The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-12
texans ARE GOOD SHOTS.
Congressman from the Lone Star State
Have a reputation in Washington.

congressman from the Lone Star State
Have a Reputation in Washington.
From a Washington Letter.
There is shooting gallery on Pennsyl-
vania avenue. 1t is located near the Ma
tional and Metropohtal hotels, where the
Texans and other southern congressman
stop. Ordinary marksmen shoot at bulls.
eyes, or at tin men and women which dance.
or at stationary clay pipes. But when the
keeper of the place sees Congressman
Stewart and Lanham of Texas coming in
be starts up an automatic machine which
makes glass balls whirl at the ends Of long
strings In most confusing way.
Stewart is very large man. He Is from
southern Texas. Lanham is a little man
from western Texas, and until the new
states were let in he represented more square
miles and prairie dogs than any other man
in congress.
Both Stewart and Lauhan can shoot.
Stewart one evening last week smashed the
flying glass balls with a riffs at the rate of
SIX out of ten shots. Lanham didn't do so
we'll.
The shooting gallery man withdraws all
premiums when the Texans enter. The
only way they can shoot is against each
other or on the principle of Dutch treat
Stewart, on the evening referred to, had
challenged Lanham, and the one who fell
short was to settle the score. Lanham saw
the count going badly against him.
"Give me pistols" he said to the attend
ant
Stewart demurred, but Lanham made the
point that, having been challenged, he was
entitled to choice OF weapons. Taking a
pistol in each hand, Lanham fired first with
the right and then with the left. He broke
every ball until he had overtaken Stewart,
who was still plugging away with the rife.
Then the big man gave it up and paid the
score.
As the gallery man took in the money he
said that he hadn't seen such pistol shooting
in his place for tnres months.
"Oh, that amt much" said Lanham.
"You ought to see me when Pm out on my
campaign next month. l ride a wild mus
tang and plug the eyes out of jack rabbits
every time l shoot"
The gallery mans eyes followed admir-
iugly the retreating forms of the big and
little congressman and he said:
Them Texas fellows is great on the shoot
D'y' ever hear how Senator Reagan and
Congressman Gustave Sleicher played 1t on
us when they first came here to congress
from Texas about fifteen or SIXTEEN years
agos We used to have crowds out at the
Schuetzen park and the shooting gallery did
a good business In those days we used to
give three shots free every time the bulls
eye was hit. You see. there wasn't so many
southerners in Washington then. It was
during reconstruction. One day two coun-
try looking chaps came to the gallery at the
park and began to try their luck with the
rifles. There was a gong which rang out
every time the bulps-eye was hit. After
blazing away two or three times to get the
hefu of the rifle these two strangers got
down to business, and I'll be dined if they
did't bang that gong every clip for fifteen
minutes. People began to come around and
there was a crowd of 500 watching the
shooting. The man in charge kept count of
the shots he owed the strangers until he
found they were 300 ahead of him. Then
he went to the two men and he said:
Gentlemen, earn my living at this
business, and I've got large family. You're
into me now enough to take out all of the
profits of one day. You've had your fun.
If you'll give me the guns and let some of
these good people who can't hit bulls-eyes
every time have chance I'll try to get
even
Somebody in the crowd recognized Rea-
gan and Slsioher. Ever since that time
we've looked out for them Texans and made
'em pay for their fun"