The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-07-18 00:00:00

THE WINNING_OF_THE QUEEN'S

PRIZE.

The Dail!, News thus graphically describes the win.
fling of the Queen's Prize at Wimbledon
. But If the morning's shooting at the shorter ranges had
scuffed out some chances that had seemed brilliant, it had
also brought some !urn to the front as prominent favourites.
The Scuts were cannily jubilant alter their fashion, for Ser-
geant Rae, of the Ist Lanarkshire, had made the top score-
57—at the shorter ranges. Next to him—pro:haus twit lump
interealto--came Private Atkinson, of the Ist Durham, with
a score of 51, and the third best score at the shorter ranges
had been achieved by Sergeant Tarleton, of the Stir Lanca-
shire, who haul made 50. During the luncheon hour
Sergeant Rae was assiduously sequestered from inter-
communication with his species. lie was immured in a
tent in the " Olasgow Line' of the associated • amp, and two
captains of his corps kept watch and ward over him,
warning all sundu y persons away from the imme-
diate vicinity. It was reported that he was sternly
forbeldeu any other refreshment than 11 biscuit
and a glass of ginger-beer, and that a number of the cures
was summarily put under arrest for suggesting the inhabits-
tmtion of a dram. Docters notoriously differ inn the manage-
ment on the nervous system, and of another Scottish favourite
It was rumoured that his comrades were improving his shoot-
ing by the exhibition of a glees of unadulterated whisky
every ten urinate. It was altogether a nervous fidgetty
time for those only interested in the shoottng as onlookers ;
how much more no, then, for the competitors thenmelves?
A little hand of them, at the time for recommencing the
firing drew nigh, might have been observed listening to last
words of advice and experience Irons the ups of a very
fatuous shot. '-Try cry plan," quoth the modern Nestor of
the Queen's Prim list; •• 1 just lay town on my pally an'
popped away."
lialf-past two, and the bang of the first signal gun makes
the glasses jingle on Jennison's tables, arid stirs the late
terriers over the midday bitter. Before the seeond gun has
fired the competitors who rentals in have been paraded at
the tiring ponds, and are formed up in line two deep, chile
Lord Lucie addresses to them Blew remark& concereing the
alterations liii the regulations. Not a moment is lost in
commencing the momentous work of the afternoon. The
line breaks up, and each squad is marched to its own
firing point, of which there are eight, lettered corre-
spondingly to the tasgets from A to H. At each bring
point sits impassive sunder his umbrella, and with eye
at telescope, the non commissioned officer of the
regular s who is charged with the important duty of reading,
announcing, and registering the result of each shot. The
ofti er in charge begns his patrol of inspection and centre',
and Ole tiring at the 1,000 yards range cenunences. This
year some important improvements are carried out in the
arrangements at the firing point. No person except com-
petitors and officials are allowed inside the repes on any
pretext, and time the confusion and noise, as well as endi
interference with competitors on the part of good-natured
but injudicious friends as lost Mr. Pullman the prize last sear,
is absolutely abolished. No coaching is permitted, the effusive
bottle-holders with the telescopes are done away with, the
competitors rely solely on themselves, and the shooting
proceeds in a much more rapid arid orderly fashion
than in previous years. But although the space inside the
ropes is kept clear, outside them all the world may congre-
gate if it pleases. And very large and enthusiastic is the
crowd which has gathered here, its front hollowed out into
a crescent by the contour of the reserve space, its rear
straggling raggedly away nearly as for as the tramway.
Friends discern the competitor in whom they are interested, ,
and form in an enthusiastic little phalanx in rear ef his
squad. At B firing point Tarleton and Atkinson are Ming,
Rae is one of the squad which is detailed to 11. His friends
visibly droop when the newspercolates gradually to the ropes
that the first three of his seven shots were misses, and it is
but poor consolation that he had three in hand above
Atkinson when he began at this range. As for the
latter, the firing in the squad to which he belonged
was so rapid that Ito had fired all his seven shots almost
before there was time to gather the intermediate details of
his score. He left off with a total score of 64, while as yet
Rae, standing at 62, had two more shots to fire. Clearly the
contest, then, lay between these two, for those except R+lo
who haul yet shots in hand, haul too much leeway to make up,
soil of those who had finished Atkinson had the best score.
Wilder, of the jut Sussex, bad scored but 62, although his
rifle was practically the deadliest of any, for throughout the
competition, from the shortest to the longest range,
no " miss " fell to be registered on hi. score
