The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-01-04
Shoot the Hat.


An American Falls UdahO) letter to
the New York Sun gives the following
picturesque account of the experiences
of an afternoon preceding a cowboy s
dance:
Things went smoothly enough until
about the middle of the afternoon. when
a travelling man arrived in town. Some
Of the old heads expected trouble the
minute he appeared, for the boys were
in a humorous mood and ready for any
sort of fun. The travelling man went
to the tavern and III not show him
again until about five o'clock, when he
was spicd walking down the street
wearing a silk hat Cold chillS ran up
the backs of the ancient citizens, and the
tavern-kceper, with Il view to saving
the mans life, started after him to give
him the word, but before he could over
take the stranger eight or ten of the
boys had seen him and We're following
him doggedly down the street in single
file The man with the silk hat may
have noticed the procession, but it is
probable that he had no idea of its sig
nificance. He stopped in little store
for a few minutes. and while he tarr,ed
there the crowd on the outside increased.
When he emerged Orce more the boys
fell into line behind him again in single
file and resumed their march. gathering
recruits at almost every step, until
finally there We're twenty or thirty OF
the gang in the procession. By this
time the stranger began to understand
that something was the matter either
with him or with the town, and he
darted into little iewelry store. pre-
tending that he wanted to set his watch.
The boys came to a halt on the sidewalk
and faced the store. The jeweler. whose
stock consisted principally of revolvers
and other shooting irons, looked inquiS-
itively at his caller and then at the
throng in front. Thinking it a good OPP
portunity TO say something, the travel
ing man OBSERVED:
You have nice town here, but can
YOU tell me why those men are follow
ing me around?"
II can.' said the storckeeper, laconi-
caily. ''They're after that hat"
"What hat?'
That plug. They don't allow EN-
here, ST. Never been here te.Ore?"
Never, gasged the ma :.
''N ell, now look here said the Jew
aler, 'the boys are Il Little full of fun to-
day, and they might maze things un-
comfortable for YOU. I'll just escort
you up to the hotel and introduce you
10 some of them q, my frie ID. Then
you put that hat away and don't Wear
it any more"
Thanking the ;eweler, the stranger
walked out arm-in-arm with h m. the
boys falling il behind ard following
them to the hotel. On entering the
bar-rOom the eweler called one of TIE
hoys to one SIDE and "a d: This is Mr..
B, friend of mine from the
States.
The boy seized him by the hand
with grip that brought tears to his
eyes. and said:
'.I'll take turpentine.'
Others crowded mp and We're intro
duced, each smiling sickly sort of
smile, but looking unforgivingIy at the
hat. All agreed that they would have
to have something. and quietly urged
the stranger toward the bar, on which
the inn-keeper had placed the bottle the
minute the first speaker had nominal
ed medicine" When once they We're
arranged in front of the bar, with
glasses in hand, the hat suddenly slip
ped from the head of its wearer, assist
ed by a Govt Oy in the rea", and in less
time than it takes to tell it a ring WAS
formed around the offending article AMI
a score of reviewers were blazing away
at it. The terrified traveller stepped
70 one side with his Hew-found friend.
and was met wit the comforting remark:
Its a mighty eood thing for Won
that you got o ITO me. for in ten minutes
more those chaps would have been
firing at that hat on your head. They
wouldn't have taken the trouble to
knock It off: They would have sTot it
off, and you would have been in LUCK #
you had escaped with a whole skull. fr
some of the boys are i lutte wild in
their shooting"