The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-07-18
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS HlEiIl
~ with the Rifle,

.tit with the Rtfie. .t
S.r Y@E s.u.
DR.. Carver, accompanied BY Texas
Jack, Colonel Fletcher, Irs Payne and
Others, put In an appearance at the Brook
Ign Driving Park yesterday at about 10
80 o clock.
The Doctor was 10 attempt the unpre-
cedented feat Of breaking $500 glass balls
In 500 consecutive minutes with q rife.
he was clad In bis usual jaunty style,
and when stripped for work, was as per.
feet picture Of msnly grace as one
could wiSh TO look upon. He had on o
pair Of navy blue pantaloons, q white
flannel shirt and = pair Of low cut shoes.
On bis head the inevitable broad. brim-
med sombrero, which all far Western
men affect, and the usefulness Of 1t wAs
demonstrated In the shooting Of yesterday,
as 1t not only protected the eyes from
the sun and dust, but also, in measure,
prevented the fragments Of glass from
the shattered balls Aging in the face Of
the msrksmap,
The arrangements for the affair were
Of the rudsst description. The Doctor
stood at one end Of the base Of what may
DO described rs an isosceles triangle; at
the other end were arranged some tables
for the use Of the reporters and scorers.
Al the apex stood Colonel Fletcher, who
was TO pass the feather. filled 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 arran.
ged as TO give the Doctor the benefit Of
the westeriDg shade In the afternoon.
At the marksmans right hand stood
table and large tub oil water. On the
table lay six Winchester rifles, and the
water was for the purpose Of cooling and
cleaning the weapons after the sixteen
cartridges with which they were loaded
had been fired.
Behind the Doctor was . carpenter's
bench, on which was placed 3 pitcher Of
iced lemonade aud box Of sand witches.
Tie "dead shot looked quiet aud res
served, and wore his habi.ual air Of de.
termination.
AT one minute past eleven the frat ball
was tossed In the air. The rife cracked.
The scorer cried "Broke" in loud
voice.
OF the frat 100 balls the Doctor missed
six; on the third hundred he missed Eve;
on the fourth only two; then he went on,
missing In each successive hundred from
four to nine balls up to the twenty. fourth,
when he missed twenty. eight.
After this point the misses ranged
from Ave to twenty three in each hundred.
Time was called at z O. clock, when the
marksman had accomplished bis feat
with eleven minutes TO spare out Of his
Eve hundred.
He showed not the least physical weak
ness, 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 rife as the cartridge was
thrown from 1t. Mr.. Payne stood with
hat in his hand, and famed 1t away be-
tween the rapid shots. At one time the
Doctor was fully fifteen minutes behind
the schedule time, but by dint Of extra
exertiou was enabled TO make It up and
accomplish his unheard Of task within
the allotted time.
The guns became so heated that II was
impossible TO cool them 80 that they
could be handled with any comfort.
Three Of the weapons had to be discarded,
as they were SO hard to work when heat.
ed that Il was only by the greatest physi.
cal effort he could eject the shells.
On the fifty first hundred the Doctor
broke 81 straight balls, and during the
shooting u consecutive balls were broken
In ] ! seconds, and IA in is seconds.
Taken altogether as feato Of skill and
endurance, the like will not be seen
again In this generation. DR.. Carver de-
clared that while he felt at the close ply.
sically as strong as ever, every shot be
made was accomplished in agony, as his
eyes panied him so feariully that every
puff Of smoke was like ay. blister on
raw sore,n and that he would not uu-
dertake the feat again for $4,000.