The Olneyville tribune. (Providence, R.I.) 1893-189?, 1894-01-27

Poor Shots With Rifles, but Their
Revolver Shooting 10 Coed.


Reports received at the War De-
partment Of recent small arms com
petitions among the troops in the far
West show conclusively that the no.
bic red man, as represented in Uncle
Sans military service, does not COM
pare very favorably with his pale face
brother in the matter of sharp shoot
ing. There is n popular idea gained
from Cooper's Leather Stocking tales
and even more modern literature
about the ''dusky denizens Of the
forest" that all warriors are superior
marksmen. Army statistics prove
that this is a romantic delusion so
far as the Indian soldier is concerned.
In recent competition the Indians
who have been enlisted in the Army
OF the Colorado have had a chance to
show what they could do side by side
with white men. The best that can
be said OF them in the report is that
they have made progress since being
enlisted, but it also says that the
sights on the rifles are still incom-
~prehensible to them, and that much
patience has been necessary on the
part of the officers TO bring them to
any understanding at all Of the prin-
ciples OF workmanship. Troop l. OF
the Second Cavalry, that being an
Indian company, showed an indivi-
dual average figure of merit OF 1922,
while the average figure OF merit OF
the company was 1888.
In collective firing the Indian aver
age was 3l.57, while the men OF the
other troops made an average of
81. 20. The Indians in the Eleventh
Infantry made for their company %
the average individual figure of merit
Of 25.05, while the figure OF the other
troops was 62.S7. In the Sixteenth
Infantry there is n company OF
Indians. Their figure of merit by
individual classification was an aver
age OF %. IA, while the figure OF the
white troops was the high average OF
93. l6. In collective firing the Indian
average was 29.39, as compared with
the white average Of 70.47.
At pistol firing the Indians do bet
ter. There is a separate report on
this sort OF firing for the same troops,
and Troop l., Of the Second Cavalry,
being composed exclusively OF In
dams, made a record of which the
men should be proud, if they ever
learn about it,. At dismounted prac-
tice they made an average of 13.SS,
as compared with the general average
for the command Of 66. 20; ut the
mounted practice their average was
far ahead Of that OF the white troops,
and their average per cent. for all
firing was o. ~, as compared with
80. rs for the whole command. The
Indians stood first in order Of merit
for revolver firing for the department.
There were some other interesting
statistics obtained by this practice.
The natives of the United States
stood eleventh in order OF merit
among nationalities, Norway, Aus
tria, Switzerland, Ireland, France,
Denmark, Scotland, Germany, Can
ada, and Belgium coming in order
before the United States. The men
of six feet in height and over were
also highest i'm order Of merit as
sharpshooters, and the shortest men
were the lowest. The men OF light
blue eyes were the best marksmen,
with those OF dark blue next. Even
the light-blue-eyed men were the best
marksmen among the negroes. The
report calls attention to the fact that
the percentage made by the Indians
at revolver practice was greater than
the per centage made by the winners
OF the gold medals in the revolver
matches at the cavalry competitions
Of the department for the years 1892
and 1898. 1t was also the highest
record made under existing regula-
tons by any troop in the depart
Washington Star.