Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-03-11
a DANGEROUS WEAPON.
woman's Hatpin Is Better Tina. .
Revolver for Her Defensee
Against Highwaymen.

exWhat shall We do in case we are at
tackled by some ruffian?' is the question
women have asked in every part CT the
country since the recurrence of the ebru-
tai 'hold-ups'' by tramps. The man to
whom the question is pat, says the Gin
cinpati Enquirer, will Immediately an
swer: Garry a revolver" But wom-
en- dread revoivers almost as much as
they do the possibility of attack when
out at night. Few women possess the
nerve necessary to use pistol with ef-
feet when set upon by "a burly stranger
/ in lonely road, Then there is the OBJ
lection to a revolver in the possession
of a woman that she would be averse &c
suspectfng the motive of every man she
met, and would probably fail to draw the
revolver until too late for fear of max
ing foolish mistake. What, then, can
be provided for her that will be as dead
ly in her hands as revolver, az yet
absolutely safe so far as she is concerned,
and ever ready at hand whether wanted
for use or not?
The answer to the puzzle has been pro-
vided by those who make women's hat
pins A hatpin has been designed and
will soon be ready for sale that is In
tended primarily for use as a weapon of
defense. 1t is In reality a st,letto,
masquerading as an innocent little hat
pin. It is made of fine steel, that will
bend but will not break, as sharp as a
needle and hardened at the end so that
1t can be used with deadly effect as
dagger, and with a handle that enables
a woman to grasp it for use a a weapon
and hold it so that it cannot easily be
pulled from the hand.
There are two ways of holding the new
hatpin. 1t can be held with the thumb
pressed against the top. or with the but
ton grasped in the palm of the hand.
In either way it is quite as terrible a
weapon as a razor. and one moreover
that cannot easily be wrested from the
hand that holds it.
, The method of using the new weapon
to the best advantage when attacked is
to aim at the face of the highwayman,
1t is not likely that he will wait for the
blow. A woman armed with one of these
stilettos, even if she has not the slightest
idea of the rules of the dagger duellO is
likely to do more damage in few Sec
onds than hungry tiger The wicf ed
little blade is so small that it is impOsSi-
BILE to grasp it to wrench it away from
its owner, and yet so keen is it and so
light that, used by woman frenzied by
fear, it is likely to be more dangerous
to a highwayman than Calling gun
In considering the advantages of this
weapon in the hands of women, those
who advocate its use point out that
every woman is familiar with its use.
While the average woman would find a
| revolver cumbersome and difficult to
draw from pocket or bag. the hatpin
can be whisled out in second by prac-
ticed hand. No woman would care to be
forever plucking revolver from her
pocket when out in lonely district. And
yet there are times when suspicious
looking - aracter comes into the offing
and prudence whispers: Beware of
him" While most women would shrinl.
under those circumstances from pulling
out revolver. it is an innocent act to
put the hand to the hat and draw out one
of the stiletto hatpins. With this in her
hand the nervous woman is ready for
the stranger, whatever his intentions.
If he is an innocent man he will prob
ably take no notice of the woman's &C.
ton. If he is a rascal 1t is more than
probable that he will mark the motive
for the act and let the woman pass unmo-
Tested.
1t is an axiom with the members of the
police force that the woman with the
hatpin is more to be feared than an
armed and desperate burglar. The rea-
son is that the burglars hand could not
travel hipward without q bullet or a
club disabling his arm. The woman
with the hatpfn, however, has to be
watched with lynx eyes. and even then
is likely to have the weapon concealed
up her sleeve for use when opportunity
comes The inventors of the stf1ett6 hat
pin had this in mind when they Necfded
to design a weapon that would be re-
cuIiarly woman's weapon. and yet be
sufficiently deadly to do as much damage
as the most ardent opponent of the gen I
tleman of the road could wish /