The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1912-03-08
REELFooT "REMINISCENCES.

fui book, Danny OWu StoI9f pun
lished by Doubleday. Page & Co., tells
Of the one and only time in his life that
he ever packed gun" or, as they
say in the South, toted pistol. z The
Night Riders Of southern Kentucky
and northern Tennessee play an ilnpor-
tant part in the book, and Dir. Marquis
writes Of them from first hand informa-
ton, having spent considerable time in
the Night Rider country" investigat-
ing conditions when tho excitement
was at its height.
Il got to Union City, Tenn" says
Mr.. Marquis, "a couple Of days after
Capt Quentin Rankin was murdered
by Night Riders at Reelfoot Lake, in
the fall Of 1908. And / got there with
pistol. 1t was nice new pistol that
I had bought for the occasion, and it
had never been fred off.
All my life had wanted to carry a
pistol, but never had had any excuse.
When / was a kid I wanted to go Wesl
and become bandit Just 50 ! could
carry pistol, but my folks made me
grow up into a school teacher instead.
Then I wanted to be an actor SO could
carry a pistol on the stage. did final
" get Job as an actor, and | 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.
z As got elder ] affected scorn OF
people who carried pistols. And when
went into the newspaper business, and
finally got to writing editorials, used
to Iambast pistol toters and call them
towards and fools, and all that. But
all the time in my secret heart ! want
led to carry pistol In my dreams |
always saw myself with one or two Of
them belted conspicuously to my per-
son.
when got to Union City with my
new pistol was in the seventh heaven.
Everybody there that amounted to any
thing was wearing one, and some people
who had been threatened by Night Rid
ers were wearing two and three and
shotgun besides. So | went
and bought me belt and a holster and
buckled mine on. There wasn't any
danger nearer than Reelfoot Lake,
eighteen miles away, where they were
rounding up about hundred Night
Riders; and there wasn't much danger
there, unless some Night Riders horse
Bit deputy sheriff or some one snag-
ced himself with fish hook. It was
a chance to wear that pistol.
For couple Of hours after put It
IN | felt satisfied. And then horri- |
ole thought came to me-the thing was
loaded. Any jar might explode it amp
send a bullet into my hip or my thigh,
/ wanted to take it off at once. But !
iidn't dare. Hhe other newspaper
men had seen me with it. In fact, a
OF Of us dare-deviIs with pistols had
shown them to each other and talked /
verv wisely about the different makes
u the hotel the night before. | SIM
1ly didn't have the nerve to take mine
IF. And il / took it out of the holster
ind unIoaded it surreptitiously, the 9th
r BOYS would find me out. cursed
myself for net having bought some
blank cartridges, And II ! took it out
il its holster to unload it, how did
know but what it might 60 off in the
The reflection came to me
hat carrying pistol was thing that
needs practice. and that ! had never
iad any. | knew that would shoot
nv thumb off If fooled with it at all.
II was to be in town week, and
Jaw myself shaekled to that thing for
he whole time. AS the first day wore
IN toward sunset began to get more
lad more nervous and depressed.
.ried to walk as far away from i as
.ould; but you can't dodge thing you
ire tied to, and every time squirmed
/ would bang against me, and the coldf
,weat would break out all over me,
lidn't know anything about pistols,
md / recalled everything | had ever
cad about accidental explosions By
night / didn't resemble man wearing
. pistol So much as pistol wearing
shat was left Of a man. Il was IN
control Of the situation, and
vas its slave, doomed to follow It
Ihrinkingly about foreverraore,
THAT night ] met two other repor-
ers who had boldly displayed their pss-
;oIs 10 me the night before. In their