People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1893-09-22
CARVER ON SHOOTING.
Why Msrksman Sometimes Can Hit and
Sometimes Cannot.

Why a Msrksman Sometimes Can Hit and
Sometimes Cannot.
Dr.. Carver, the champion rife shot OF
the world, so well known by the Indians
of the great west as the spirit Gun,"
explained to reporter yesterday why
it was that dead shots, cowboys and
other western and southern characters,
accustomed from childhood to the use
of revolvers and rifles would make re-
markably bad scores when laboring I'M
der the slightest excitement.
"Why," said the doctor, 81 have
known men who could snuff candle at
forty PAGES with a six-shooter to go out
into the middle of the street and empty
a gun at some fellow who was blazing
away at them short distance off and
never touch their man. 1t makes a
heap of difference to most men when
they are squirting along the barrel Of
Winchester or over the sight of Six
shooter whether they are cutting loose
at an inanimate target or looking into
the muzzle of gun. don't mean to
say they are frightened, as | have seen
many men who didn't know the sensa-
ton of fear take so much pride in their
craftsmanship, get wrought up to such
a frenzy by being opposed to anyone,
that they get into a state of nervous
excitement that renders it almost i'm
possible to hit anything. There was
shooting match between two bad men
at Plum Creek, across billiard table.
Neither flinched, and both emptied
their guns, and both men were hit but
once, and that exactly in the same
place. They had each thrown their
arms upward over the heart to protect
it, and they were hit in the arm near
the elbow, the other shots flying wide
of the mark, causing stampede and
wrecking some of the glassware.
"The same thing applies to big game
shooting. When you take a quail or
snipe shooter, a man who rarely misses
in the field and let him be ever so good
a wing shot, lead him ont into the tim
Der or on the prairie and show him
moose, bear, or elk, il is hundred to
one that he will miss the animal alto
gether. Good shots have been known
to empty the magazine of Winchester
at the first big animal they ever fired
at, and then become mortified to see
the animal trot off uninjured. OF
course this is not fear; it is excitement.
1t is known to all hunters as buck
ague, and few indeed there are who
have not experienced it some time in
their lives. There are men, however.
VINO never shoot except to kill their
man. They are invariably cold-blooded,
irOn-nerved, desperate men, who have
devoted their lives to hunting men or
protecting themselves, and who expert
ence as little excitement while being
shot at and shooting at a man as the old
hunter does while pursuing his favorite
game. These men carry the best re-
volvers obtainable, their pistols always
being Of the largest caliber and single
action, for cowboy or an Indian will
have nothing to do with self-cocker.
Such men wear their guns in such a
manner as to be able to drop their hand
upon them without any false motions
or awkward gestures, and wear them
where it is impossible for them to get
caught in the clothing in the act of
drawing.
Zone of the coolest things l ever saw
was man who had terrorized western
Missouri for long time after the close
of the war, and who had emptied his
six-shooter at party of men opposed
to him and his side during one of the fac
tionaltights. Afteremptying his gun, in
stead OF attempting TO seek shelter, he
rode boldly out into the town and sat
upright in the saddle coolly reloading
his pistol while under FIRE, and having
satisfied himself thlt he was ready for
battle again, he whirled around and
did some very effective work until the
opposition made it so hot for his party
that they retreated fighting down "a
side street, and escaped across the
broad creek that ran through the edge
OF the town. 1t is the same with the
shooter as it is with the billiard, base
ball, racquet or tennis player; he must
be in good form to do his best"
DR.. Carver is an old buffalo hunter,
and tells how, in the early days, when
buffalo shooting, he stayed in one To-
cality until game got rather scarce.
Then he met some Indians who spoke
of big herd further up the river, and
said that in this herd was white buff
falo.
Now" said the doctor, ''ever since
began shooting and roping buffalo
had heard about white buffalo, and was
pretty anxious to see one. l moved
camp and got up in the vicinity
of the big herd. located them
and did one or two days shoot
ing without discovering the white
buffalo. l had really not expect
ed to see one, as | did not believe
there was such a thing in existance.
One afternoon, however, l came upon a
small herd feeding near the mouth Of