Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1891-02-19
STEEL-SHlRT BRAVES.
Gamblers and Detectives Who Have No
Fear Of Bullets.

Gamblers and Detectives Who Have No
Fear Of Bullets.
A little dark-complexioned man
walked into n gambling house on Broad
way last night with parcel under his
arm. He found the proprietor and was
led by him into private room. When
the little man came out he had $3.50 in
his pocket and the gambler was the pos
SCISSOR of a mailed shirt
Inquiry by a reporter showed it to be
an as tonishing fact that nearly all the
gamblers and private detectives in the
city are in the habit of wearing chain
armor, if not next to the skin, at least
very close to it.
The calling of these two particular
classes of society frequently places
them in the position of becoming tar
gets for friends and enemies. As no
gentleman is anxious to experience the
results of big pistol bullet blowing
through his vitals, or keen knife
handled by an angry adept in carving,
the mailed shirt has been almost uni
versally adopted.
Why" said the gambler whom the
reporter saw buying the armor, Il get
shot at about once every six months,
and the sensation of looking into the
muzzle of a pistol that seems as big as
barrel is not pleasant j am generally
sitting at table when some crank who
has lost his money on sure thing
jumps up and begins 20 pepper me. If
L have my shirt j am invulnerable. ex-
cept in the head. and every body knows
that is a hard place to hit"
''Will the armor turn a bullet?" asked
the reporter, incredulously.
The gambler led the way into pri-
vate room. There, lying on the table,
was the defense against steel and lead.
The gambler picked it up, its steel rat
Ting unsteady against each other as he
allowed the folds to softly slip through
his hands. A careful examinat ton
showed each link to be as fine as the
head of an ordinary pin. The whole
shirt was flexible, and could almost be
concealed in one hand Each link was
welded to the next one, and all were
composer of the finest steel
1t was sleeveless, high in the neck, and
was longer in front than on the sides.
which barely covered the points of the
hips.
You see," said the gambler, going to
drawer and extracting garment,
this is chamois-skin vest made to go
next to the skin. Over this the armor
is worn, and then your ordinary gar
ments are placed above. 1t doesn't i'm
pede a mans motions in the slightest,
and the links are so fine that no rafting
can be heard, Notwithstanding the mo-
tions made by the body. 1t cost me
$3.50, and it is worth every cent 1 paid"
Further investigation showed tia the
armor was Serviceable. The gam
bier, spreading the shirt on the
table, took a long dirk from a
drawer, and raising the knife to the
height Of his arm, brought it down with
all his force on the tiny links. The
point of the knife snapped of, clearly,
and a minute examination of the shirt
could not discover a single dent. The
rosewood table bore just scratch, evil
IDENTIFY owing to movement of the
shirt when struck.
At the private detective offices it was
admitted that few of these garments
were kept on hand for the operat to
use when particularly dangerous man
had to be arrested.
O'Of course, the idea dates back to the
dark ages" said the chief of the Will
kinSon bureau. but we utilize it on
the suggestion of one of our operatives
who is an Australian. He knew BUSH
ranger there for whom a reward was
offered dead or alive. The desperate
had often been shot at and presume bly,
hit, but never fell. One day in close
! fight the robber was seen to fall and
was captured. 1t was then found that
he had been shot in the leg below the
chain mail shirt which inclosed his
body. We thought it good idea, and
as we don't care to lose Q good opera
tive, ordered q couple of shirts and
have never regretted tn. Y. Morn
ing Journal.