The morning call., 1890-11-14
SLAUGHTER OF BIRDS
Country Club Members and Guests
Before the Traps.
Representative sportsmen Have Seine Inter-
esting Pigeon Shooting Contests at
Oakland Yesterday Afternoon.

"He's sportsman after my own heart"
says Ramon Wilson, as he points at the
smoking gun in the hands of Charles Mac
e lester, who has just accomplished the re-
markable feat of killing thirty EIGHT pigeons
without miss Prominent members of the
Country Club-good shots, every one of
them-and half dozen guests have gath
cred at the Oakland Race-track to have an
afternoons contest at the traps. Prelim-
inaries are quickly arranged, and the sports
men ready and eager far the fray. Coops
containing hundreds of as swift flying
pigeons as ever fooled gunner are in readi-
ness, and P. Murphy, the veteran dealer, is
handing them over to his assistants. Rice,
the Oldest trapper in the union, has the
ropes in his steady hands, ready to spring
trap at the command "Pull4
Are you ready?" he asks, as R. B. Wood
ward takes his place at the 80 yard mark,
the first of eight who have arranged 12-bird
shoot with 12-Gauge guns, thirty yards rise.
fifty yards boundary and under the rules of
the American Shooting Association.
Pull" shouts Woodward, and blue
rock is sprung from the trap and skins SO
swiftly over the grass that two loads of shot
fired in rapid succession pass harmlessly
over his head and he gains life and liberty
by whrling over the boundary line.
'Sure they're as fine lot OF birds as ever
Jumped from trap" says Murphy, land it
is well for them, for finer day for the sport
| have never before beheld. Go it, gentle
men, and may the best shot win"
With MIR. Murphy's good wishes the con-
test proceeds. MIR. Woodward is more for
tunate with the remainder of his birds and
kills them all, eleven straight. A similar
score is made by Fred r. Webster, who
misses his eleventh bird but kills the re-
CO thnu Iix,-d fba
between them. 1t is only an honor for them
to win. Tor they are not Strengthening the
pigeons on wager, merely for the love OF
the sport.
Other good scores are made, as is shown
by the score, the figures representing the
number of barrels used and ciphers the
misses:
!. B B. eiilsI'e I'D sosiS 15i1i-5
{. Maee!e ...........l 1l0lll 10
+. / wooster - 5591i io3Ss-
The first contest having been satisfac-
torily disposed Of a most Interesting test Of
skill is arranged between Z. l.. Wooster and
Charles Mace lester, the champion amateur
pigeon shot of the world, who has record
of only failing to kill one bird out of a pos
sible hundred. During the two months he
has been here he has made many warm
has cool head. good judgment and steady
but rapid aim, which Was shown during his
celebrated match in New York some two
years ago. when he defeated Dr. Knapp and
won purse of $4,000. Mr.. Wooster is
considered crack shot by his fellow club
men, and so lie is selected to compete with
the noted Eastern shot The conditions are
100 birds at thirty yards rise, 12-bore guns
and cartridges loaded with rs ounces of
shot and 31s draehms of powder. Mr..
iii
brings down his bird with the first barrel.
His adversary does the same, but later on
encounters a succession of pulling pigeons
that elude his aim, and when hard Init many
fall dead just outside of bounds. He also
uses a borrowed gun with a stock too
straight, and with many other disadvantages
the representative of the West suon falls be-
hind The expert fastener. The shoot pro-
ceedS without Interruption until each man
has shot at his allotted 100 birds. by this
time the grounds are Strewn with feathers
and dead pigeons are piled high upon the
coups.
Presently Wooster receives an unusually
heavy 0ck from the gun and cries: This
thing kicks worse than n Missouri mule;
twill break my shoulder" Then he Dor
rowed a weapon fiom his friend Webster,
but missing taller" with both barrels re-
turns the gun in sgust TO the owner. The
match is over, anu MIR. Webster, who is
keeping the score, announces ii as follows:
~
lll2lll222ll2l212
01l2l2lll2l1ll120o2ll2
111l12ll1l0l01llUI I2U2ll-90
F. L. Wooster. ..1l2l022O222l2201 l2002Ul12
22l2Ol20Ol l0Z222222l222l1
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES O2
1z02 l0O1ll2122l20I 102l202-7S
1t is growing very dark at the background,
and the men ''at the gun" rub their eyes un-
easily when pigeon slips away from them
and swoops over the boundary. Al last the
afternoons sport is over, the final contest
being six-biId sweepstakes. Mir. Gillette
kills six straight and carries uff the laurels
with the record of making the only "clean"
score. Appended is tine score of the final.