Tarleton, IPVittie, 7th Ddllifrieshire, and Basset.
19th Middlesex, had each made 11l In all ; but of
all these, Atkinson, with hie score of 64, had the
mastery. Was fiat', in his turn, with these two shots
of his in hand, to get the mastery of Atkinson and win the
prize, or was he as did Pullman last year, to !tries twice in
succession at the critical moment and lose the prize after it
seemed that everything was over but shouting ? All the
interest converged on H firing point, behind which quietly
knelt Atkinson, a square-built, sunburnt man, in a dark
blue uniform Wi h yen facings, anti wearing a cap with a
"Rob Roy" check band mend it. On the ever silent crowd
there tell a yet deeper silence as he rose, stepped slowly to
the firing point, stood a while--an irritatingly long while
to the watchers—as he adjusted his rine, mei then
deliberately lay down. He dwelt long on his shot,
but et length he pulled trigger, and lay su-
pine watching for the result. You might have heard a pin
fall in the strained silent excitement with which the spec-
tators waited to hear whether the iron target gave back the
faint yet sharp " ping," wllich marka the impact of a bullet
on it. The hush was hrokeu by shouts. "A miss ! amiss !"
was the cry. But it was no miss. The marker signalled an
•• outer," which mores two, and then the clamour changed to
shouts of " A tie ; a tie !" And verily a tie it was ; the first
dead heat that has ever occurred in the contest of the .
winning of this prize. Atkinson and Rae had each slate r 4,
and there must follow the thrilling excitement of shooting
off the tie
The question wee whether the the should he shot oft then
and there. The members of the Colima gathered our the
firm.: point, and it was wisely deckled that there should be
110 iielay. Bet some delay did oceur. Atkins°. had Mourne
Inc: dble to the naked eye, and the rumour nor around that
his comrades had withdrawn him to indulge is premature
festivity. Rae, after waiting some time, also attempted an
ear ape from the immediate scene of action, but was re-
captured and brought back. Presently Lord Dude reap-
peared, accompanied by Atkinson, and after a short consulta-
tion he announced that the two had azreed to shoot off
the tie at once, each noun to fire five shots, and the
issue to be decided by the aggregate of the five shots.
E and F targets were selected, and the firing points were
cleared of all save officials. The Scot seemed petered, the
Durham man, a compact little fellow, in a dark uniform,
and wesring a shako surmounted by a tuft appeared cool
and self-contained. The predilection of the crowd was
clearly for the English champion, as was evinced by the
burst of cheering which followed each of his successful
sleds. Cheering, shooting, and, indeed, the world in
general the little Durham marksman took with praiseworthy
equanimity. Use fired first and missed, Atkinson respond-
ing with a centre. The second shot of both was a tunics, only
whereas Rae missed his third shot also Atkinson scored a
bullseve, and when, at his fourth shot, he repeated the
exploit he was vehemently cheered, for that fourth shot
derided the matet, since Rae, who had scored an inner with
his tourth fire, could not posaittly now retrieve the leeway of
iris three initiatory misses. But he matte an outer with his
fifth tire to Atkinson's miss, and then the officer on duty
ammuneed that Atkinson had scored 14 to Rae's 5, and that
consequently Atkinson was the wineer. Whereupon, to
the sound of a mighty cheer, two of Atkinson's contraltos
hoisted him on their shoulders, and marched off with
him to the Council tent. There all the formalities
were complied with, and Atkinson, formally announced the
winner of the Queen's Prize for 1874, was borne away in
triumph to the sound of music into the camp of the
Victoria., where libations were poured forth according to
our modern method in honour of his victory. It was stated
that although the tie was shot off for the honour arid the
medal, Rae and Atkinson had previously agreed to divide the
£250 which us the pecuniary guertion, and that the Council
consented to this somewhat prosaic arraegement.
Mr. Atkinson is a working joiner and builder, 33 years of
site, and was horn at Northalloton, where he received his
first instruction in shooting, under Sergeant Dyer. Finding
burliness slack in the small Yorkshire borough, Atkinson re-
moved to Stockton-on. Tees, where he became a member of the
. Ist Durham Administrative Battalion. Ile and his brotherhave
figured frequently in the York county competitions, where, on
account of the remarkably close resemblance between the
1 two, the scorers had frequently no small difficulty in keeping
their records distinct, and avoiding giving credit to the one
for the score of the other. Since coming up to shoot for the
Queen's, Private Atkinson has been staymg, not in canny, but
In London, bet little noticed and but little known, until his
superior steadiness and skill placed him in the proud position
of the champion shot of the year.