Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1886 — About Will Sears. [ARTICLE]

About Will Sears.

The below given clipping, taken from the Almosa, Colorado, Chico, is not only valuable ad containing some softnd observations on the folly of being too ready to flourish fire-arms; but it possesses a strong local interest from the reason that the person referred to as being in the Colorado penitentiary is noneother than AVill E. Sears, our former townsman. The (Vaco is published 200 miles from the scene of Air. Sears’ confinement, and its editor is an entire stranger to Air. Sears. This shows the exceedingly lenient view that is taken of Air. Sears’ offense in the statu where it was committed. AVe learn,by-the-way, that many influential citizens of Colorado are moving in favor of obtaining a speedy pardon for the unfortunate young man. Believing, as we do, that his punishment has (already been far in excess of his

real criminality, we earnestly hope the effort for a pardon may be crowned with success. The article from the Chico is as follows: “The shooting scrape last Saturday recalls the oft-repeated lesson aS to the. dangerous habit of carrying firearms (although in this case we have a good deal of sympathy for the young man with the gun.). There is at present in the Colorado Penitentiary a young man servinga term for drawing a revolver upon a man. The young man was a druggist,doing a good business and occupying a prominent place in the community. A drunken, fellow rode his horse into the store, when ordered to go out began to abuse the druggist with all sorts of abuse Put yourself in the druggist’s place and what would you have done? Kill the fellow? Yes, that, is about the first thing to be thought of, but is the last thing necessary to be done. The druggist reached his gun, a double-action revolver, and again ordered the man to leave. Instead of going out, the fellow

tried to jerk the gun away -from the proprietor. His own action caused the revolver to go off and the bullet to pass through his own heart. To-day the druggist is in prison because he picked up his revolver instead of going into the street for an officer to take the intruder off his premises. For eighteen mouths a wife has had to support her little ones, a good business has gone to pieces owing to the rash act of the druggist, while as long as he lives memory will call up the unintentional murder caused by the too handy gun.”