The sun., 1900-06-10
MONUMENT TO A PLUG HAT.
LAMPasas ERECTED ONE IN HONOR
OF DOC vINCENT'S NERVE.

Il read that story In last SUNDAY oeN o"ou'
the shooting times In Texas. SAID the man AZ inS
partner Of a big wholesale house oowhoo.h'
-and II recalled the time when ! was learning
how to be what am now by selling goods on
the road. MY territory. for three years OF
the twenty I was taking lessons, was Iexas'
and Iampasas--the same Lampasas the story
tells about with the Lawrence House. not the
Hotel lawrence that's modern. and the iaoy
landlord-was one Of my star towns But
while the story told OF what happened TO any
man who dared 10 wear a plug hat In those
days in Texas. IL missed telling about one man
who did wear a plug hat despite the traditions
and the practices Of the country against the
custom.
This man was Doc Vincent. as we called
him. don't remember his flrst name-W iliam
Penn. think-but he travelled for drug firm
In Philadelphia and that warranted ue apPscat scrt
of a chap, of Quaker parentage and tendencies
and like the Mckee In The sun story ne liken
to wear plug hat, but unlike Mchee ne s,uoS ~
beauty somehow, and a slouch on him would
have looked more out OF place than 1900 nower
bonnet on one Of his female ancestors. he
told him as soon ss / saw him that while there
were places where he might wear plug hat
with some degree OF safety for ten or nltee11
minutes there were o'hers r " wneps spes Went %1 of
In Texas had known him for dozen years
in the South and East and talked to MN i%iKe IKE
a brother, but II didn't do much Sooa. ns
smiled gently as a woman, saying he wished
to give offence to no one and sincerely hopro
no one would give offence to him in merely
exercising his rights as citizen under the
I told him the principle sounded all right
In expression and was all right in theory, but
that the practice in Texas was TO shoot pug
hat full Of holes whether the wearer was o.
Tended or not He said he hoped l was mis-
taken, and bade him farewell next morning
with tears In my eyes, for he sun had on ms
plug hat and was headed for Lampasas.
where he had been ordered TO remain for some
time on special business OF the firm competed
with explorations for some kind OF medic'n"
herb llous ht 10 eA Isl IN lna' region.
Three months later struck .ampasas ana
Doc met me at the train. He had on his plug
hat, too, but oh. what hatl II was slick ana
shiny in places but most OF lilo IT IooEeG oon%tcd Ef
n dozen holes Ugly looking holes they were,
too OF the unmstakable kind made by cold
lead at short range. A lot of Lampasians were Sr,
standing around and II occurred 10 me that
| possibly hadn't better take any notice oi DOCS
hat and | didn't, When We got into, a room
at the hotel ] asked him about IT and ne sald
| he thought might get the story stralghter
| il asked some OF the people about town; l
| did So including In the list to be- seen the lady
landlord, the barkeeper, the town marshal
| and several friends knew in business there.
Nobody knew how he managed 70 get the
! hat safely through to Lampasas, but he arrived
there with il on his head and in It's usual state
When he put his name on that old account
| book which did duty as a register at the Law
renee House the lady landlord looked him
! over critically, .
stranger in these parts said she, 49,,
! and the grace Of Chesterfield, which he was
Better get new hat said she with kindly
sHThis one / have, madam, is practically
| new Doc explained innocenty. Il,
| amt doubtin that said the lady, put
How, madam inquired Doc, opening
.'pinsed il j know, but they'll shoot it full
Then will be time enough TO get new
| one madam said Doc, and followed stable
| boy. upstairs TO his apartments.
was an hour after his arrival. and after supper
| he went into the barroom. which had no 0ne
| in it at that hour except the barkeeper That
worthy. was actually struck speechless by the
! sight OF Doc and the hat, and he made signs
! with his hands in defence as II he had em again.
| There was table In one corner OF the room
| drummers as might want TO write letter,
and Doc took seat beside II with his BACK TO
| the room and the bar. Putting himself In po-
| sition to get the best lighthe took book from
his pocket-he, was an inveterate reader-and
| he was soon lost in his story. Pretty soon
| one or two Lampasas bloods dropped IN, TOOK
|
! out. Others. in one, two, three or more lots.
| did the same, and in the course OF an hour they
| came back again and STAYED in. The man IN
| the silk hat sat quietly reading by the liable
and the crowd at the bar more or less unquietly
were filling their tanks. References were also
being made to the man In the silk hat
| "'Ill bet hog farm in Illinois SAID one iei-
| low I can put a hole through II ana never SKIN
Go you. responded the man next. and the
! first one got out his gun and cooked H.
| IN that
| hadn't heard the little by-talk among the gem
| tlemen at the bar. but he had made up his mind
to show the plug hat shooters Someadhang g ,heS
| were not accustomed TO- and all he did was 10
pull the hat little closer down on his head as II
to shade his eyes, and 10 60 on with his reading:
an SR e .he fs t%teh "a
| bullet hit the wall beyond him.
| you've lost shouted the taker OF the bet.
You're another dissented the shooter.
Guess not You bet you'd shoot hole
through 1t, didn't your
We'll you put two holes through; one fore
and one aft. The hog farms mine, but well
| call it square for the drinks.
| The crowd took the round of drinks and Doc
Swatch me put ventilator in IT, said a sci.
| enunc-looking rooster with frazzled hair, and
whiskers, after everybody had emptted his
| glass, and he dropped to his knees with the
muzzle Of his gun elevated at an angle OF IS
sHe banged away and the bullet went In at
| the side and came out by the top, making a
jagged hole, and the crowd yelled with delight:
| but Doc never paid any more attention than II
he had been sitting under softly shaded reading
| shooters lined up TO cross their bullets In the
| hat and they made four holes criss-cross OF
| Docs dicer. Still Doc never took his eyes from
| his book, and just as the two shots rang out he
turned leaf quietly and started in on new
| page. Every man In the room now took a
crack at the hat, and when the smoke cleared