The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-25
PISTOL ToTERs' HABITS.
Detective Murphy Explains Why
Most Negroes Have RevoIvers.

According to Police Detective j. J.
Murphy, who is well informed on the
subject, and who in a measure has
made 1t a study, pistol toting by ne
groes, is in the majority of cases
financial habit, and not necessarily one
of viciousness. The officer does not
mean to advance the theory that ne
groes of the police type are not vicious,
and dangerous, but that pistols are not
their favorite weapons, because they
prefer shooting to cutting. AS a rule
the fighting negro does not care much
whether he cuts or shoots. and II he
has any preference it is for the knife
or razor. The pistol makes a noise.
and is not easily disposed of either.
This may sound strange to those
who have had no experience in crimi-
nal work, and who read of innumera-
Bile shooting scrapes," said the detec-
tive. THE negroes do not use the pis-
toll because it is their favorite weapon.
1t is to them a sort of banking sys-
tenn. Several days ago l arrested
Seaboard Air Line fireman for beating
a West Broad street merchant out of
$45. The man had a 50-cent check
cashed for $50, and the case was turned
over to me. Because l remarked that
with money in his pocket he would
purchase a pistol. if he didn't have
one, and because when l arrested him
/ jumped for his gun the first thing,
and secured it, some surprise was ex-
pressed that / should have guessed
right.
Il knew that With money in his
pocket the first thing the negro would
do would be TO buy a gun. and 1t was
not guess work. The man didn't buy It
because he wanted to kill anybody, al
though If he had been cursed or struck
by another negro before l arrested him
he would probably have used his weap-
on without the slightest hesitancy. The
negro bought the pistol to save money.
He invested in a S. & w. revolver be-
cause he had the money, and he want
ed something to hold on to when he
went broke. He would have tagged that
gun around with him until his last cent
was spent. and IL he hadn't killed any
body during that time he would have
pawned the gun. That was his only
reason for buying 1t when he had
money. He wanted to buy an article
that he could realize something on
when he got on his upper"
This may sound odd, but IL is new
ertheless a fact. Any officer who has
had experience with the black race
will bear me out in what l say. You
will find that the negro with the pistol
is the negro who has money In his
pocket. The fellow that hasn't got any
silver juggling in his jeans hasn't got
a gun. He carries a razor or a knife
that the pawn-shop men would not buy
as junk and those are the weapons
that can do the damage. A pistol may
miss, but in a hand to-hand encounter
the boy with the knife or razor comes
out with flying colors. Next to gun,
the negro with money will buy a Stet-
son hat. and then a pair of fine trous-
sers. II he has made big stake he
will purchase all three. The trousers
are put up first, then the hat and last
the revolver. He loses money by the
deal, but IL he had kept the cash 1t
would have gone long before.
ITO better show the popularity of
the race | will tell you an incident that
/ witnessed this week. A negro went
into a Broughton street clothing store
and purchased pair of trousers for 81
1t was all the money that he had, but
he wanted the trousers, and he had a
scheme to buy them on the installment
plan, not realizing that he was paying
dearly for the privilege. From the
clothing store he went direct to a
Pawnshop and displayed a receipt
showing what the garment had cost
him. He was broke, and needed some
amount was given and the trousers
were put on the shelf. The negro knows
| that he owns a pair of fine pants, and
that he can obtain them by paying 81,
and the interest. When he gets his next