The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-04-12
THE CARRYING OF
CONCEALED WEAPONS,
FtiARFUh HOMICIDE RECORD.


Of Manhood and Bravnry--A Strong
Arrangement from the Bench.
In opening tho court OF gcDeral
sessions for RtcL'and County, the Dc-
casiOn was signallZed by Judge Benet
in a charge to the grand jury which
calls the attention. Of the public very
forcibly to the crying evil of carrying
concealed weapons, q practice that is
largely responsible for the terrible re-
cord Of homlcides in thi, State. Judge
Benet said there certainly is need for
some Legislation looking TO the reduc
tiOn in the number of homicides that
annually occur in South Carolina, the
year 1899 showing total OF 242, bich
is an average numSer. The following
is tho chief portion OF Judge Benet's
remarks
What is the cause, gentlemen. Of
this extraordinary number Of homi.
CideS | an sure each one OF you
can assign certainly as one cause the
dcplOrabe custom OF carrying pistols,
Is custom carried TO sucn an extent
that our State may be regarded an
armored camp in times OF peace. Oar
young men and boys, back and white,
rich and poor, seem to think that their
outfit is not complete without pistol :;
somc OF onr older men show bad
example, and | regret 10 say some
public officials have on occasions been
found armed In violation Of the law
Pistols are carried not as a protection
at night in some lonely road or III some
remote part Of the country during the
day or in some dangerous neigh bor-
hood, but at public meetings, on the
streets, At social gatherings, even at
dances, even at daily labor, and follow
ing the plough, and | add also even at
cnurch ana prayrrtneetlnr and rs for
tn )Se gatherings known rs the LtgrOes'
hot suppers, is There ever a hot supper
without u cold corpse: Tho negro
will initiate the wniJe uin and mitute
him more successfully IN his vices and
his crimes than in his virtues.
MIR. Foreman and gentlemen, it
would be an lntcrt sung experiment II
the court were at this moment to
order the sheriff and his bailifs to
search tho pockets Of ali in this court
house now and see how many pisto.
will be found, carried on the person
concealed even in the temple Of Justice.
Gentlemen, as surely as this lament
able habit continues so surely will two
or three hundred of our fellow citizens
annually ill untimely graves, the vic
Tins OF the pistol habit. 1t is fear
tul price to pay for the privilege of
carrying arms. 1t Is not only uniaw-
iul to carry arms concealed upon the
person, but 1t is unChris tian, unCivi.
liz3d and still more shOu.u the appeal
be made TO the youth Of the cOnutry
who carry pisvols that it is unmaniy
and cow&rdly, aud altogether unncces-
sary in a civilized community. 1t
causes our young men, no doubt, to
hold human life very cheap, and it
causes them also to have false ideas OF
bravery and true manliness, and it has
iDfused in the pubic nind wrong and
vicious views Of the right OF SELF de-
Tense.
Gentlemen of the grand jury, how
many cOrpses OF men slain by the pis-
tol-carrying homicide have been
searched in vain for the pistol, and yet
the slayers have put up their Plea OF
self.defense, and juries have acquitted
them on that pioh, because fOrsooth
the defendant, the man. slayer. testified
that when he shot his victim had put
mis- hand TO his hip pocket o. was
about to place it there, and he was in
duced to belieTe by that act that he
h.d pistol and was about to draw it,
He presumed, in other words, that he
was in danger and acted, as he claim ed :,
in self-defense. If that presumption Is
10 be regarded by petit jurors must we
not crevte another presumption in fact
to meet it-that the man who carries
a pistol habitually must he presumed
to have murder in his heart and is q
dangerous man to the peace OF any
community. When a blood-guilty man
is set free by the verdict Of a. jury,
then the public, through the press,
10 hn L., 81 T.,
carriage OF justice, that the jury system
is failure and the like, not re llecting
that the jury is only carrying into
effect the publics own mistaken view
and idea OF self-defense. Water does
not rise above its level. a petit jury
Is part Of the people, and it is noL
wiser or better than the people from
whom it ia drawn by lot 1t is futile
to lay the blame at the door OF the
jury or the system Of trial by jury.
Let it lie also at the door of all who
are guilty OF carrying pistols concealed
upon their persons. | would not be-
little the right Of self.defcnse. 1t iS Il
good right it is a God given right. as
well rs a right recognized by the law
of our land but it Is wOcfully msun.
derstOod and most rashly and reckless.
ly exercised, until the blood Of hun
uF0uS vi men CFicS alOuu IRON ii un-
dreds Of graves for the vengeance
courts have denied them. ..'
Two hundred and forty three men
slaughtered in South Carolina last
year, ard how many convicted
Ninety.ulno. In other words, l4l men
with their fellows blood on their
hands go free, prOENunced not guilty.
There may be "a few Of these repor ted
cases that have not been tried, but
am speaking In rJnud. numbers. in
round numbers tho fact stares us in
the face that only one OF every three
men who have been put in the dock
charged with murder has been con.
victed either of N, rder or man.
slaughter.
"Gentlemen, fit Is always, or nearly
always the intending murderer who is
fortunately killed by the man who is
acting In self.defense, will not the race
OF murderers soon be exterminated in
this State at the rate Of 200. odd q year?
TO put that question is to show tho re
ductio ad absurdum.
/" have said that self defense If a
sacred right, but it Is not moro sacrnd
surely than human life and it Is in be.
half of the sanctity OF human life that
] have been led to make the remarks