Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-02-04
STORY OF A BONNET.
Why Mira Allan PlnkertOn Always Had
Her Own Way About Millinery.

Her Own Way About Millinery.
] believe Allan Pinkcrton to have
been the greatest detective who ever
lived. Aside from this distinction he
was one of the most interesting of men;
and no writer ever had better chance
to Judge than ]. For some years was
daily in his company, indeed in his con-
idential employ, and in such capacity
that there were repeated occasions for
good fellowship and as many for con-
fidenccs and "reminiscences Among
the countless incidents Of his life which
thus came to me, one that impressed
me more deeply than the most thrilling.
of his exploits was one in which the
pardonable vanity of one good little
woman saved her own and her husband $
life. Pinkerton never told anybody
any thing "by request" it always came
on impulse. Weha& been iF New York
and Philadelphia together, visiting
Generals Marcy and Mcclellan, Tom
Scott and others, and were returning
West over the Pennsylvania railroad.
lie never dincd at railway stations, but
was always provided with a we'll
stocked hamper. We had eaten, and
he had just settled back comfortably in
his seat with few hearty clappings of
his hands together Gan old habit be-
speaking content with him. when we
saw bottle, carclessly flung from n
forward coach, barely Craze track
members head. A look of indignant
anxiety flashed into his face, soon
giving place TO a smile, and finally fol-
lowed by roars Of laughter from the
rugged old man whom it took paralysis
many long years 10 kill.
81 never see bit Of luck like that
without mnding me of the biggest
piece of luck | ever saw" began the
veteran criminal catcher, "and it hap
pencd to raw Scotchman and his wife
that knew. The Scotch fool had been
Chartist; price was set on his head;
he had sweetheart, Joan Carfrac, y
book-foldcr's apprentice, and lass
that had caught his heart a-singing
Chartist songs, who married him with
his head all but in the noosc and some
friends shipped them by stealth to
Quebec, he rs ships cooper and she rs
Il cook on the bark Kent, April 9, 1910,
On Nav 8 the Kent was wrecked on
Sable Island, but the crew and passcn-
gers were saved by the aid Of friendly
Indians. who took every thing that
came ashore. The cooper and wife
finally got from the scene Of the wreck
to Fisherman Village in small boat,
and from there by a fishing smack to
Aspy Bay, where the Unicon. Of Que
bee, changed mails with the Britannia,
one Of the first steamers across
the Atlantic. They were helped from
here to Montreal, where the cooper
got work heading beef barrels, and
the couple soon got to housekeeping
famously in one room. But members
of the Coopcrs' Union coniidcntially
told him this job would shut down at y
certain date; and so he impulsvcly de-
cidcd on going to the thriving little
city Of Chicago. After buying their
tickets they had no money left. The
steamer was to leave that very after
noon. The cooper's little bit of n wife
came and confessed that she had crm-
inally ordered bonnet at the milli-
ner's; that it could not be got for the
charges and pitifully pleaded that they
wait for the next boat, week later,
that the money might be earned, and
the precious bonnet secured. The Scotch
cooper roarcd like a mad bull, but
finally consented. They got the bon
nett but that husband made that wfe's
life little short of hell, till"-and here
Pinkerton roared the startled pasSeI,'
gers ont of their dozings-''news camt
in few days that the boat they would
have taken, had it not been for that
lucky bonnet, blew up, and every soul
on board was lost.
"I tell you that little song-Singin.
wife has had her way about bonnet:
ever sincem chuckled Pinkcrton. "For
that little Edinburgh girl was my Joan!
and that fool cooper that ran away
from the Queens officers was mel
Chicago Inter ocean.