The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-07-27
THE TEXAS PISTOL TOTERS.
The Representative Citizens of Houston Would Bring
Their Reign to An End.

the presumption that public sentiment Is
| back of Il or Il would not be law. IL |
Is pusillanimous for any public Official 20
| say: You give us the backing and we VIII |
"people 60 about Houston armed with |
| loaded revolvers because they have abso- |
| lutely no fear OF the administration OF the !
| law. They have no respect for an officer |
| OF the law. Laws are made for lust that |
| class of people. They must be made 70
obey II. The only way Is to make them
] fear II by enforcing It's severcst penalties,
/ and when the fear Of the law Is removed |
] Its effect Is DESTROYED.
"a remedy occurred to me recently. II /
! sounds nonsensica but It is a good Idea, |
| II impracticabe. That Is, TO absolutely |
! prohibit the manufacture and sale OF con /
| cealed weapons 10 citizens. No man can
/, offer one good reason for tho manufacture
OF the pistol and the dirk, the weapons OF
| the coward. When II becomes necessary
to use weapons rifles and ahotguns are al /
ways available and just rs effective"
Prof H. y. Attwater-''I travel great
deal. and hear Houston frequently al
ludcd to as the toughest town IN Texas.
| when I encounter these criticisms ] try
to explain that Hcuston IS no worse than
other towns, but II IS hard to make people
believe 1t. l think IT is about time for
/ O change. In my address at tho Farmers
Congress last week on the relation Of
birds to farmers. I stated that the damage
20 crops il North America 10y insects was
about Sio0o0no0o; that insects were thu
enemies ~ Vegetation. and that birds aud
animals WIRE tho enemies of tho insects.
We are trying 10 have something done to
( animals Many coed laws nave pren
PASSED Tor the protection OF game and other
hirds but thev 1re practically dpud eitcr
The writings NJ scientists on tho subject.
calling attention TO impending danger seem
fo have NO effect The plea6lucv Of those
| who woul0 srop the slaughter ~ birds for
FHrasHa Nt jail Ae.a
J iu the habit of carving concealed weapons
) The only radical cure IS ctucatjon and the
place Of on o'hr~s 70 begin such education
, ] Is In the home These important lessons
should DE ttrcht 10y parents themselves 20
tloir boys j know NJ some boys lr the
70 city ~ Houston who tote pistols With the
~ AS long as this confines We can NOT hope
d Tor much Improvement"
b (.
= Major william II Wh1oldon: "publc
. opinion must do away with the cowarliv
q h1hjt az carrying pistols. only towards
n carry concealed weapons have been rnil-
/ loading for thirty years, have worked
among 7li classes 81 people. from the lakes
}, to the gulf. and never have carried o gun
BE- E ot needed one
u would suggest that the junk shops and
e Inwnbroker shops Of Houston be prohibited
g. from selling pistols, dirks and ether deadly
T. weapons ANY scamp rHV Ind weapon at
St. those Places FOR six hiis with which 10 sllv
J. some good o-tIznn. just laok 40 their win
O. doWs as Won Pass along The street a
e visitor would think that we were on the
IS ~
4 Mr. john Howard. immigration agent Of
u the Southern Pacific; 81 have been trav-
d. ,'ns through Teas especially on the
d. frontier. ever since 1852. have Travelled
:, by stage and horseback into the worst sec
10 I'ons. under the worst condiG ions, | have
to never carried a pistol never needed orc.
~ No gentleman would carry che. The put
Il lir should know that she pistol carrying
~ HNnlt ~ Houston and the lawlessuts5 OIL
m certain counties Of South Texas has mjurc
w the stale by retardug Immigration. III,
We farmer in the old State desires a home ia
p Texas. Along comes the agent of tho North
" / west and says; Why, you don't want I,
u / ga o. Texas There's No law down ther,
,s i'--tnst iilig mat Toe people are bar
m D '''.. an cut threats Come mp to on
A. country where We hang cold -hl1odcd muir
y 1egerS ana send thieves TO the penltentiary
~ These are facts. We cnnt lct around them
EVERY single account nf chime and no con
90 yicu1ns n South Texas Is carefully cipps,
~ and pasted In scraphucks by !mmigratlU
or agents OF other sections and used aglius
10 Here IS my remedy: g0nr the Hrst ofrene
b on carrying concealed weapons assess
he line Of $500 nnd siN months Imprisonment
ms Law abiding people don't care N "a y max
er me mt 10000 aud the term OF inprisonmcn
i've years"
NV MF. AhuFeW DOVE NO brave man wi
6a wear gun. 1t Is cowardly habit.
an would suggest heavy fines the rigid er
IN foremost of present laws"
Ter ~
,ra Mr.. Edgar Watkins being asked as to tn
sal evils Of carrying pistols said:
use THE carrying Of pistols is not the caus
az Of the many killings that occur In Texa,
is Take the numerous cases in Houston wher
men have been Killed and 1t will in mos
IA, instances be found that there was dellberat
yer preparation for the hostile meeting. Pisto
az wero used, it Is true but they were pr,
NJ NJ cured for the particular occasion
AL The cause Hes deeper than the 'pisto
'n. toting habit In many States 1t Is n,
la Illegal TO carry pistol, providing It
he NOT concealed. l believe mat the know
aN- possession OF pistol by the man to
FOR Killed would tend to prevent killings. Nh
ras derers are generally towards aud when the
get ready 10 Kill they usually select SON
unarmod man.
The main cause OF the prevalence ,
tat homcides In Texas and other States thu
"a are as bad as Texas In this particular Is II
'rs feeling that so-called honor demands thi
Of the individual must execute vengeance I,
of any real or imaginary injury,
90 The person aggriwed thinks that II
&C. sentiment q she community demands til.
lon pc do something 10 wipe out the stain upu
M his honor Being a moral coward,
~ Yields to what is undoubtedly a large
an accepted sentiment and goes nd gets ~
lis aud performs his deadly work The SAN
no sentiment that causes the crime is found
,nn the jury box and an acqulttal is the r.
'uh suit
- @0ur judges are usually good and strou
men, but under the law on questions
30 fact they have absolutely no power an
q can exert no Influence.
20 our State pays meager salaries to 4
n officers, and the defendants lawyer I,
b that reason very frequently is greatly s.
d peilor In ability to the States attorney
B II am not discussing any particular ca,
3 and what ! say Is not intended to prelude
q any man: Some Of the remedies / sugge
n tentatively are:
3 Il, So change the law 50 that a tvr
8 thirds vote of jury may bring In a We
II dict.
D 20, Pay the States attorneys bett,
q salaries
ID 20. Allow the trial Judge to CONNER
q on the evidence so far as to explain
q the Jury the proper application Of the we
40 known rules OF evidence
"a "a. Allow the State new trial yyhe
AZ IN the oplnion Of the trial Judge, verdi