The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1912-03-15
REELFooT "REMINISCENCES

ful book, Danny's Own Story, pub
llished by Doubleday, Page & Co., tell
Of the one and only time 10 his life tina
he ever packed gun" or, as thes
say in the South. 'toted a pistol TIL,
Night Riders Of southern Kentucky
and northern Tennessee play an impor
tant part in the book, and Mr.. Marquis
writes Of them from first hand informa-
ton. having spent considerable time in
the Night Rider country" Investigate
| ing conditions when tho excitement
was at its height.
Il got to Union City, Tenn, T" says
Mr.. Marquis, a couple Of days after
Capt. Quentin Rankin was murdered
by Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake, in
the fall OF 1905. Aud / got there with
pistol 1t was nice new pistol that
had bought for the occasion, and it
had never been fired off.
All my life / had wanted to carry a
pistol, but / never had had any excuse.
When / was a kid / wanted to go West
and become a bandit just SO | could
carry pistol, but my folks made me
grow up into a school teacher instead.
Then / wanted to be an actor so ] could
carry a pistol on the stage did final
iy get job as an actor, aud | was an
actor for ten days. But never got to
carry anything but knife, which !
pulled from my breast pocket-the
hero had the pistol in that show.
"As / got older ! affected scorn Of
people who carried pistols. And when
/ went into the newspaper business, hnd
finally got to writing editorials, used
to lambast pistol toters and call them
towards and fools, and all that. But
all the time in my secret heart | want
ed to carry pistol. In my dreams !
always saw myself with one or two Of
them belted conspicuously 70 my per-
son.
When / got to Union City with my
rev pistol was in the seventh heaven
there that amounted to any,
thing was wearing one, and some people
who had been threatened by Night Rid
ers we're wearing two and three and
a shotgun besides. So ! went
and bought me belt and holster and
ouekled mine on. There wasn't any
ianger nearer than Reelfoot Lake.
eighteen miles away, where they we're
ounding up about hundred Night
Riders; and there wasn't much danger
here, unless some Night Riders horse
lit a deputy sheriff or some one snag-
red himself with a fish hook. 1t was
chance to wear that pistol.
For a couple OF hours after | put 1t
n | felt satisfied. And then a horri-
lie thought came to me--the thing was
1aded. Any jar might explode it amp
end bullet into my hip Or my thigh. !
wanted to take it off at once. But / {
idn't dare. Hhe other newspaper ,
len had seen me with it, In fact, a /
IT of us dare-devils with pistols had |
nown them to each other and talked t
cry wisely about the different makes :
the hotel the night before. | sim t
Iy didn have the nerve 10 take mine
II. And If / took il out Of the holster 8
I'D unloaded it surreptitiously, the 9TH
boys would find me out. Icursed
lyself for not having bought some a
ank cartridges. And if took it out y
its holster to unload it, how did ! 2
now but what il might 60 off in the
.ocess? The reflection came 10 me
lat carrying pistol was thing that
seds practice, and that ! had never 7
i'd any. / knew that would shoot :
" thumb off If fooled with it at all. !"
Il was to be in town week, and |
w myself Shocked to that thing for :
q whole time. As the first day wore !
! toward sunset ! began to get more :
ID more nervous and depressed. / :;
led to walk as far away from it as
uld; but you can't dodge thing you !,
Z tied to, and every time ! squirmed q
would bang against me, and the cold il
eat would break out all over me. | I,
dnt know anything about pistols, n
a / recalled everything I had ever /,
id about accidental explosions. BY !,
ght didn't resemble man wearing j,
pistol so much as a pistol wearing
lat was left of a man. Il was IN Il
mplete control Of the situation, and !
i its slave, doomed % follow il
about forevermore. "a
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