Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1899-01-25
THEY CARRY PISTOLS
Feminine Chicagoans Prepare for
Hold-Up Men.
tut the Absence of Pockets I'm Their
Dresses COmpels Them to Secrete
the Weapons In Their
PettlcOats.

Up-to-tlate Chicago women are carry
ing reviewers whCrewith to do to death
the audacious footpad who shall dare
to attack them. Having no hip pocket
or any other kind Of pocket, for that
:nattCr--in coat Of gown in which to
bestow the revolver or pistol, the Chi
ago woman is carrying it i'll her petit
coat-wherc she couldn't by any pos
siEiEty get at it in Il hurry.
In defense of The seemingly question:
able wisdom &c carrying he pistol in Il
netticoat pocket the wom, II who are i'll
,;ulginr in this little diversion urge tkc
tact that they haven't anywhere else TO
carry it. This is the manner in which
4 Chicago club woman WHO is credited
N:ith having drawn the thoughts OF
large numbers Of Ter sisters from the
woman suffrage and silk rctticoat cues
lions toward the pCcliCt-pistCl craze
slipped into the habit Of putting her
own silk Ect,icCat TO such III unusual
use. For several days she had been pur
sued by newspaper and social versions
Gf tho annual fo2:rad scare story. As
he business which fate comrcIs her to
:olIow often takes and keeps her cut
i timid and shrinking mCrs,I Of fcr,-
;nirity. she grew nervous. Bat TO way
nui Of the difficulty offered i,sclf until
n masculine friend suggested that she
carry revolver. Next day that wise
woman went downtown and purchased
/ regular darling of mOtic!-Gf-ncarl-
handled pistol. Then she took It out
ato the back yard and created 4 terri
Ie sorrow for her nrXt-door nCiGhbGr.
II shooting at the shed, directly in
'front.' Of her, she killed the $50 Angora
pussy who WAS disporting herself in the
.,ard TO the left. \ pair Of pigeons III
he yard to the right suffered cXtirc-
lion on her second and third efforts
II hitting that barn door. Then the
woman with the new pistol proudly
slipped it into the long-lost pocket of
Ter best silk petticoat and declared
hat she really didn't care whether she
could hit 4 barn door or not: she just
knew she could kill footpad if he at
tempted to interfere with her.
The very next night she was out late.
md as she made her way under the Gle
waited railroad she saw Il man walking
toward her, keeping carefully in the
.hatow of the treSties. At least that
il, what she then thought he was doing.
Now she is willing to admit that posi-
bly, he was merely crossing the street
ike herself, or waiting for n train.
GREATNESS and trembling she reached
wildly for the pistol-and this time the
unexpected did not happen. She could
'Sccvcr the whereabouts of neither
"istol nor the opening Of her dress. BY
he time the opening had been located
he man was nearly Il block away. She
herself was more than Il block away in
he other direction. While searching
for her pistol she had unconscious y
aiken to her heels. Had the man really
attacked her she would have been
raught i'll II terribly helpless position.
for at the moment of their meeting both
hands were so occupied in trying to get
inside that opening that they were prac-
tically tied.
Two Of this womar's converts to the
petticoat-pistol habit also had an ANUS
ing experience a night or two ago. The
conversation at the dinner table had
turned largely upon footpads and high
way robbers. and the two girls. who
were gong out to spend the evening.
grew extremely shivery. They started
off, and just ms they turned down the
block in which the house to be visited
stood they saw bcforcthcm Il man SLOW
IS lettering along. Behind them
S;rolled another hardened criminal.
Both girls Just knew" that the two
villains were in league and would pres
emily close III upon them and rob them
IF all their valuables, so they arranged
plan Of action.
IF he stops or comes any nearer"
they agreed, referring 10 tho unsuspcct-
ing man IN front. "wc1l shoot just to
impress him, and if that wretch behind
us attempts to pass us he'll get taste
81 lead"
But this is what actually happcned
The man in front, looking for number
in the dark, stopped suddenly, just as