The Osceola times., 1879-02-22
tom POTTER'S FEAIS.
AZ Related by n Perssn who Was .
ErieaS 90 the Sold rruth

| Frieas 90 the so.id rruih
| aniden IN. - Democrat
They had btea' talking about the re
markabe performances OF DIR. Carver, the
markham, who shoots with rifle glas:
balls which are sent into the air as fast
rs man can throw them. Presently
Abler Byning, who was sitting by, said
Tnsts nothing"
What is notbing?"
Why, that shooting Did ysu eveI
know Tom Potter 2" s..tt.. .,.....
| mol"
"Wrh, Potter was the best hand with
the rifle ever saw beat this man Carver
all hollow. ri tell you what I've seer
this man Potter do. You know, maybe,
along there in the cherry season Mrs
| Potter would want 10 preserve some
cherries, 40 Tom would pick em for her
and how do you think he'd stone 'em 2"
Z" | don't know. Howl"
Why, he'd fill his gun with bird shot
and get boy t. drop half busbel OF
cherries at one time from the root of a
house. As they came down he'd FIRE and
| take the stone clean out of every cherry
ia the lot It's a positive fsctl He
might occasionally miss one, but not
often. But he did bigger shooting than
that when he wanted to-"
"Whst did he do ?"
"Why, Jim Miller--did you know
him NoY Well, Tom made bet once
with Jim that he could shoot the button
off his own cost.tail by aiming in the
opposite direction, and jim took him
up" ....
!" Did he do it7'
"Do it He fixed himself in posi-.
ton and aimed at tree in front OF him
The ball hit the tree, caromed, hit the
corner OF house, caromed, struck q
lamp-post, caromed and few behind Tom
and nipped the button of as slick as q
whistle. You bet he did itp
THAI was fine shooting"
"Yes, and I've seen Tom Potter beat
it. We seen him stand under flock
OF wild pigeons, billions of them coming
like the wind, and kill 'em 90 fast that
the front of the flock never passed q
given line, but turned over and fell down,
30 that it looked like kind OF brown
and feathery Niagara. Tom did it by
having twenty-three breech loading ri q es
and boy to load 'em. He always shot
with that kind" 5, 80 ..
you say you saw him do this sort
of shooting?'
"Yss, sir and better than that, too.
Why, III tell you what have seen
Tom Potter do. saw him once set up
an India rubber target at 300 feet aud
hit the bulls eye twenty>seven times q
minute with the same ball. He would
hit the target. the ball would bound right
back into the rife barrel Just as rom had
clspped In fresh charge OF powder. and
80 he kept her going backward and tor
ward until at last he happened to move
his gun and the bullet missed the muz
zle OF the gun. 1t was the biggest thing
ever saw; the very biggest except
one"
"What was that ="
"Why, one day was out with him
when he WAS practicing. and IL came on
to rain. Tom didn't want to get wet,
and we had no umbrella, end what do
you think he didi
What?"
"Now what do you think that man
done to keep dry ?"
81 can't imagine. Z"
"Well, sir, he got me to load his
weapons for him, and pledge you my
word, although ii began to rain hard, he
hit every drop that came down, so thst
the ground for about eight feet around
us was as dry as punk. 1t WAS beauti-
ful, sir-bsautilul,
And then the company rose up slowly
and passed out one By one, each man
eying Abner and looking solemn as he
went by and when they had gone, Abb
ner looked queerly for moment and
said to me:
There's ncthing | hate so much as a
liar. Give me a man who is a friend OF
the solid truth, and III tie to him"