Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-07-19
THE KING OF CRACK SHOTS.

THE KING OF CRACK SHOTS.
DIR. ORrVsr's Unprecedented Feat of
hkiIl with Ihe Rine-50OO Glass
BalIa Shattered 1n rive Hundred
Minutes.
New York Star. July 4.l
DR.. Carver, accompanied by Tex
as Jack, Colonel Fletcher, Ira
Payne and Others put in an appear
ance at the Brooklyn Driving Park
yesterday at about 1920 O'Clock.
The doctor was to attempt the
unprecedented feat of breaking
$500 glass balls in 500 consecutive
minutes with rifle. He was clad
in his usual jaunty style, and when
stripped for work, was as perfect a
picture of manly grace as one could
wish to look upon. He had on
pair of navy-blue pantalOons, a
white flannel shirt and a pair Of
lOw-cut-shOes. On his head the
inevitable broad-brimmed sombrero,
which all far Western men effect,
and the usefulness of it was demon
strated in the shooting of yester-
day, as it not only protected the
eyes from the sun and dust, but
also, in a measure, prevented the
fragments of glass from the shat
tered balls flying in the face Of the
marksman.
The arrangements for the affair
were of the rudcst description. The
doctor stood at one angle of the
base of what may be described as
an iSosceles triangle; at the other
end were arranged some tables for
the use of the reporters and scorers.
At the apex stood Colonel Fletcher,
who was to pass the feather-lilled
balls in the air for the doctor.
The whole was directly in front
of the shed Of the Fountain Gun
Club, which occupies the center of
the field within the track of the
Park, and was so arranged as to
give the doctor the benefit of the
westering shade in the afternoon.
At the markSman's right hand
stood a table and large tub Of
water. On the table lay six Win
chester rifles, and the water was for
the purpose of cooling and cleaning
the weapons after the sixteen cart
ridges with which they we're loaded
had been fired. Behind the doctor
was a carpenters bench, on which
were placed a pitcher of iced lemon.
ade and a box of sandwiches.
The "dead shot" looked quiet
and reserved, and wore his habitual
air of determination.
AT one minute past II the first
ball was tossed in the air. The rifle
cracked. The scorer cried "Broke"
in loud voice.
OF the first 100 balls the doctor
missed SIX; on the third hundred
he missed five; on the fourth only
two; then he went on, missing in
each successive hundred from foul
to nine balls up to the twenty
fourth, when he missed twenty.
eight.
After this point the misses ranged
from five to Ntwenty-three in each
hundred.
Time was called at Z o'clock, when
the marksman had accomplished
his feat with eleven minutes tc
spare out of his 500.
lie showed not the least sign Of
physical weakness, but his eyes
were terribly inAamed, and the faint
breath Of air which was stirring
} was insufficient to bear away the
: puff of smoke which emerged from
: the breech Of the rifle as the car
fridge was thrown from it. Mr.
Payne stood with a hat. in his hanC
} and famed it away between tn,
rapid shots. AT one time the doc
tor was fully fifteen minutes behint
4 the schedule time, but by dint o
, extra exertion was enabled to max,
t it up aud accomplish his unheart
J of task within the allotted time.
: The guns became so heated tina
it was impossible to cool them S,
. that they could be handled will
4 any comfort. Three of the weap
ons had to be discarded, as the,
+ were so hard to work when heated
T. that it was only by the creates
8 physical effort he could eject tn
, shells.
e On the ilftyfrst hundred tn
e doctor broke 6l straight balls, an,
during the shooting II consecutiv
C balls were broken in l / seconds, am
v IA in Is seconds.
7, Taken altogether as a feat of ski
and endurance, the like will not b
S, seen again in this generation. D
st Carver declared that whilc he fe
ut the close physically as strong ,