne fool for
doing so. One evening a fellow
threatened my life and | thought
he meant it. | had that night to
go to the theatre with a party. /
knew that | would get home late, or
rather early in the morning,
and, in going home, have to walk
through North Flores street that
was Overhung with trees, the only
light being the fftful CLEANS of a
waning moon, so | carried pistol.
1t was dark when | passed up the
street, except where the occasional
CLEANS of moonlight broke through
the foliage. | was on the qui vive
for my supposed wOuld-be assassin,
and when | got near Wolfson's
warehouse, where there was a big
recess, | could just discern, as L
thought, mans head and shout
der looking out Of the projection to-
wards me. "Ah," thought "there
he is and he is laying for me-" and
candidly my first impression was
to retrace my stops and go down
by a connecting street to SGledad
street, and thence by the way Of
NewtOn's alley to my, then, resi-
dencc on kingsbury street. But
on second thought l considered
that if lie wanted me he would get
| me some time-perhaps when L
was unprepared for him-and /
might as well have it out at once.
Slowing up | pulled my pistol, ex-
amined the hammer and cylinder
to see if they were in good work.
ing order, and finding this salts
| factory, | went as far | could on
| the opposite side Of the street so as
give my opponent better chance
| missing me when he fired. Then,
pistol in hand, full cooked and
! ready TO blaze away, | Screwed
my courage to the sticking place."
| for | felt that was matter Of life
and death to me--in fact the crisis
Of my life. AS passed the dreaded
| spot | turned la the duClliSt, the
thin side of my body thereto and
| prepared TO fire, when 10 and be-
hold | saw that the supposed
| assassin was merely a harmless
cow that was eating grass at the
front of the fence and that it
was the eccentric motion of her
hind quarters and tail that
had fooled me. | was greatly re-
lieved and could not help laughing
at this ridiculous incident. Before
| the discovery was greatly excited
and its a wonder to me that | did
not give an automatic shot at the
COW. If had seen a man | should
certainly have fired, and more
than once, and / might posi-
bly, have seen, as I have often done,
IN fn
vending his way home and, God
knows, | would not have the
blood of an innocent man on
my soul for the wealth of the
Indies. Next day the man who
threatened my life came and apol-
OgisedIfor his angry wOrds-hasti-
ly and injudiciOusly spokPn-and
we are today good friends. 1t takes
two TO make a quarrel, and kind
words will go far in the way of ar
ranging differences, but the man
with his pistol in his pocket
thinks he is fixed and don't care
a darn for the other fellow. He for
gets that the other fellow may be
equally well fixed and quicker
on the pulp and that is where
many a man has lost his life. My
advice to all, especially in such
a law and order city as San An
tonic, is don't pack pistol, and 1
would like to see the man who car
ries a pistol punished, not only by
a heavy fine, but a good term of
imprisonment. Men don't mind
paying fines much, but when it
comes to Imprisonment, they re-
alize the fact that the pleasure, II
there be any, OF carrying a pistol,