Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-23
woNDEHFUL SHOOTING.
How the Texas Ranger Handle. a Ride or q
Revolver.

Revolver.
From HsrIer's Weekly.
The rangers were the largest men I saw in
Texas, the state of big men. And some OF
them were remarkably handsome. m a sun
burned, broad-shouldered easy. manly way
They were also somewhat shy with the strain
gers, listening intently, bat speaking little,
and then in slow. gentle voice, and. No they
spoke so seldom, they seemed TO think what
they had to say was too valuable to spoil by
profanity.
When Gen. Mabry found they would not tell
their adventures he asked them 20 show how
they could shoot. and as this was something
they could do. and not something already done
they went abort II as gleeiully us schoo.boys at
recess doing stunts" They placed board.
one foot wide and two feet high. some sixty
feet of In the prairie, and Sheriff scheeley
opened the h'~tiities by whipping out his re-
volSer, turning IL IN the air. aud shooting, with
the sights upside down, into the bull SIEVE OF
the imprompti target He did this without
disseminating what he was saving 10 me, but
rather rs though he were punctuating his re-
marks with audible commas
Then he said: - didn't think as YOU rangers
would let little cne-pennv sheriff get in the
first shot on you" He could afford TO say
this, because NE had been a ranger himself
and his brother Joe one of the best cap
tains the rInse-s ever had. and he and ali Of
his SIX brothers are over six feet high. But
the taunt produced an instantaneous voiley
from every man IN the company; they did not
take the trouble 20 rise. but shot from wher-
ever they happea ID 10 be sitting or living
and talking together. and the air rang with the
reports. and a hundred quick, vibrating little
gasps like the singing Of wire string when 10
Is frightened ON a banjo.
They exhibited some most wonderful sh,ot-
ing They shot with both hands ut the same
time. with the hammer underneath. holding
the rifle in one hand. and never. when il was
revolver they were using. with a glance at
the sights. They would sometimes fire four
shots from Winchester between the time they
had picked il up from the ground and before it
1t seems that TO shoot Winchester you have
TO pail trigger one way ana work a lever
backward and forward; this would naturally
suggest that there are three movements-oue
TO throw out the empty shell. 20 replace
IL with cartridge and the third 10 explode
this cartridge. Capt Brooks, as far as I
could make out from the sound used only one
movement for his entire eight shots. A
guessed the trial was more 20 show Capt
Brooks Guickness rather than his mar ksman-
ship. i paid no attention TO the target bat
devoted myself assiduously TO manipulating
tho lever and the trigger, and aimed blankly n
the prairie. When had fired two shots int
space the captain had put his eight into the
board. They sornded they went on like
drecrackeg well started in q barrel, and mine,
in comparison. like minute guns at sec. The
rangers, 4 found after I saw more OF them.
could shoot readily with evolver as viii
rife and had become 90 expert Nth the
Smaller weapon that instead OF pressing the
trigger for each shot they would pull steadily |
on II and snap the hammer until the six shotB
wore exhausted.