Year: 1871




Concealed weapons.


From the Louisville Ledger.


In his charge to the grand jury, yes
terday, Judge Price alluded particularly
to the general practice of carrying con-
cealed weapons. This practice. he said,
was a fruitful source of crime. Many a
homicide had been committed in the heat
of passion, simply because the perpetra-
tor had the weapon handy, and used it
before his passion had time to cool. He
said that men became transgressors in
little things, aud progressed as tall oaks
from little acorns grow. An ounce OF
prevention was better than pound.
avoirdupois, of cure, and it was the duty
OF. the grand jury to discourage blood
shed by nipping it in the bud He urged
them to pay particular attention to this
misdemeanor, and to examine witnesses
brought before them, no matter for what
special purpose they had been summon
ed, with view to finding indictments
against parties who carry weapons. They
must question all witnesses as to their
knowledge of any of their friends or
neighbors being guilty of the practice,
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favor


Judge Prices motives are good, and it
is his duty to arouse the zeal of the
grand jury for the enforcement of ex.
listing Jaws; but, in our opinion, the
remedy will not reach the evil complain
ed Of Laws against the carrying Of
concealed weapons are always dead letter
laws, for the simple reason that they can
not be enforced without an arbitrary and
despotic exercise of power to which free
men will not submit. Among the rights
which men instinctively regard as in
herent and inalienable, is that of bearing
arms. The evil does not lie In the car
rying of pistol, but in the looseness of
courts IN Furnishing parties who use OF
ate empt to use deadly weapons unlawfully
1t is of no avail to attempt punishment
in cases of simple carrying, while the
use of deadly weapons is treated so
leniently. There are scores of prece
dents wherein men have killed or wound
ed citizens, and on account of social
standing, good family, or money, have
gone unpunished, while the cases in
which weapons have been drawn, some
times right under the noses of the police,
but not used, defy computation This
diseased public sentiment, which, to a
certain extent, countenances an appeal to
the revolver in yindicatiou of personal
honor, combined with the laxity of the
juries of our Courts, is at the bottom of
the evil which Judge Price is trying to
remedy by an attempted enforcement Of
dead letter law. The crimes lies not in
the carrying of a weapon, but in its use.
and the remedy is to be found in the
rigid and impartial enforcement of the
law against every person who draws a
weapon with intent 10 use it, The law
against carrying weapons probably does
more harm than good, because law abb
ding people only will obey, while roughs
and rounders, and the aristocratic young
bloods who divide their time between the
driuking-saloous and houses of ill-fame.
aud who think they can maintain that
reputation for personal courage which a
Kentuckian so highly appreciates ouly
by shooting man at least once mouth,
will disregard it. Law abiding citizens
are thus placed, to a certain extent, at
the mercy of the lawless. Now and then
. belated hummer is picked up on the
streets, and on being searched at the
station house weapon is found on him,
and he is fned; bat the dangerous class
es--the hotblooded young men who have
been taught to regard the pistol as the
proper means of avenging an insult, aud
are quick to take an insult-are not
reached. They draw their pistols on
Al, IL, Al L..
police, in consideration their eminent
responsibility, either effect a reconcile
alton, or separate them, and send them
home in different directions. Ifit comes
to shots, however, aud one of them, or
some. innocent bystander, is killed or
wounded, then the minor charge of car
rying concealed weapons Is merged in
the greater; there is a trial and an nc
quistal. - ss s "a


1t twould be quite as absurd to fine a
man for carrying q bottle OF whisky, on
the suppositlon that he was going TO get
drunk, as to fine him for carrying
weapon, on the suspicion that he intends
to commit murder What is needed is
to punish men for committing, or at
tempting to commit, crimes, and not for
the ability to commit them. When it Is
understood that the gallows will inevi
tably follow murder, aud the penitentisry
secure the man who attempts murder, no
matter what his income or how respects
able his family, men will not be 80 handy
with their revoIyers. Let them make
walking arsenals of themselves. if they
will. but let them understand that swift
and sure punishment will follow any at.
tempt to use weapons improperly And
let all good citizens discourage the pre-
yalent idea that impugning feIlov citi
1en's veracity, picking up his ''sleepers
at the faro table, refusing to drink with
him. or cutting him OUT in an affair Of
the heart, are offenses to be avenged only
by perforstion with = Derringer bullet or
eyiscerafion with Bowie knife.