Hide Article Text (OCR)
A CARD.Some days past there appeared in the Lou ;s villa Daily Journal, a notice of the trial of skill with the pistol, contemplated by me, in which 1 was, in three shots, at the distance of ten paces, to strike three oranges to le placed one on the head, and one on each hand of a boy. No disapproval was manifested by the public, nor did I bear for some time of any objection in the city to the atfair. An article at length appeared in some news pi per ahroid, denouncing the shooting match. The hue aud cry was then raised by one or two other papers abroad; and, not until this was doce, did any paper in this city seem disposed to view ti e matter unfavorably.The “Courier” then condemned the atfair, aligning a miserably p**r excuse for not having done so earlier. Up to this time, His Honor, Mayor Pilcher, had kept 9ilent, and expressed eo objections till the “Courier” led off; when for some motive best known to himself, he Lsued a proclamation, ordering that I should be inmiediately taken into custody—though it had been published trat the shooting would not take place till the 15rh of June next.I cannot conceive why it was that the Mayor, even if he h'id the power to order my arrest, should have found it necessary to have his o?der published in the newspapers of the city, holding me up to the public as an outlaw,*unless it was to make it appea that he was Oracle.Though he calls it his proclamation, it is but an order directed to the police; and, as the office of the Chief of Polic~ is, as I am informed, in the same building with the office of the Mayor, it seems, it it were His Honor’s wish only to have me taken into custody, his written order delivered to the Chief would have served equally as well as the pro-How the Mayor is vested with authority to have a citizen arrested without information given uoder oath and ju tifving the arrest, or why he should seek to exercise such authority when there is a city judge whose special business it is to try oticnders, and to order tbe arrest of persons when a proper case h presented, I have not been aide to learn, f he Mayor, as I am informed, was at one time a General; acd, as a military man, he must be presumed to be acquainted with firearms; and if, before issuing the proclamation he had asked himself the question whether a pistol might not be so loaded as to shoot ten paces with a small ball without indicting a serious wound even if the bill should strikeany part of the person, I thick he could have satisfied himself that there would not be even a possible cause of any injury to the boy, even if 1 aoould hit him; and hence that there was no occasion to order any arrest. It appears, however, that the Mayor loves to command without reflecting on the necessity o»* propriety of bis orders. If by ordering the arrest of individuals he wishes to keep the community reminded that he is Mavor. I could suggest how he might repeatedly gratify his desires, by referring him, for subjects, to persons after persona vho, time and again, are visiting the city and publicly advertising some grand exhibitions of gymnastic, sleight of hand, and other feats, the execution of all of which is attended with far greater hazard to life and limb than the boy* holding the oranges would be subject to, even if I wert to shoot ictih anT ■Instances, such as I allude to, might have been witnessed not long since in this city’ in the circuses, where a pyramid of persons, surmounted with some lad, is placed on the backs of horses going at full speed. Or where the tight rope performers walk a rope stretched from the ground to the top of some lofty building, or where the aeronaut takes his flight through the air with his balloon companions, or where the Rivel and Martinetti troupe exhibit, in their tight rope performances, their pyramid of men on a rope, and a child at the top many feet in the air, or where the Chinese Juggler throws knife after knife around and about a man stationed against a plank partition with his arms and legs extended— throwing the knives so as to stick them on each side and in close proximity to his neck, legs, arms, and body, and w ith such force as to drive the blades so deep into the wood as to require much shaking and pulling to take them out. wWhy are not these feats, too, prohibited?The public seems disposed to patronize most lil»— erally such exhibitions where the performances seem most hazardous. ;To wrhat public benefit do they contribute?Yet the Mayor tolerates such exhibitions, which, for tbe most part, are given by foreigners; but w hen I, an American citizen, who, for upward of twenty years, have made the use of the pistol my study, and, during the time, have taught many how to use it, which, by the way, is a desirable and valuable accomplishment—when I announce that I will engage in a trial of skill w ith the pistol, as already stated, it is thought proper by the Mayor not only to deny me privileges, such as are allowed to and exercised by others, but, by proclamation in the city papers, to order my immediate arrest, as thoughI were an outlaw or seeking to evade the vigilance of the police.I can't but feel much aggrieved at so unwarranted a course on the part of the Mayor, and therefore am induced to complain to the public for such treatment.I cordially approve of the motto, “Equal rights to all, exclusive privileges to none,” and, when I tee that others are allowed by tbe authorities to engage in exhibitions, which, without doubt, are attended with imminent peril to life and limb, I feel that I am not taking a privilege greater than that allowed to and exercised by others, and that I am not violating the law when I seek to exercise the right of engaging in a trial of skill with the pistol as proposed. Knowing that, even if the boy' should be hit, he could not be hurt, ani knowing, too. that after more than twenty years’ use of the pistol as a profession, it would be improbable that I should hit the boy*, when shooting with deliberate aim, a distance of only' 10 paces, and at an object 2)4 iuches in diameter. • \ ' 7^* 1After having already acquired some reputation as a pistol shot it would be tolly for me to risk that reputation by shooting at the oranges, if I had the least doubt of hitting them; and it would be worse ! than madness in me to peril my life or liberty by the attempt, if I felt it was probable for the boy to be injured if a ball should touch him.I claim, however, to be a law abiding citizen, and if, after the foregoing statements, the public think that I would be violating the law, were I to shoot as proposed, I here promise not to offend against the laws of the State. Respectfully,JOHN TRAVIS. March 26, Wttk- ^ ^ vuTT
Newspaper Details
Louisville Evening Bulletin
Louisville, Kentucky, US
Sat, Mar 27, 1858
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 20 Dec 2020
Other Publications Near Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville Examiner
Louisville Evening Post
Louisville Evening Bulletin
Louisville American Baptist
Louisville Afro American Mission Herald
