Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1891-08-14
A SILK HAT.
The Fun That Was Had with 1t in the
Far West.

Far West
Some eighteen years ago man con-
ceived the idea of establishing a weekly
paper at Yuma, Ari He had sent about
two hundred dollars worth of Nichol-
son pavement type and a secondhand,
or say forty-second hand, Washington
press ahead, and a printer so thin and
lean-looking that could Cassius have
been alive and seen him he would have
dislocated his vertebre in fit of laugh
ter So far as his apparel was con-
eerned, however, nothing about that
would have elected special observation
But, unfortunately, this avaunt courier
crossed the Colorado and entered the
polygloG uown of Yuma with the latest
style of plug hat. No human being had
ever before been seen in that section of
the territory with a silk hat, and when /
say that its appearance created great
sensation | am drawing it exceedingly
mild. The chief of the Yumas gathered
together his men and women, who be-
came greatly excited with alarm, and
the poor, half-naked creatures knocked
their knees together with trembling and
fear. The men came in from the min
ing camp in the evening from all quar-
tiers, stood aghast at the intrusion.
Heap big Injun!' exclaimed the
chief of the Yumas to Maj. Bill Hoop
er, at present the manager of the Oc-
cidental hotel in San Francisco.
Its the last of the Montezumas,"
rejoined the urbane Hooper.
The little Yumas rushed around ter
rifed, and gazed with dilated pupils
upon the new arrival, while the big
ger injuns" declared THAT it was an in
vasion hitherto unknown to tradition.
Indeed, Van Amburg's menagerie or
the father of earthquakes would have
appeared tame in comparison to the
sensation produced by this knight of
the ''art preventative topped off in a
fashionable silk hat
The Indians finally concluded that it
was the much talked of locomotive, the
smokestack being, of course, the OBJ
iectivt point of their curiosity and as
totiishment There were others who
contended that it predestined calam-
ity in the shape of cloud-bwst, an
earthquake, or b disastrous innunda-
ton of the ella and Colorado rivers.
There were few who were strictly
religious, who called upon the priest in
charge and besought the good man to say
mass and to invoke absolution for the
sins they had carelessly brought upon
themselves; while others, still more
superstitious, went down upon their
knees, prayed fefvently and promised
chorus of hallelujahs upon the depart
ure of the plague.
The miners, however, took different
view of the situation and called meet
ing and resolved that a committee be
sent to Los Angeles, San Diego and
San Berhardina to visit and request all
members of the tart preservative OF
arts" to send no more printers into
Arizona wearing camp kettles instead
of hats.
In the meantime the retailers of Ia
rantula- juice had made an all-round
guest of the wearer of the plug hat, and
after they had managed to get the ma
jestic typo complete they seized the SEN
sational article Of headwear, kicked it
around the bar-rooms and into the street
and finally placed a lot of red pepper
between the Innings and turned it over
to the Yunas who in turn set it to GO
ing again until they were all taken with
violent sneezing, when they left it in
the middle of the street. where it laid
until the unfortunate owner recovered
from terrible case of la grippe, when
he was shown his battered beaver, for
saken and forlorn.
But he did not get mad. He saw the
point, however at once, and after SUR
veying the poor hat while went up to
it and gave it parting kick and then
HE'D himself to the nearest sample
room to drown his sorrow in the flow.
ing bowl. Chicago Tribune,