The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1904-04-02
A DANGEROUS WEAPON.
"omaH's Hatpin In Better Than y
Revolver for Her Defense
Against Highwaymen.

against Htghwaymen.
What shall we do In case we are at
tackled by some rufiian?" is the question
women have asked in every part of tn,
country since the recurrence of the bru
tai "hold-ups'' by tramps. The man t.
whom the question is put, says the Gin
cinnati Enquirer, will Immediately an.
swer: Garry a revolver" But won.
en- dread revolvers almost as much al
they do the possibility of attack when
out at night. Few women possess the
nerve necessary to use q 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 woman that she would be averse to
suspecting the motive of every man she
met, and would probably fail to draw the
revolver until too late for fear of max
ing foolirh mistake. What, then, can
be provided for her that will be as dead
Iy in her hands as revolver. and 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 weapon of
defense. It is in reality a stiIetto,
masquerading as an innocent little hat
pin. 1t is made of fine steel, that will
bend but will not break, as sharp as a
needle and hardened at the end so that
it can be used with deadly effect as a
dagger, and with handle that enables
woman to grasp it for use as weapon
and hold 1t 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 1t is quite as terrible a |
weapon as a razor, and one moreover
that cannot easily be wrested from the
hand that holds 1t.
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 IL she has not the slightest
idea of the rules of the dagger duello is
likely to do more damage in a few sec
onds than hungry tiger. The wicked
little blade is SO small that It is impossi-
Bile to grasp it to wrench it away from
us owner, and yet SO keen is it and so
light that, used by woman frenzied by
ear, 1t is likely to be more dangerous
o highwayman than Calling gun.
In considering the advantages of this
Weapon in the hands of women. those
Who advocate its use point out that
very woman is familiar with its use
While the average woman would find a
evolver cumbersome and difficult to
raw from pocket or bag, the hatpin
an be whfsked out in second by a prac-
ICED hand. No woman would care to be
brewer plucking revolver from her
ocket when out in lonely district. And
ct there are times when a suspicious
boxing character comes into the oflng
nd prudence whispers: Beware of
i'm" While most women would shrink
nder those circumstances from pulling
Ut revolver, it is an innocent act to
ut the hand to the hat and draw out one
the stiletto hatpins. With this in her
and the nervous woman is ready for
he stranger. whatever his intentions. !
he is an innocent man he will prob
bly, take no notice of the woman's ac-
'n- II he Is rascal 1t is more than {
obable that he will mark the motive
r the act and let the woman pass unmo-
sted
1t is an axiom with the members of the
lice force that the woman with the
'tpin is more to be feared than an
med and desperate burglar. The rea-
n is that the burglars hand could not
ayel upward without a bullet or a
Id disabling his arm. The woman
tn the hatpin. however, has to be
'tched with lynx eyes, and even then (
likely to have the weapon concealed =
her sleeve for use when opportunity
mes. The inventors of the stiletto hat
mad this in mind when they decided
design a weapon that would be ne
iarly woman's weapon, and vet be y
nciently deadly to do as much damage "
the most ardent opponent of the gen.
man of the road could wish. 4