The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-22
CALLING AND HIS GUN.
A REPORTER DISCOVERS THE Sc.
cRET OF TIE DOCTORS SUCCESS.

The Story Of the First Sale of His Famous
Guns-Gsn. Ripley Did Not Want Them,
but Butler Did-Test in Competition
with the Hovitzers.
The man who chats with DR.. r. J. Cat
ling, of Hartford, for an hour or even halt
an hour comes TO know the secret of the
success which the famous Calling gun has
achieved The gun is, of course, a good
one, but its excellence alone IS not the
thing that has created demand for it in
every civilized country in the world II
may rather be said that the irresistibleness
Of its inventor has forced the sale Of this
great exterminator. A person cannot talk
with DR.. Calling five minutes without &C
curing an inclination 20 draw MS vale,
and buy as many OF the Calling guns as he
can pay FOR. and if the doctor affects people
IN this way whom he talks at with 10 other
wish than 20 entertain them what cannot
he do when he means business when ne
goes a-gunningf
The doctor is ~ years old, with snow
white hair and whiskers, but he can talk
as fast, as smoothly. as entertaininEiy. az
persuasively as ever, and he is-to use
good old Connecticut phrase-''as keen as
brier" Tall, straight. gracefully pro
portioned and OF easy carriage, he Is also
an interesting and pleasing person 70 look
upon.
Good evening. doctor" said a reporter.
who few evenings ago encountered the
gun man In the Office Of the Hotel Nor
mandie. The doctor responded with a warm
grasp of the hand and We'll, well: | am
very glad 10 see ron. Come in here and sit
down" he said, and be led the way 10 the
reading room.
Once / read in a paper what purported
to be report Of an interview with DR..
5atliug. The newspaper said that the doc
tor was tall, thin, beardless man, with
snow white hair, aged S. Now, as am
but - years old and haven't shaved for
forty years, would have been justified in
branding that newspaper story as false,
but didn't; just let it 90. No, I don't
believe in flying machines, and have never
had anything TO do with experimentation
undertaken in the hope OF getting one up.
BUTLER BOUGHT THEM
1--WE devoted myself almost exclusively
to the Calling gun. The first Calling guns
l made built in Cincinnati There were
six Of them, and they were no sooner nicely
made than they were nearly destroyed by
fire, along with all my patterns. Then /
went to the indianapolis Type Foundry
and placed an order for thirteen guns, and
these, as soon as they were done, put in
the charge of a man named McQueeney
and sent him off TO Washington TO sell
them. When he got to Baltimore he left
all the guns except one. That one he took
along as a sample.
Gen. Ripley was at the head Of the
bureau of ordnance. He refused absolutely
to look at the gun. We don't want any
new tangled guns, be said. The old muz-
zle loading musket is good enough. That's
what Gen. Scott won the battle Of Landy's
Lane with and we don't need anything bet
ter now. There's nothing like handling a
ramrod in the face of the enemy 10 give
men courage and nerve. No sir, we don't
want anything better than we've got now
"McQueeney started for home in disgust.
At Baltimore he met Gen. Butler. who was
fastening to the front. lie showed the
general the new gun and the general said,
What do you ask for the lots'
- A thousand dollar ap-ecc,' answered
Mr.. McQueeney.
- 4 Will take Them said the general,
the whole outfit, and give you a voucher
for them He did it, too, although he
hadn't any authority to make the pur-
chase.
We'll, Butler took the guns south with
him and used them in his next fight The
Confederares didn't know what TO make Of
hem. What kind of guns have you got
Iere, one Of the prisoners asked, that load
al night and fire all dayY
When the war was over my friends
old me TO drop the gun business, but
wouldn't. ! went TO Washington and
asked for another firing. Ripley wasn't
here any more In his place there was
/ wideawake man, Gen. Dyer, a man who
wanted to keep up with the times, and
ie showed a great interest in the Calling
yun. Through him, ultimately, obtained
II order for the trial Of the gun, with eau I
ster cartridges, in competition with how /
tiers, al Fortress Monroe
GAVE EACH MAN A DOLLAR
when l got down to the place Of trial !
ound that some Of the officers had put up /
job on me. They didn't want my gun 70 /
10 better work than the howitzers, which /.
we're a regular arm Of the service / found /
hat to work my gun they had assigned a I
OF of plantation darkies, raw recruits Just 4
o from the farm. who didn't know any
more about a gun than horse does about /
lis uncle. For the working Of the how .
tiers they had set apart a number Of picked .
nen. protested / said | wanted meas F.
,rably fair deal
"'Give me an hour / said, TO drill these T.
arkies.'
That wasn't much time, but It was bet
er than nothing. They gave me the hour.
nd | Immediately established a school Of .
,unnery and began the work Of educating
ny crew. Just before the opening Of the
rial gave each darky dollar, and I said
0 him, Now, do your best; this dollar is
1st 70 begin on
Il tell you those fellows worked like
eroes. / beat the howitzers four 70 one.
nd the report went on 70 Washington 70
nat effect soon after got an order for
% guns, and that was the first good order
had ever received. Since that time have
old the gun all over Europe aud should
ave made a great deal OF money cot OF u
each Of the several governments ordering
ad stuck 20 one calibe-. The many changes
D the caliber which We have been com
elled 20 make have been very expensive
haven't a doubt that we have tsr0wu
way patterns and machinery which cost
: az least $50, eco. changes Ia Gambler nav
~ made the patterns and machinery obso-
Re ard valueIess-
Now. don't 20 down 20 the Office and
rite ule up a vhiskeriess ronOgenarisn.
aid the doctor, a. the representative bade
i'm good evening. I rather Ike my
-Eiskers, yo1 know, because they save n0e
be trouble Of shaving and a. - the age,
you put !: At =. where 70 belongs. you
lake it quite ss Tad as want 1t q D. -
ew York lines