Louisiana Capitolian

A GOOD PISTOL STORY

QUICKENED CONSCIENCES IN A GEORGIA COURT-ROOM.

A correspondent in the Nashville American repeats the following story, which was told him by a Georgian who witnessed the scene described:

Georgia has a stringent pistol law. The penalty is the forfeiture of the pistol and a fine of fifty dollars, and, at the discretion of the court, imprisonment for thirty days. A short time after this law went into effect, Judge Lester was holding court in one of the mountain counties of North Georgia, and right in the midst of the trial of a case, he asked the attorneys to suspend a few moments, and told the sheriff to lock the court-house door and let no man pass out without permission from him. Then said the judge, in his firm, decided way:

"Gentlemen, I saw a pistol on a man in this room a few minutes ago, and I cannot reconcile it to my sense of duty as a peace officer, to let such a violation of the law pass unnoticed. It may be that it is my duty to go before the grand jury and indict him, but if that man will walk up to this stand and lay his pistol and a fine of one dollar down here, I will let him go off this time, otherwise I will go before the grand jury and testify against him."

The judge paused, and an attorney who was sitting down just before the stand, got up, slipped his hand in his pocket, drew out a neat ivory-handle Smith & Wesson six-shooter, and laid one dollar down before the judge.

"This is all right," remarked the judge, "but you are not the man I saw with the pistol."

At this another attorney, sitting immediately in front of the judge, got up and drawing out a small Colt's revolver, laid it and a dollar bill on the judge's stand.

"This is right again," said the judge, "but you are not the man."

Thereupon a large man just outside of the bar walked around, ran his hand into his bosom, and drawing out huge old army pistol, laid it and one dollar on the stand.

"I declare," said the judge, "if this don't beat all; you have done right, my friend, but you are not the man I saw with the pistol."

This process went on until nineteen pistols and as many dollars were lying on the judge's stand. There was a pause, as if the crowd were pretty well disarmed; at least, if there were any more in the house, their owners did not seem disposed to give them up.

"Gentlemen," resumed the judge, "here are nineteen persons who have acted like men in this business, but the man I saw with the pistol has not come up yet; and now," continued he, pulling out his watch and looking toward the far end of the court house, "I will give him one minute to accept my proposition, and if he does not do it in that time I will point him out to the sheriff and have him arrested."

Immediately two men from the back of the house began to approach the stand. Once they stopped and looked at each other, and then coming slowly forward laid down their pistols and their dollars.

As they turned to leave, the judge said:

"This man with the black whiskers is the one I saw with the pistol."

Then Judge Lester gave a short lecture upon the cowardly, foolish and wicked habit of carrying concealed weapons, and assured his audience that in future the law would be strictly enforced. It is needless to add that in that county the habit of carrying concealed weapons was almost entirely broken up.