The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1899-10-21
A yindication of the Code.

A VindicatiOn of the Code.
Louisville Couricr-Journai.
1t is, we hope, with becoming awe that
we transfer the following document from
the New Orleans Picavune:
ga CARD.
son the 2,d of September, 1899. MIR. +.
Howard McCaleb, in a speech. portion of
which was first brought to my notice by a
report of the same in the DAILY States OF
September IS, 1909, made gross, wanton
and malicious attack upon Judge W. w.
Howe. As the son-in-law OF Judge Howe,
and in tn. absence of Judge Howe from
1 demanded of MIR. McCaleb a public apo
lopy or the satisfaction usual among gentle
men. He has refused to- accord either.
upon the sole ground that more than twenty
four hours had elapsed since the offensive
u,terances were made. In view OF this re-
fusal, l give the foregoing facts to- the pub
lie, and leave it I" draw its own conclusion.
ssCHnRLEs p. Cooke.
GAS the friends of MIR. Cooke we called
upon MIR. McCaleb and received the reply
above stated LAMAR G.. QUINrERO.
ssW. 3. THOMPSON.
Thus ends as peacefully as sunny sum-
mer twilight what promised to be ''dith-
culty'' that would in all probability have
mussed up things with blood and added in
an untimely wav to the population of the
cemetery.
And yet there are well-ntcn,ioned PEOPLE
who inveigh against ''the code as barbar-
Gus. and there many statutes for its-dc-
molitnn.
Observe how this case vindicaesth code.
Mr.. McCaleb p,akes "a gross, wanton and
malicious attack upon Judge Howe Judge
Howe being absent, his sonin-iaw, Mr.
Cooke, has his attention called to il. Mr..
Cooke, solicitous for the honor of Judge
Howe sends Mr.. MrCaleb a challenge. Mr..
McCaleb, familiar gentleman should be
with the provisions of the code, declined t"
fight Mr.. Cooke because the period of limi-
tation between an offense and cartel had
run when Mr. Cooke forwarded his chal-
lenge Result: Judge Howe's honor is
indicated; Mr.. Cookies duty is done; Mr..
McCaleb is satisfied, and not smudge OF
blood is to be cleaned up after them.
But how would it have been if Mr.. Cooke
had ignored the code in vindic ting the
honor of his father -in-law?
He would have pursued one of 'w"
methods.
First-He would have thrown his cigar
away and gone straight to Mr.. McCaleb,
and would have shot him full of holes, or
have cyarved him into shoe strings, been
cyarved into shoe strings, or both; in either
case, mussing up the pavement the floor
and needlessly increasing the labors of the
citizens who act as scavengers End Coroner's
jurors, to say nothing of the sequen'ial dis
turbance of the peace of the community by
lawyers and life insurance companies
Second-If he had not adopted the first
speech written piece for the newspa-
pers. hurting the lie, or an assortment OF
lies back into the teeth of Mr.. Nice alcb
denouncng him by the dictionary. and
branding HIM as many and henous kinds OF
a creature, which ought not to have sur
vived the pliocene period of the worlds
development. This sort OF thunder would
have been doomed back and forth, and
luridly ominous threats would have been
exchanged and re-exchanged, until teams
tiers would have been chary about driving
out of the stables without having their
horses shoes spiked for gore-slippery streets,
and ladies would not have dared venture to
take an airing without having their poodles
clad in Harveyized armor. In the end the
two belgerents nigh: have accidentally
met, in their attempts to get out OF town,
and few telegraph poles or trees would
have probably been Scared with bullets
marks, costly plate glass might have been
broken flinders, and the fruit merchant
at the corner would most likely. have had Il
bunch of bananas shot away, thus insuring
another claim against our Government by
Italy 70: indemnify in rehalf of her citizens.
All in all, who is there to say that the
provisions of the code, appealed to in this
case did not furnish the expeditions,
calmer, cleaner and honor-satIsfyinger
method of settlement?
Mrs. Maggie Jarman, Lau,ierdaie,
Miss, writes: Have used DIR. Nj.