The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-29

this manner, but no great accuracy of aim
can be obtained A novice would find it diff
cult to hit door at twenty feet, and an ex.
pert is doing pretty well to hit within the
outlines of man at ten PAGES. The cowboy
who can hit an oyster can at ten feet, throw
/ ing the pistol down in the manner described,
| is rare bird"
This is the trick that famous scoundrel
called Curly Bill" practiced on sheriff in
| Tombstone. Bill being ordered by Sheriff
| White to give up his weapons, took self
cocker from his belt and handed it toward the
sheriff, butt foremost. Just as the sheriff,
thrown off his guard, reached for the weapon,
Bill whirled it over in his hand, pulled the
trigger and murdered the officer.
The same trick can be done with a trigger
less revolver. The weapon is laid in the palm
of the hand, butt to the front and right, as
shown in the cut. The forefnger, slipped
through the guard, serves as a pivot upon
which the pistol turns when given a quick
twirl, the other fingers assisting in giving the
weapon impetus and grasping the butt when
it comes into position. Just before the revol-
yer comes down to a level, the thumb catches
and retains the hammer long enough to draw
it back. The thumb is then allowed to slip
from the hammer, and bang goes the gun. 1t
will be found that a very sharp and sudden
movement is required to perform this feat,
and the heavier the pistol the more readily it
can be done. 1t is useless to try it with the
pocket toys usually carried.
The joyous jugglers with pistols, who
keep the ammunition factories going, have
devised some variations of Curly Bill's great
play, all of them interesting as tricks, but
about as useful in border warfare as Jig steps
in walking match. For example, the pistol
is held as though to be surrendered, lying in
the palm of the right hand, the second finger
hooked over the hammer. A sharp twirl
throws the barrel down and outward, the
forearm is brought up, and the weapon comes
into the position shown in the sixth cut. The
second finger simultaneously pulls the ham
mer back, and the action of closing the
finger around the butt releases the hammer.
In the performance of this trick the strength
of the middle finger is the principal factor
To do it well man must have very strong
hands, and he will get many blister before
he succeeds in the trick. If he begins with
a loaded weapon probably his first achieve
ment will be filling his own stomach with
lead
A better variation is achieved by using the
thumb to cock the weapon. The revolver
rests in the palm in very innocent looking
position, butt to the left and hammer under
the thumb By sharply closing the hand and
giving the weapon a whirl downward, the
hammer is drawn back to full cock and the
barrel brought to a level wrong side up. As
the thumb slips over the hammer to grasp the
butt, the revolver is discharged, and the other
man gets hit if he happens to be in the way.
1t is possible to imagine circumstances
under which adroitness in juggling with pis-
tolls might be useful, but it is one chance in
million that man ever will get caught in
such fix or have an opportunity to work
such schemes. A traveller might get away
with a stupid road agent by an underhand
shot, but ordinarily the man who wants an
others revolver is smart enough to keep the
drop and take the weapon from holster or
pocket with his own disengaged hand.