Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-08-24
A CRACK VIRGINIA SHOT.
Exploits of q MOunfaineer Who
IL Sure Death 10 Deer, Ducks
nui and Geese.

chArlestOwn tW, Va correspnndsnOs Phila-
delphia Times.
Among the spurs of the Blue Ridge
mountains none are more picturesque
and rugged than the Canon range,
Here lives Julius s. Waddle. Com>
ing of pioneer family, his grandfather
having been among the first settlers in
this section of Virginia, and born, as it
we're, with rife TO his shoulder, his
natural inclination aud instinct led
him at an early age to become mas
ter both Of his weapon and of wOodN
craft.
Waddle was brought up to use the
old time sporting rife, identical, ex>
cept for its percussion lock, with
those used by the Culpepper minute
men in the revolution, and by all the
characters in Cooper's "Lestherstoek-
ing" tales. He was more progressive
than his neighborS, aud for time
used double barrelled, muzzle load
ing shot gun, but at the expense Of
the ridicule Of many Of bis less pro-
gressiVe -neighbors. But thrice dur
ing this period did he bag brace Of
deer as they ran past him, one with
either barrel. This to be repeated SO
often is of itself quite remarkable, but
&C. by any means the climax of his
success in this sport. Not being sat
is6ed with eihter the rapidity or range
of the shot gun. however, when the
Winchester repeating rife became
known to him he adopted it as his
weapon, and was again the subject
Of many jokes in regard to his "poI
gun"
Joining party one day in the fsl
Of 1875, q long drive was made. Fol
the benefit Of transporting readers j!
may be explained that drive" fol
deer is about the same as boat" fol
tigers. A mountain or a scope Of
country is selected, and o large party
of men start in the same direction anC
for : given point, keeping quite q dis
lance apart, and by noise, etc, drive
every animal before them, the ground
being always selected, so that all the
game to keep under cover will have to
pass through q narrow body of woods,
or some such natural road. Here the
best shots are Invariably stationed to
do the execution Of the day. 1t vas
at one Of these crossings that Mr..
Wsddle was standing on the occasion
mentioned, when the drivers heard
him shoot FIVE times with wonderful
rkpidity. One Of them, an old man.
remarked: Thar goes Julius with
his new tangled pop gun, q scarin'
eTerythin' in she mountain" But
when they came upto the place where
the fusilsde had taken place it was
found that Mr.. Wsddle had had four
deer take his crossing. three does and
8 buck; and being on the side Of q
raTi1e, the season late in
the tall, he had an uninterrupted
view, except for the tree trunks
and limbs. As soon as the herd came
In sight and At long range be opened
FIRE and dropped one in his tracks,
another-the BUCKS they passed
him, third was shot q hundred yards
further on, and the fourth, stopping to
smell the wounded one, and in confu-
sion, was shot in the head and fell dead,
while the one it was smelling got up
and attempted TO run, but was stopped
by the fifth shot from Mr.. Waddle's un-
erring rife. Thus he completed his
work Of killing four deer without
moving out Of his tracks. The time
consumed could have been but little
over q half minute. This l believe to
have been one Of the greatest, if not
the greatest, piece Of shooting ever
done in the field Of actual sport.
| have also known this gentleman to
kill doe that was standing behind q
tree with only her head in sight at a
distance Of 200 yards. On another 90.
casion | knew him to strike back in
the head four times 10 as many shots
1t was swimming the South Branch
river, near Romney, at q distance o.
l5Oyards from where Mr.. Waddle wal
standing, when he sank, but was got
ten with boat. '1ai4il 500 I
In practice shooting with this sam,
weapon he has broken eighteen glas
balls in succession, sprung from re
volving trap, eighteen yards rise; fror
the same trap, with shot gun, sixty
six without miss, at the usual rise
At pigeon shooting match in Bait
more, | think in 1877, he killed tweu
tysthree straight birds, and the
stopped winner of the match; the
were single birds, but thirty yard
rise. b
Mr.. Waddle is also prodigy wit
the pistol, having TO my certai
knowledge killed buzzard that wa
sitting on tree 400 yards of with
navy revolver, and also two crows @
the wing, one falling dead 125 yarC
from him. While hunting on Chess
peake Bay | knew him TO kill tV
wild geese that we're out Of range
shot guns and swan shot, probably q
yards. One was shot from the bin
and the other from the shore, wit
this same remaTkabie pistol. The
may have been, and was in ell prob,
bility, some luck in these last fe
shots, but have l seen him strike
nail on the head repeatedly, in
friendly pistol practice, at measure
distance Of 100 yards.
RvangaIiat REoodv,a uaaItR