Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-09-26
CARVER ON SHOOTING
WAY a MARksMAh CAN SOMETIMES
HIT AND SOMETIMES CAN'T.

II Man Gets Nervous, He May Not BE
Able to hit a Balloon, and Again He May
Make Buijseye at Two Hundred Yards
n He Is Feeling All Right.
DR.. Carver, the champion rifle shot of the
world, so widely known by the Indians Of
the great west as the spirit Gun" ex-
planned 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 rifies,
would make remarkably bad scores when
labOring under the slightest excitement.
why" said the doctor, II have known
men who could snuff acandle at 40 PAGES
with 6-shooter 20 out into the middle Of
the street and empty gun at some fellow
| who was blazing away at them short dis
lance off and never touch their man. 1t
makes heap Of difference to most men
when they are squirting along the barrel Of
| winchester or over the sight of 6-shoot-
er whether they are cutting loose at an in
animate target or looking into the muzzle
Of gun. / don't mean to say that they
become frightened, as / have seen many
men who didn't know the sensation of fear
and who take pride in their Workmanship
get wrought up to such frenzy by being
opposed to any one that they get into
state Of nervous excitement that renders it
almost an impossibility to hit anything.
There was a shooting match between two
bad mem at Plum Creek across a 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 arm forward over the
heart to protect it, and both were hit In the
arm near the elbow, the other shots flying
wide of the mark, causing a stampede and
wrecking some of the glassware.
1.-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 wing
| shot him out into the timber or on
| the prairie and show him moose bear or
| elk, it is a hundred to one that he will miss
| the animal altogether 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 expert
/ enced it some time in their lives
There are men, however, whonever shoot
except to kill their man. They are invari-
ably cold blooded, iron nerved, desperate
men, who have devoted their lives to hunt
ing men or protecting themselves and who
experience as little excitement while being
shot at and shooting at man as the old
hunter does while pursuing his favorite
game. These men carry the best revolvers
obtainable, their pistols always being of the
largest caliber and single action, for a cow
boy or an Indian will have nothing to do
with selfcocker. Such men wear their
guns in such manner as to be able to drop
their hand upon them without any false
] nfin L ari cfnr md
them where it is impossible for them to get
caught in the clothing in the act of drawing
/ lone of the coolest things ever saw was
a man who had terrorized western Missouri
for long time after the close of the war,
and who had emptied his 6-shooter at a
party of men opposed to him and his side
during one of those factional fights that
still occur in that section. After empty
ing his gun, instead of attempting to seek
shelter he rode boldly out into the town
and sat upright in the saddle coolly reload
ing his pistol while under fire, and having
satisfied himself that he was ready for bat
tie again, he whirled around and did some
very effective work until the opposition
made it SO hot for his party that they re-
treated, 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 bill
lard, baseball. 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 locality 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 a
white buffalo.
Now" said the doctor, ''ever since be-
gan shooting and roping buffalo | had
heard about white buffalo and was pretty
anxious to see one. moved camp and got
up in the vicinity of the big herd. located
them and did one or two days shooting
without discovering the white buffalo.
had really not expected to see one, as did
not believe there was such a thing in ex-
istence. One afternoon, however, | came
upon a small herd near the mouth of can
yon, and to my surprise and delight saw
right in the middle of the bunch, feeding
with the rest the white buffalo himself.
Il Immediately determined to have this
animal, if was obliged to kill horse to
get him, and nearly did kill Red Dips, one
Of the best horses ever owned, for drove
up this canyon. dropping buffalo here and
there, and after a hard ride when my poor
horse was nearly tagged out, was in de
spair as the white buffalo remained right
in the middle of the herd, where it was i'm
possible for me to drop him. However, a
lucky shot dropped COW in the center and
well in advance of the herd, Then the
bunch split one-half turning sharp to the
right, and the other half keeping right on.
Among those turning to the right was
the white buffalo. AS the animal swung
around | got a good look at what had
been spelling my best horse for and wear
ing myself out to kill, and what do you
suppose it was.-a big white Texas steer,
that had evidently been brought up in some
herd and strayed away and joined this
band of buffalo. 1t is needless to say that
| checked my horse and rode slowly back
to camp without an effort to even get re
venge for the long ride or to spoil the In
dians' pet white buffalo story by killing the
closest resemblance to one that think ever
existed on the plains indianapolis Jour
nal
He Was Satisfied.
A farmer entered an office in central New
York and sent this message to a woman 10
Canada: "Will you be my wife? Please
answer quick by telegraph" Although he
waited the rest of the day he got no