Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1880-10-07
REMARKABLE SHOOTING.

Yesterday afternoon Ira A. Paine gave q
private exhibition of his abilities as marks
man, before score or more Of invited guests,
and it was one of the most remarkable exhi.
bitions of the kind ever given in the world.
Among the guests was T. G. Banks, business
manager and one of the editors of the Forest
and Stream, a paper devoted to the interests of
the sportsmen of America. Mr.. Banks is
familiar with all of the famous achievements
with firearms, having been Immediately in.
terested in some of them, and at the close OF
Mr.. Paine's work he pronounced it one Of the
most remarkable exhibitions he had ever wit
messed.
The shooting was done on the river bank
back of the Park House, Hamtramck, where
the suns rays were strong and where the wind
had an interest in whatever was going on.
There was no seeking of shelter, no trick:
loaded shells or prepared powder, cracked
glass balls, or other illegitimate methods
adopted by exhibition marksmen.
WITH SHOTGUN.
Mr.. Paine began his work by shooting with
an ordinary double-barrelled shot gun, or
breech loading fowling.piece, at glass balls
thrown by his assistant in any and every d.
rection and as rapidly and as far as possible.
After breaking every ball thus thrown, Mr..
Paine shot at balls thrown high in the air,
and broke them first at the point where the
upward fight stopped, then after they had
fallen half to the ground, and finally when
within three feet of the ground.
WITH DUELING-P1sToL.
If the marksman exhibited his steadiness
of nerve and correct eyesight in the above
feats, he made those feats trebly manifest in
the second part of the programme, which was
shooting with regulation single barrel duel
ing.pistol. All shots were made at ten PAGES,
the first object being block Of wood two
inches square, which he centered with the
bullet and sent spinning through the air.
Then be shot at a crab.apple about an inch
in diameter, which was suspended on wire
hung in front of the face of the target.board.
Next his assistant, Joseph Jacques, sixteen
year.old boy, who lives in this city, held an
ordinary lead-pencil before the target: 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 position to the top 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 a pistol ball, after which doz'
en- balls were put through as many postage
stamps on envelopes taken from the specta'
tors and held b-tween the thumb and finger
of young Jacques. All of these feats were
vociferously applauded, the spectators being
at a loss to account for the shooters marvel.
GUS aim. Still Mr. Paine had another feat
more incomprehensible than all. His assist
ant placed an ordinary 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, unerring aim,
and at the first shot hit the card on the edge,
cutting it in exact halves. The feats with
the dueling-pistol closed with the shooting Of
cork from q stone bottle without iDjuTing
the bottle or spilling its contents.
WITH AN ARMY REVOLVER,
Mr.. Paine exhibited 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 before