The daily gazette., 1880-02-11
Carver outdone.
EXTRAORDINARY SHOOTING BIZ
CALIFORNIA MARKsMAN.

ExTRAoRDISARY SHOOTING BIZ A
CALIFORNIA MARKsMAN.
San Francisco Chronicle.
The celebrated doctor Carver, who
left California about n year ago, and
has since perforated the temple of fame
with bullets from his sslittle rife" has
now Q most formidable rival in the per-
son Of doctor John Ruth, who yester-
day gave an exhibition Of his wonder
full skill with the rife at Shell Mound
park, Berkeley, in the presence OF about
Que hundred spectators, largely COM
posed of local ''crack Shots" with both
the rife and shotgun. There was also
fair sprinkling of ladies in the assem-
blaze. The doctor was accompanied by
bis wife, progressing lady of medi-
um stature, who also entertained the
company by brief display Of her skill
in the manipulation of the rifle and pis-
tol. This was Mrs. Ruth's first exhibit
ton in public, aud she manifested con.
siderable perturbation at first, or as the
doctor expressed it, "she seemed little
| sklttish upon her first appearance" but
after the first two or three shots the
nervousness disappeared, and the glass
balls we're shattered in quick succession.
The balls were thrown into the air by
an attendant, Mrs. Ruth breaking six
out OF nine. She then perforated a
glass blass ball held in the attendants
nand at distance Of about twenty feet,
hammer TUNED downward. She also
shattered with a pistol several balls
thrown in the air, and also ball held
in the hand.
Mrs. Ruth was loudly applauded for
her steady nerve ami wonderful mark
mansh y. Doctor Ruth then proceeded
TO give an explanation of fancy shooting
at a glass bail held IN the hand of his
attendant, he taking aim through his
| legs with his hack to the object. He
also held the rife with the butt resting
| upon the top OF his head, the hammer
pointing downward. He also shot with
his back reclining upon table. In ali
| these experiments he was successful GU
the first attempt. He also performed
the Austin brothers mirror trick sue
cesstully. Turoing his back to the a.
IT, -ndaDt, he elghteu his rifle by the aid
| of a small haDd-mirror, and broke the
| ball at the first trlal. Perhaps the IN nst
wonderful feat that he accomplishe
and one requiring considerable nerve
| on the part of both himself and attend.
ant, WAS shooung a cigar out of the
mouth Of the lat, er, an experiment
| which led many TO predict that the doc
| tors assistant would not live tn a very
| greeni old age. Anoh interestins
Experiment. was shooting ~Ith3uJ n
nRh', that essential adjunct Q ng GOV.
cred by a piece of arI-oOard placed
around the barrel at its extremity. The
absence Of the sight apparently made nc
difference, as the destruction of she
| vitreous spheres continued unabarsd.
The following experiments were also
successfully accomplished: Shooting a
ball from the head of an attendant, the
latter being bhndfolded; the same fea
with the bandsges removed from the az
tendaut's eyes, and the latter looking
into the muzEle OF the rife. One ham
shooting with a small rifle, manipulate,
in variety Of difficult ways, holdiul
the ifis with the hands placed back o
the neck. In none of these shots did ih'
doctor fail to shatter the balls from th,
head of the attendant. One of the mos
marvellous feats performed was the fol
lowing: Placing glass ball upon tn
ground, the doctor shot in trout OF il
and plOwing under IT, sent it flying sew
eral feet tn the air by the force OF tn
concussiOn, and, before IL reached tn
Rround, auother shot broke II Into
thousand pieces. An exhibition of rapi,
shooting was also gwen, the docto
breaking the balls a. fast as the attend
ant could throw them into the air. Th
exhibition closed with q display of shor
range pistol practice, in which tn
marksmau was not as successful as wit
tse rife, having, as he remarked by wa
of an apology, had but ht.le practic
with the weapon. All tho present e,
pressed much astonishnent ht docto
} kuth's wonderful skill, ami 1t seemed I
: be the general verdict that Carver's prt
, tici.ncy with she rifle was secondardy I
that of doctor Ruth, who uses a A cal
bre Winchester rifis, which was preset
ted TO him by the manufacturers. II
: will soon depart for the east, 1t being h
intention to make tour OF the stat,
with his wife and give exhi ibitions du
ing the coming summer, and in the ia
he will either depart for Europe or Au
b tralis.
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