, 1889-01-12
CITY SHOTS SMILE.
The "Iay'' Proposition Made by the
Laramie Gun Club.
Their D~eplorable Ignorance Of
Rules Very Evident.
A Bona Eide Challenge From the
Cheyenne Men.

CHEYENNE, Jan. IL, lSS9-T0 The
Sporting Editor of the. Cheyenne Leader:
DEAR SIR. There has been consider
able talk through the columns of the
Laramie Boomerang relative to a shoot
between six residents of Laramie against
a like number of Cheyenne. 1 desire
to offer the following challenge to the
shooters of Laramie: We will shoot our
team Of six resident members of Chey-
enne against six resident members of
Laramie for a purse of 5000 a side the
shoot to be conducted under the Hurting
ham rules and from FIVE of the standard
ground traps, as are used at all tourna-
men.s. The only exceptions to the rules
are that guage of guns of any nature
will be allowed, and that each shooter
will shoot at fifty live birds. We do not
care to 90 to Sherman to shoot and will
go TO Laramie instead, the shoot to come
off as soon as the club can furnish the re-
quisite number Of birds, and we will agree
to furnish at least fifty per cent OF the
number required and will make an effort
to furnish more. / take the liberty to en-
close to you a forfeit of $50. If the
Laramie club means business let them
come to the front and accept our chall-
enge. Yours truly, PETER BERGERsEN.
The foregoing, together with a certified
check for $50 payable to the city editor of
The LEADER, was received at this office
last evening. Both documents speak for
themselves. So far the Laramie men
have shown themselves braggarts ignorant
of the simplest rules OF shooting or match
making of any sort. First they sent a
delegate over here to arrange a shoot. He
was accommodated, but tie Laramie club
%repudiate1 the action Of its representative
and came back with a proposition to shoot
clay birds or blue rocks at Sherman for
$40 per man, Nottingham rules, except
bore and weight of gun, to govern. This
was regarded as a joke by the Cheyenne
men, In the first place there are no
hotel accommodations at Sherman and
$40 per man would not cover expenses to
the fair grounds.
Nottingham rules have been in exist
ence 400 years or more, have been
adopted by every gun club in the country
and govern all matches. The Laramie
men have evidently never heard of the
rules. AT any rate they are unfamiliar
with the principal provisions of the Hur-
bingham code. The rules cannot be APP
piled where inanimate targets, such as
clay pigeons and blue rocks are used.
For instance, rule II says IF a bird
that has been shot at perches or settles on
the top of a fence, or upon any part of
the building higher than the fence, it is to
be scored a lost bird" OF hundreds of
clay pigeons and blue rocks used here not
one was ever known to perch on a fence
at n stage Of the game. Maybe they
do in Laramie. Again, Nottingham
rule l6 is: "Only one person to be
allowed to pick up the bird Tor a dog if
the shooter will allow it). No instru-
ments to be used for this purpose. All
birds must be gathered by the dog or
trapper, and no member shall have the
right to gather his own bird or touch 1t
with his hand or gun.
The Laramie idea of gathering mani.
mate targets is highly humorous. 1t may
be that a Laramie sport rushes on the
range and picks up a clay bird worth one
cent with a pair of tongs, or perhaps he
lassoes them.
1t is obvious that the sports over the
hill are OF the tin horn order. However,
if they wish to shoot, the above challenge
may be accepted by notifying either this
office or Mr.. Bergersen. If the stakes
are not high enough they will be in
creased. If they desire to shoot against
more men or fewer they have only to
say so.
Laramie GalIantry