<P> A syntactically similar expression "Please do not shoot the pianist . He is doing his best". It originated around 1860 in the Wild West of the United States when Oscar Wilde, during his 1883 tour of the United States, saw this saying on a notice in a Leadville, Colorado, saloon . This phrase is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, but neither Wilde nor Twain ever claimed authorship . </P> <P> Alternative expressions: </P> <Ul> <Li> "Killing the messenger" </Li> <Li> "Attacking the messenger" </Li> <Li> "Blaming the bearer of bad tidings" </Li> </Ul> <Li> "Killing the messenger" </Li>

Where does the saying don't shoot the messenger come from