The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-03-24
CHANGING STYLES IN WEAPONS
The Loaded Cane and the Derringer
of Fifty Years Ago.

SSa AtVSiS
curious to me,' said an ex-police Of
fetal who was better known a dozen
years ago than he is now, that the
law forbidding citizens to carry con-
cealed weapons has not been pro-
nounced unconstitutional. Doesn't the
constitution declare that q citizen
has q perfect right to bear arms7
"Passing oven that question though,
did it ever occur to you to think how
many reputable citizens ignore them
and how the police seldom Interfere
with a nan for carrying a weapon
unless the man is wanted for soma
other reasons7 You have thought Of
that9 Well, did you ever think how
the custom began and what curious
fashions there have been at different
times in The style and character Of
the weapons most commonly carried?
81 should say, speaking in a gencr-
al way, that American citizens in
this part Of the country began 10
carry concealed w~caponsAaS a habit
just before the hcvi"ninsAr the last
half ct Inc last century, and that the
habit crew for something like twenty
five years and after that became pa
dnally less prevalent, until now pro-
badly no more than one man in rv-
cry ten carries a deadly weapon,
whereas forty years ago probably cv-
cry third man did so.
"Two things wholly unrelated to
each other happening about the Sama
time gave rise to tho habit. Gold was
discovered in California in 1919, and
some persons succeeded in putting ~
revolving pistol on the market Just
when the eastern men who started
westward in the hope of picking up
the gold decided that it. would not do
For them to go out in the wilderness
unarm2d.
cor course | don't forget The bowie
knife or the dcrrin-cr-which was
Inc original bnllIo" pistol. 1t was
lum~ before 10 that S~nu,hrrnrrS rS-
pccially. seeing the merit Of The
knife that Col. Bnwic made famous.
adopted it. and even nriorr that the
u"ly, convenient little BIC bore PTS
tol could be found in The vest pocket
Of almost any southern gentleman. II
Wa looked upon as Il decided step in
the progress of invention when i-,csc
IIn1'I1, 4 Dr,,n ~ ~, l1o
barrclrd. They discharged trrmcn-
dously heavy bullets with deadly ac-
rurac,y and were peculiarly effective
weapons ai short range.
'Hnt in those days there was Il
wide difference between lac north and
south. and though the carrying Of
concealed weapons was almost univcr-
sal among southern gentlemen there
were few reputable men in the north
who ever went armed on ordinary oc-
ra>innS.
"Thrn came the emigration to The
field and every MAJ who went
thought he had to carry y knife aud
Il pistol ~ two. The nld pepper box
revolver was the latest tain" in piS-
tolls and was supposed to be th. best
because YOU could shoot six times
with it before %rrloading. so every
mothers son Of them bought Il revolt
yer. II was, in fact, one Of the poor
est weapons ever invented, being
clumsy and bulky, and unreliable,
heavy, badly balanced and inaccurate.
1t WIS gross flattery to accuse one of
them VI being a concealed weapon,
for if t was put in a pocket it made
Il Mm,, any mt could see.
'"The men who knew what weapons
really wcrc, used to say ~snecringly
that the only way to kill Il man with
II of these things was to throw il
at him, and the remark became n
stock joke, but thousands Of men knew
nothing about weapons, and wanting
the best suddenly bought the worst,
because they we're the newest, and 80
the inventor. O. nj least the manuiac-
turtrS. got rich. Moreover the original
idea OF the revolving pistol was after
ward elaborated into the wonderful
weapon Of today that is carried by
thousands Of people, who are moi Sis
pcctcd Of going armed.
SIT was Il dozen wears after that
before the civil war began. and The
habit Of going armed at all times,
whether 1t was necessary or not. was
suddenly stimulated. but in the inter-
val the custom had gained ground