LA Times circa 1919

[macwilkin]

So that appears to be what the reporter thought he heard. My opinion is that "Scotch" is simply a minor mispronunciation of "Scots" unless the subject is whisky, in which case it's the conventional pronunciation and spelling and probably of the same origin.

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I think you're going a bit out on a limb to assume that the reporter printed what he heard.
The use of the word "Scotch" was quite common in the late 19th/early 20th century. I have an article in my e-mail files somewhere from Scotland that deals with this very subject, if I can find it, more's the pity.

Case in point: during WWI, the 15th (Scottish) Division had as its symbol, a wheel scotch, hence the 15th "Scotch" Division. (Chappel, Scottish Units in the World Wars, p. 25)

Regards,

Todd