The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1880-10-16

which was suspended on wire hung in
front of the face of the target board
Next his assistant, Joseph Jacques, t.
year-old boy, who lives in this city, held
an ordinary lead-pencil before the tar
get board, and Mr.. Paine sent bullet
which broke the lead-pencil in halves.
A peanut, not more than an inch in
length, was strapped in an upright po-
sltlon to thetop of young Jacques head,
and at the first shot the nut was cut in
two. An ordinary grape hanging by a
thread and swinging before the target
board was next hit with pistol ball,
after which a dozen balls were put
through as many postage-stampso on en-
velopes taken from the spectators and
held between the thumb and finger OF
young Jacques. All of these feats were
vociferously applauded, the spectators
being at loss to account for the shoot
er's marvellous aim. Still Mr.. Paine had
another feat more incomprehensible
than all. His assistant placed an ordi-
nary business card against the target
board with the edge of the card-not
more than one-siXteenth of an inch thick
toward the shooter. Then Mr. Paine,
with the dueling pistol, took long, I'M
erring aim and, at the first shot, hit the
card on the edge, cutting it in exact
halves. The feats with the dueling pis-
toll closed with the shooting of cork
from a stone bottle without injuring the
bottle or splitting its contents.
With an army revolver Mr.. Paine ex-
hibited several very dexterous shots, for
which he was heartily applauded. His
assistant standing thirty feet away tossed
glass balls at him, and he shot them be-
fore they could hit him. Then Mr..
Paine threw the balls himself and broke
them with the revolver before they could
reach the ground. With a small rifle
such as is used in shooting galleries Mr.
Paine broke balls thrown at him and
away from him.
With a Winchester rifle, most serv-
iceable weapon and not particularly
easy to handle with accuracy, Paine
shot double balls thrown into the air,
breaking both of them, and put twelve
shots into six-inch target in eight Sec
onds. He then performed the most diff
cult shot known to rifle practice, VIZ,
the ricochet shot with glass balls. A
glass ball is placed upon the ground, and
the rifieman, by shooting into the
ground, under the ball, throws the
globe into the air four or five feet and
before the ball falls to the ground it is
broken by a second shot. To do this
not only requires nice Judgment in hit
ting the ground in such way that the
ball will not be broken, but the emptied
shell must be thrown out of the rifle and
another cartridge must be thrown in its
place before the second shot which
breaks the ball, can be made. Hence,
great quickness, nerve and faultlesS
aim are necessary. Mr.. Paine success
fully made two ricochet shots, ending
the fancy shot programme.
About q third of mile from the
shooting ground was red spar buoy,
looking to the spectators to be the size
of a lead-pencil. Wishing to see what
Mr.. Paine could do at long range, re-
quests were made that he would shoot
at the buoy. The marksman unhesitat-
ingly complied, explaining first, howev-
er, that he would be obliged to guess at
the elevation, as his rifle was not fixed
for long-range shooting. The first shot
went several hundred feet beyond the
buoy, the second one went about 200
feet beyond the spar, and the third one
alighted within fifty feet of the object.
All were line shots. The fourth shot
dropped alongside of and despatched
the buoy with water raised by the shot.
Then reloading the rifle with sixteen
cartridges, Mr.. Paine said he would get
up little squat around the buoy, and,
firing in rapid succession, the sixteen
shots were sent around and within from
six inches to two feet of the buoy, caus-
ing the water to fairly jump. Thus end
ed most entertaining and surprising
exhibition of what may be accomplished
with firearms.