Marble Hill press., 1892-05-19
WONDERFUL SHOOTING.
How the Texas Ranger Handles Rifle or
Revolver.

How the Texas Ranger Handles Rifle or
Revolver.
The rangers were the largest men l
saw in Texas. the state OF big men.
And some of them were remarkably
handsome. in a sun-burned broad
shouidered. easy. manly way. They
were also somewhat shy with the
strangers listening very intently, but
speaking little and then in slow.
gentle voice and. as they spoke SO
seldom. they seemed to think what
they had to say was TOO valuable to
spoil oy profanity.
When General Mabry found they
would not tell their adventures be
asked them to show how they could
shoot and as this was something they
could do and not something already
done they went about it as gleefully
as school-6oys at recess doing
stunts They placed board loot
| wide and two feet high some sixty
feet off in the prairie. and Sheriff
Scheeley opened hostilities by whip
ping out his revolver turning it in
the air and shooting. with the sights
upside down, into the bulls-eye OF
the impromptu target; He did this
without discontinuing what he was
saying to me, but rather as though he
were punctuating his remarks with
| audihla commas
| Then he SAID. II didn't think a you
rangers would let little one e-penny
sheriff get in the first shot on you"
He could afford to say this because
he had been ranger himself and his
brother Joe was one of the best cap.
tains the rangers have had, and he
and all OF his six brothers are ,er six
feet high. But the taunt produced an
instantaneous volley from every mouth
in the company. They did not take
the trouble TO rise but shot from
wherever they happened to be sitting
or lying and talking together and the
air rang with the reports aud hun.
dred quick vibrating little gasps like
the singing OF wire string when it is
frightened on Z banjo.
They exhibited some most wonder.
full shooting declares Harper's Week.
ly. They shot with both hands at
the same time, with the hammer I'M
derneath holding the rifle in one
hand and never, when it was a re-
volver they were using, with a glance
at the sights. They would sometimes
fire four shots from Winchester be-
tween the time they had picked it up
from the ground and before it had
nestled comfortably against their
shoulder. They also sent one man on
pom racing around a tree about as
thick as man 5 leg, and were dissat.
istied because he only put four out OF
SIX shots into it Then General Ma
bry. who seemed to think I did not
fully appreciate what they were do.
ing, gave a Winchester rifle to Cap
tain Brooks and myself and told US to
show which of us could first put eight
into the target
1t seems that to shoot Winchester
! SOA lAdNC W pun IL tlISScE Out way
and work lever backward and for
ward; this would naturally suggest
that there are three movements-one
to throw out the empty shell one to
replace it with another cartridge and
the third to explode this cartridge
Captain Brooks as Tar as l could
make out from the sound. used only
one movement for his entire eight
shots. As l guessed the trial was
more to show Captain Brooks quick.
ness rather than his Workmanship
paid no attention to the target, but de-
voted myself assiduously to manipula-
ting the lever and the trigger. and
aimed blankly at the prairie When
I had fired two shots into space the
captain had put his eight into the
board They sounded as they went
off like firecrackers we'll started in a
barrel, and mine in comparison. like
minute guns at sea- The rangers
found. after | saw more of them could
shoot as readily with a revolver as
with a rifle aud had become so expert
with the smaller weapon that instead
OF pressing the trigger for each shot
they would pull steadily on it and snap
the hammer until the six shots were
exhausted.