Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1908-12-24
An UnIuCky Hat.

do believe in-well, what shall / cali
it?-luck. There's certain gamblin'
combinations IN which there's millions
O. chances agin their happenin', and
yet they have happened. They say
lightnin' don't strike twice in the same
place. Kin show you out In Mulligan
county an old oak that's been struck
to my knowledge three times.
"The curiestest thing that ever hap
pened In my experience was when we
was fightin' around Atlanta. Some
Georgia troops come so near the tenn
porary breastworks we'd throwed up
that when they went back they left
several dead right under our noses.
One OF 'em had on good felt hat
The reason / noticed II was because
my hat had become unserviceable, and
/ couldn't get another In the regular
way. Besides, Ii was rainin'. i was
startin' TO go out and git the dead
mans hat when i sor Bill Struthers
of our company jump down on tother
side Of the breastworks, pick up the
hat and put II on his head. But he
took 1t off ag'in to wipe out the blood,
for the Johnny had been shot through
1t in the head. Struthers swabbed 1t
with the sleeve Of his coat and put il
back on to his head.
There was more or less fightin' that
day, and we In the breastworks gen
orally laid low, cause onct In awhile a
stray shot would come along our way.
Struthers was shown his hat to some
Of the boys, not seemin' TO keer about
his head bein' above the parapet He
took the hat off and poked his finger
through the bullet hole In It, then put
1t on ag'in. He hadn't more'n got it
on when he pitched forward. They
picked him up and found another bull
let hole In the hat close beside the one
he'd been a-showin 'em. The bullet
had made hole In Struthers' head
"Well, Jim O'Keefe of Company c.
next on our left, was wearin' cap A
cap out In the rain Is the wo'st sort o
headgear, for when 1t gifts soaked
stiddy stream runs right down a mans
backbone. O'Keefe he pressed the
hat into his own special service. My
hat was nothin' more'n stovepipe
without the t'other end stopped w
and ketchin' all the rain there was.
was feelin' sorry that / hadn't got
ahead Of Bill Struthers, the man that
first got the hat, when i saw O'Keefe
throw up his hands and tumble in q
heap. / run up TO him, and what do
/ you Think There was third hole in
the hat and bullet through o'Keefe's
brain.
"CQuntin' the Johnny, this made three
men that had lost their lives wearin
that hat | was just goin' to pick il
up and throw away my stovepipe when
l remembered this and stopped. 1t was
rainin harder every minute, and the
hat would be fine perfection. Barrin
the bullet holes 1t was sound every.
where. Howsomever / didn't like
maxim the fourth man to repose H.
weary limbs on Confederate soil, and
concluded to let the hat alone. / SOL
one or two men pick 1t up. look 1t over,
throw down their own hats and goin'
to put it on when l hailed 'em and
told 'em that three men had been killed
wearin' OF 1t. Mostly they dropped it
like a hot coal, but purity soon a lieu
tenant Of Company Il come along He
hadn't any head coverin' at all. He'd
been on the skirmish line and been
driven In in a hurry-such big hurry
that he'd dropped his hat and didn't
calc'late TO stop to pick 1t up.
"As soon as he sor the hat | was
talkin' about lynn on the ground he
made dive for il. called out to him.
Lieutenant, don't wear that hat says
l. What's the matter with itT says
he There's three men been shot
a-wearin' It, Well he says, If 1t has
been struck three times there's a thou
sand chances to one II won't be struck
ag'in not just now. anyway. And he
clapped II ON his head.
Now. that's just the way these meu
who make up systems TO beat gambiin
banks git fooled. Howsomever, It's
mighty good reasonin' all the same.
It's good reasonin' and It's bad reason
in. There's some would argy that the
hat was fated, others that the spirit OF
the original Confederate owner had
swore that no cussed Yankee should
wear It. ] don't believe In any OF
these superstitions There's only one
thing | do believe in--luck; list luck
and nothin' else.
about this time Of day the firln'
got purity hot. The bullets was singin'
gayly jist s IL IL was lots o. fun to
plug Yankee some OF 'em cuttin' the
twigs Of the overhangin' branches
splteful | sor the lieutenant with the
hat on--the hat I was tellirf you about
--standin' on the breastwork tryin' 10
git his men out 10 make a charge
they bein' short q ammunition list
thin. | believe-wben student I saw
him collapse.
Ills comrades picked him up. and I
sor one Of 'em take on his hat and
poke his finger through four different
bullet holes I'm the crown.
well by this time II was pretty
well understood that the hat had
streak OF bad luck In n. II lay on the
ground. aud not man would touch
II. A good hat git,In' a wide berth
with men all about wantin' II. IL
want superstition. No one could argy
that there was amy more chance OF git
tin hit I'm II than IN any other hat.
and yit no man dared wear IT, I've
thought about u often since aud won
dered what that thing we call luck Is.
anyway. | don't believe the biggest