Roughing It · Chapter
XLIX explained
The narrator recounts a series of violent incidents in Virginia City, including the assassination of Deputy Marshal Jack Williams and a subsequent fatal shooting of Tom Reeder by George Gumbert.
What happens
The narrator recounts a series of violent incidents in Virginia City, including the assassination of Deputy Marshal Jack Williams and a subsequent fatal shooting of Tom Reeder by George Gumbert. He excerpts newspaper reports that detail the killings and the lenient treatment of Gumbert by a justice of the peace, highlighting the lawlessness and impunity that characterized the mining town.
Themes in this chapter
Violence and Desperadoism
The chapter details multiple murders and the casual acceptance of violence, with residents joking about the 'good old times of ’60.'
The Absurdity of Pretension
The narrator mocks the justice system's pretension to fairness, noting that only two people have been executed despite hundreds of murders.
Characters to notice
- Jack Williams
Deputy Marshal who was assassinated while playing cards; previously involved in a fatal shooting of Billy Brown and a robbery.
- Tom Reeder
Friend of Williams who was stabbed and then shot by Gumbert, dying two days later.
- George Gumbert
Butcher who stabbed and then fatally shot Reeder, but was released on his own recognizance and never punished.
- Billy Brown
Man killed by Jack Williams in a previous affray; his death is referenced in the quarrel.
Key passages
“Trial by jury is the palladium of our liberties. I do not know what a palladium is, having never seen a palladium, but it is a good thing no doubt at any rate.”
The narrator sarcastically praises trial by jury as a safeguard of freedom, admitting he doesn't know what a 'palladium' is but assumes it's beneficial.
Highlights the absurdity of the legal system in the face of rampant unpunished violence.
“Not less than a hundred men have been murdered in Nevada—perhaps I would be within bounds if I said three hundred—and as far as I can learn, only two persons have suffered the death penalty there.”
The narrator estimates that between one and three hundred murders occurred in Nevada, yet only two people were executed.
Emphasizes the impunity enjoyed by criminals in the territory.