The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-05
The American Pigeon Shooters
Feats in England.
SPORT AT MANCHESTER.
Twenty-seven Birds in Two Min
utes Fifty-five Seconds.
A Trip TO Shsffield-What He Accomplished
at the Cutlery Centre.

England that takes greater interest In sporting
matters than Manchester. Indeed, for that par
ticular form OF sport which consists OF the exhi-
bltion OF some special skin the part OF some
human being Manchester surpasses London
vastly. Walking, running ana pigeon shooting
ind here q home which Is not accorded TO them in
the less enthusiastic sporting circles In London,
ard the town has been the scene or the dearest
action" of many a champion whose day has now
gone past Singular. TOO, that Manchester should
not only be the second sporting town OF the United
Kingdom but place OF great commercial ac-
tlvlty. Mark Twain observes. iokingly that che
never allows his work to interfere with his
drink !" similarly It may be said OF the inhabitants
OF Manchester that they never allow their busl-
ness to Interfere with their sport. should good
thing'' in the way OF jumping, running, walking
or pigeon shooting be PROVIDED on any day OF the
week by one OF the numerous caterers for the pub
lie amusement located here, the
PEOPLE WILL TURN OUT IN THEIR THOUSANDS
to witness the entertainments Manchester sport
ing men-the professional sporting men-are not
very refined beings. They have q strong family
likeness too. Generally they are short. thick set
men, bullet headed. and, physiognomically speak
ing, they are not prepossessing order OF the
genus homo. A glance at them is quite sufficient
to put a stranger on his guard. II they
couth in outward semblance, they are also par
qure a more than ordinary concentration OF wits
about you before you do business with them-to
come out OF your dealings with satisfaction to
yourself In fact don't like the Manchester
sporting man. There Is a good deal OF the rogue
in him and great deal more OF the bully than
honest. quiet going citizens ike to meet with.
There is one thing, apparent thy, that every Man.
chester man who dabbles in sporting matters can
do-according to his own opnion-and that is
nnfa
state OF matters it is not to be wondered at that
the sporting fraternity in Manchester should
prick up their ears when they hear what Captain 1
Bogardus mas been deing in London and elsewhere
lately. OF course
THEY TREATED HIM AS AN nPosToR.
Everybody. according to their benedcent man.
ner OF viewing things, Is an impostor he Is
a Manchester man or has proved himself other
wise be ore Manchester audience. 1t appears
that the majority OF the rumers about challenges
10 shoot Captain Bogardus, which have already
mentioned from Liverpool. emanated principally
from Manchester. Only to-day there appears In a
sporting sheet of the town ''cha1lenge" to shoot
a match with the Captain, II he will concede to
the challenger the trinlng advantage OF five yards
start and two dead birds. This the Captain has
declined 10 take any notice Of proceeding which
meets with the entire app of his friends But
i will not decry the whole body Of the shooting
"taent' OF Manchester. There are, it must be
confessed, one or two GOOD, steady pigeon
In the town, and If they like let every
body know that they nave keen eye and
steady hand perhaps we had better blame their
conceit more than themselves. "Lord,n ex-
claimed Scotch minister In the pulpit once, "gie
us guld concelt o. ourselves" ana II every rev.
erend gentleman in Manchester had propitiated
the higher powers 10 infuse a good conceit into
the breasts OF the pigeon shooters in ths town
these local knights OF the shotgun could hardly
have imbued a better opinion Of themselves than
they possess already There IS
A CAPITAL PIGEON SHOOTING GROUND
In Manchester; but must confess that the char
acter OF the frequensers neither give the ground
a good name the sport practised on It,
Pigeon shooting, which in any other place in Eng
la nd Is the most respectable form OF diversion
followed by the upper and middle classes, in Man.
chester falls 10 the very lowest level OF degrad-
ing sport Every sweepstakes that Is shot of on
the ground ptoceeds amid scenes OF rowdylsm
which elsewhere would be prohibited; men
around are cursing and swearing at each other,
as II they were so many Inhabitants OF a mad
house let loose, and every side you near the
braggart matching himself against anybody for
anything Tor they are not blushlngly modest,
those Manchester pigeon shooters, when they
speak OF their own sklll, and they name dig sums
when they. mention money. In the sweepstaKe
that precesed Captain Bogardus' exhibition
match to-day the business was positively put a
stop 10 nall a dozen times DY angry disputes be-
tween different men respecting their acquaint-
ance with the shotgun. Words In every instance
ran as high as II a kingdom, and not the lie OF
pigeon, depended upon the issue; but remarked
that In no single case OF dispute dld the parties
agree to settle their differences in the proper way.
EVERYTHING WAS WORDS, WORDS, WORDS,
and the repetition OF such scenes was q source Of
great disgust to the respectable portion OF the
company who had come to see Captain Bogardus
shoot. the first thing that the Captain was told
when ne entered the ground to-day was that there
was q Manchester man VINO wanted TO shoot min
I a
sporting LIE oil to-day and runs as IolIows:-
CHALLENGE TO THE woRLl
Sam Shaw, OF Manchester would like TO shoot match
against captain A. Bogardu', before his departure to
twenty pigeons each with ssoz ioz OF shot
hamper a rug over the top, from which both
rpg the match e be oT s side halt Of the p rus
o.her half at the borough Grounds odham. shaw will
pared to make match, or any other man ia England
can be on on the same conditions
BoGAKDUs' OPPORTUNITY.
This, It may be remarked, is just what the Cap
tain mas been wanting to see all along. He wants
To shoot good man for round sum before he
leaves England, TO show that he has IA little fear
oil losing Ills money as MS reputation The cnal-
lenger, "Sam shaw" as he Is familiarity called In
this quarter. | ma has done splendid work in
pigeon shooting matches OF late. he has wOD IL
Gently, and on the strength OF these victories no
doubt he mas been induced 10 throw down tue
glove TO Captain Bogardus. l saw him shooting
To-day at twenty-one yards rise and can say that
HE SHOOTS WITH REMARKABLE POWER
He Is a short, thin man, belonging apparently to
regular, but he shows the keen eye OF steady
snOt. rne money, as IS the case with most of
such affalrs IN Manchester IS found Tor him by
the betting men, VINO. OF course, IN the event OF
his winning make nice little maui. on the Cap
tam entering the ground this morning he was In.
formed that TREND" OF snaw's would be glad
to negotiate with him on
THE SUBJECT OF THE MATCH.
The Captain at once aSseuted to the proposal,
ana they adjourned TO sitting room In the ROy al
OAK, from which the grounds take their name.
Tue landlord OF the tavern rs stakenolder for the
present, drew up the articles OF agreement which
were, after short time, concluded to tue salts
faction OF both parties.
THE MATCH IS TO TAKE PLACE IN LONDON,
at the Welsh Harp, Hendon. where the Captain
mas already shot, on next Monday week, the I'd cf
August. IL VIII be for
TWO HUNDRED POUNDS SIDE, AT TwENTY-oNE
YARDS
riSe IL has been decided to shoot at 100 birds
with one ounce snot, aud each man IS to tind nirus
and trap and handle against ms opponent. DoUs