The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-05-31
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A PLUG HAT ON THE FRONTIER.
Aggravates the Ranchers-Fate of the
 Bible Agent.

From the Kansas City Journal.
 Recently the telegrams brought from Pagan, Tex, a story of how the town roughs had set upon and killed a Bible agent whose sole offense was that he wore a longtailed coat, patent leather shoes and plug hat Commenting on this story, the Wellington Mail declares that "a similar incident occurred in the early days of Caldwell" However, the plug hat shooting in Caldwell was a different af- fair from that of Pagan. In April, 1872, one McCarty, a local 'bad man." en- tered store in Caldwell and found there Dr. Anderson, who was known through the southwest as "the plug hat man. because he was usually adorned with that kind of headgear. Anderson was not 'tenderfoot." He had been a prominent member of the Butler county vigilantes, and 1t was known that McCarty had grudge against him. When McCarty en- tered Thompsons store and found Ander- son there he pulled a six-shooter and said: Watch me put hole through that hat" He did put a hole through the hat. and when Anderson protested he fired again. this time putting a hole through Anderson's head and causing his instant death. McCarty was pursued by the in- dignant citizens of the town and took
  When the ranch house was surrounded he refused to surrender, and then the house was set on fire. In the running fight which followed he managed to es- cape after wounding several of his pur- suers but few days later he was over- taken and his dead body was left on the prairies.
 There is no well authenticated account of a killing in Kansas on account of the rip of Q nh fhnnph ll- larly supposed that the incidents were frequent It is quite true that when stranger appeared in one of the border towns wearing this kind of head cover ing he was always greeted uproariousy, and the hat came to grief, but the af- fair usually went off in the best of hu- mor The first plug hat worn into Hays City, for example, was on the head of the late Cornell Henley, who died at that place a few years ago. In 1868 he went to Fort Hays to be a clerk in the quar- termaster's department. He was good dresser, and when he stepped from the train he wore tall silk hat At once the town loafers and joshers and killers con gregated at the depot They said nothing at all to Henley, but they formed close behind him procession and wherever he walked they walked, keeping up the lockstep. The foremost man walked so close to Henley that he could not even turn around to see his tormenters, and 1t was sight fit for the gods--that pro- cession solemnly moving along, each mans with his hands on the shoulders of the one in front of him and all keeping step.
 Henley tried to shake the crowd off by walking around the block. He did not succeed. On the contrary, the crowd kept augmcnting until pretty much everybody on the townsite was marching. Then an inspiration seized Henley, and he steered straight for Tom Drums saloon, the most popular place in town. Walking up to the bar, he set his silk hat down, bowed politely to the barkeeper and said: These are my friends. and they are all drinking with me-"
 It happened that there was big bowl of tom and jerry on the bar. Some one emptied it into the plug hat and some one else got a dipper and passed the drink around presently the liquor soak cd through the top of the hat and this odd stirrup cup commenced to leak And thereupon it was placed on the top of a post, and every man in the crowd toolq a shot at 1t riddling it into rags.
 Henley came off from the encounter with every man his friend. He had met the rude introduction of the west with good nature and his place was made.