Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-18
SHOOTING AT SILHOUETTES.
Cavalrymen Furnish Most Exhiler-
ating Diversion at Bellevue.
REMINDER OF cusTEK's CHARGE.
Revolvers Cracked and HooTs Thun-
dered, While Fair Ladies Looked
on and Applauded the Bold
Troopers.
Inst Day of the Cavalry Shoot.
W no tara tara tara ta.to-ra ia IA


1t was nearly ten o'clock yesterday morn
ing, and the bugles at the rifle range at
Bellevue called the troopera competing for
workmanship medals and places upon the
department team, to ''boots and saddles.n
1t was the last day of the cavalry compet-
ton, and the shooting was to be with re-
volvers the competitors being mounted. A
more beautiful day for the competition could
not be desired. A gentle, but cooling breeze
blew directly from the east, 50 slight as to
barely stir the grasses and not nearly strong
enough to interfere with the accuracy of
aim. The pleasant weather and the novelty
of the competition had proven sufficient in
ducements to draw number of ladies and
gentlemen from the city to the range, and
these witnessed the sport from beneath tent
nies, pitched at convenient distance in the
rear.
1t was the tir st time in the history of the
army that this mode of competition had
been put in practice, and the officers were
generally interested In the result. On the
previous day the competitors had tried re-
volver practice dismOunted, and the scores
made were so highly crediuable that it was
expected that the men would acquit them
selves merltoriously at this competition.
Across the range, a few yards from the
buttes, five silhouette targets, representing
soldiers in the act of firing, were ranged
twenty yards apart The competitors, from
a position about seventy five yards to
the front of these, were expected
first to ride to the right of
| the targets and then across the range at a
gallop, five yards in front of the targets, and
| to fire one shot at each silhouette as they
passed. After all competitors had done this
! the same run was made, only from the left
| the troopers then beng compelled to fire
| across their bodies, The shoot beng over,
the men again assemble in front for the
most difficult run of the competition. Four
J of the silhouettes are moved to within about
, five yards of each other and the men retire
+, to a distance of 100 yards in advance. The
competitors then, as their numbers are
| called, galop straight to the front. When
| eighty yards from the target the trooper
| must fire his first shot and must empty all
| five chambers of his revolver before reaching
point five yards from the target, and re
| peat. In all the shoots hit scores and
| miss zero
| Shooting from horseback with Colt re-
| yolver that pulls like a yoke of oxen and
! kicks like Texas steer is no child's play.
| 1t isn't like shooting prairie chickens at an
| eighteen yards rise with Il double-barreled
| shotgun and before the competition began
| the range officers figured that a man would do
] well to score twelve hits out of twenty shots,
| In riding TO the right it was thought that the
| best shots should score five hits, and four
hits in riding to the left, out in the run to the
| front it was thought that the best of
| them could get IN more than three hits out
| of ten shots.
The bugles rang out again and the first
| troop, consisting of sixteen men, mounted
| upon trained cavalry horses from Fort Mo
| brara formed upon the range under com
| mapd of Colonel Henry In order to try their
| horses, the men were first given an opportunity
| to fire ten blank Cartridges, and at the word OF
command they galloped madly out across the
range in single file and then along the row of
| silhouettes, firing as they went.
The scene presented was most thrilling,
| and reminded one of the mad cavalry charg-
| es known TO history. The dashing troopers
sat their horses like Centaurs, but it was a
noticeable feature that the colored troops
| rode the better.
After this preliminary practice the revolv-
ers were loaded with ball cartridges and the
| competitors of the first troop rode and shot
first to the right and then to the left ana
| then from the front.
Twenty-Five seconds are allowed under the
manual for making the run, but many of the
| men made them Yesterday in twelve, show
ing that the permissible time Is too great.
While the Loofs thundered and the revov-
ers cracked and the smoke arose in clouds,
| 1t required scarcely any play of the imagina-
ton TO fancy that one was witnessing an ac.
tual engagement The spectator could almost
believe that he was standing upon one of the
hills that surrounds the VALLEY of the
Shadow" near the Big Horn ana was looking
| upon that fatal charge of the gallant Custer
in the summer OF '76.
But this was only the fancy of reporter
| as he lay under the tent Of the statistical
officer. TO return TO the real, as soon as the
first troop had finished they retired and The
second troop took its place. BY the time
they had finished it was dinner time, and the
firing was discontinued until 2 o'clock. Al
that hour the third and last troop made its
runs and the competition was over.
AS result of the revolver competition the
following ten men have been placed upon the
| department team, ana in addition the frs
mau receives gold medal the next three