Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-09-27
NO. 22s.
miscellaneous.
EXTRAORDINARY SHOOTING.

The san Francisco Chroniclc sJ,s:
The celebrated DIR. Carver, has a MOST
formidable rival in the person of DIR. ,Ishn
Ruth. He gave an exhibition of his wan-
derful skill with the rifle at Shell Mound
Point, Berkley, in the presence of about
one hundred spectators, largely composed
of the "crack Shots" with both the rifle
and shotgun. There was also n mir
sprinkling o. ladies in the assemblage:
The doctor was accompanied by Ghis
wife, preposSessing lady oEmedlum STAT
ure, who also entertained tho company by
brief display of her skill in the manSpu-
lation OF the rifle and pistol. This vas
Mrs. Ruth's first exhibition IN public End
she manifested considerable perturpation
at first. or. rs the Doctor expressed <it.
''she was a little skittsh upcn her first -p-
pearance, but after the first two or tteee
shots the nervousness disappeared, End
the glass balls We're shattered in quick
| succession.
! The balls were thrown into the air by an
attendant, Mrs. Ruth breaking six ouc of
nine. She then perforated a glass hall
| held in an attendants hand AT Il distance
of about twenty feet. and repeated the tN
pertinent with the hammer of the rstle
pistol several balls thrown in the Sir.
and also ball held in the hand Asrs.
Ruth was loudly anplauded for her stefdy
nerve and wonderful craftsmanship.
| DIR. Ruth then proceeded To give IN eN-
hbition OF his fancy shooting at glass
ball held in the hand of his attendant, he
taking aim through his legs with his back
To the object He also held the rifle with
the butt resting upon the top of his head,
the hammer pointing downward. He also
shot with his back reclining upon the ta-
Bile. In all these experiments he was
successful on the first attempt.
| He also performed the Austin Brothers
mirror trick successfully. Turning his
back 10 the attendant, he sighted the rifle
by the aid of small hand-mirror. and
broke the ball at the first trial. Perhaps
the most wonderful feat that he accom-
plshed, and one requiring considerable
nerve on the part of both himself and at
tendant was shooting cigar out of She
mouth of the latter, an experiment which
led many TO predict that the Doctors as
sistant would not live To very green old
age Another interesting experiment was
shooting without sight, that essential adj
iunct being covered by having piece of
cardboard placed around the barrel at its
extremity The absence of the sight ap-
parently made no difference, as the de-
struction OF the vitrcous spheres contin-
ued unabated.
The following experiments were also
successfully accomplished shooting
ball from the head of an attendant the lat
ter being blindfoldcd; the same feat with
the bandages removed from the attendants
eyes, and the latter looking into the muz-
zle of the rifle. One.ha shooting with
small rifle, manipulated in q variety of
difficult WAYS. holding rifle with the
hands placed back of the neck.
In none of these shots did the doctor
fail to shatter the balls from the hand of
the attendant. One of the most marvel
ous fcats he performed was the following:
Placing glass ball on the ground, the
Doctor shot in front of it, and plowing un-
der it sent it flying several feet in the air
by the force of the conclusion, and before
it reached the ground another shot broke
it into a thousand pieces.
An exhibition Of very rapid shooting
was also given, the Doctor breaking the
them into the air. The exhibition closed
with display Of short-range pistol-prac-
tice, in which the marksman was not rs
successful as with the rifle, having. as he
remarked, by way of apology, had little
experience with the weapon. All those
present expressed much astonishment at
DIR. Ruth's wonderful skill, and it seemed
to be the general verdict that Carver's
proficiency was secondary 10 that of
DIR. Ruth.