The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-17

O--
Shot Sets All the Other Bankers Coin:
Until the Apple Drops-It is the Great
est Feat of craftsmanship on Record
other Remarkable Achievements Will
the Winchester.
Wichita is soon to furnish another
candidate to challenge the attention OF
the world, and this time he will be a
world beaten.
This gentlemans name is A. Wilson
and he is blacksmith doing business
on Chicago avenue, West Side.
Mr.. Wilson is a genius if ever one
lived although nobody would think so
by looking at him. He reminds one of
Warner, that character in Lord Lyt-
toms story whose daughter Sybl was
in love with the gallant Hastings. His
genius runs exclusively to mechanics
and shooting.
In his blacksmith shop Mr.. Wilson is
building vehicle that challenges the
attention of all who pass. In appear
Hnce it looks like milk wagon but it
has no shafts. In short it is a horse
less wagon.
Within the vehicle Mr.. Wilson has
constructed a boiler and engine to fur
nish the propelling power 10 the wagon
and both are so tiny that they occupy
only very small space in the vehicle.
The boiler will contain about six gal
Ions Of water and with about sixteen
cents worth of coal will run the wagon
about 20 miles in eight hours. The
engine is about the size of corset box
about fourteen inches long and three
inches wide. It had a two horse pow
er and it can be geared up to get out
Of it nearly five horse power
Everything about the vehicle has been
made by Mr.. Wilson including the boiler
and engine. 1t is a remarkably clever
continuance and is designed to travel
100 miles a day-without rest or feed or
water as Mr.. Wilson expresses it.
Mr.. Wilson viii have his seat in
front Of this vehicle where there will
be handle by which he can steer the
vehicle at his pleasure. He has also
contrivance attached to it by which
be can prevent the escape of steam and
drown its noise when he is passing we
hicleS drawn by nervous animals On
the front sides of the wagon the
name Of Wichita will loom up in fine
large gold letters
The vehicle viii be ready by the mid
die Of next month and Mr. Wilson will
Immediately start east with it to give
shooting exhibitions.
1t is not generally known but it is a
fact nevertheless that Mr.. Wilson is the
best marksman in the world with a
rife and intends to cause a sensation
In that line before two months have
gone by.
At present the best record is 100 tar
vD,fea
onds. This was sent through. the press
recently as being the most sensational
and marvellous shooting on record. Mr..
wilson will break that record not only
easily but will attempt to do it in one
minute and forty seconds and may do
IT in twenty seconds less.
Sensational is no name for the shoot
Ing OF Mr.. Wilson-incredible would be
more fitting.
MIR. Wilson can stick match in ones
mouth thirty feet away and light it
wrth rifle ball without breaking the
match or disturbing it in any other
way in his mouth; with the next shot
he can put out the light Of the match
by the whistle of he ball and all this is
done before the person who has the
match In his mouth can get scared. He
can stand a nickle edgeWays between
his wife'S tech and shoot il out of her
mouth without any danger to her what
ever. All this, however, is childs play
with Mr. Wilson compared with his
great feat of daring and marksman-
ship which has no parallel in the histo-
~ Of the world. He places a cooked
winchester thirty feet behind him, an
other cooked Winchester in front of
him and still another cooked Winches-
ter behind him a certain distance away
FRO ,al,o
a Winchester over his shoulder and by
the aid of small mirror takes aim
and shoots. The ball strikes the trig-
ger of one of the guns behind him; the I!
ball from that strikes the trigger of 1
the gun in front of him; the ball from
that strikes the trigger of the Other |
Winchester in rear of him and the ball !
from that splits an apple on top
OF his own head. To prove that there I
is no fake about it Mr. Wilson has an
arrangement made by which the last 1
bullet goes through a two inch board .
after gazing through the apple on his /
head. OF course Mr.. Wilson will put /
the bullet through his own head some
day and there viii be a funeral from
the family residence, but he does not
think so and as it is his own head the
supposition is that he is allowed to do
1.
be confident against accidents for he
has reduced the shooting of the apple
down TO scientific and mathematical
certainty He has practiced in this
manner with his head several times re-
Gently and it is still a mighty good
head and doing business at the old
stand. He viii perform this feat for
rhe first time in public in this city about |
two weeks hence.
Mr.. Wilson came into prominence for
the first time in this city as a marks
man about two or three years ago
when Captain Stubs or some other !
long haired shot came along and was
giving an exhibition TO DR.. Shuts and
a few friends a Riverside park VIII
son happened along at the time and af-
ter looking at the performance a few
minutes stood on top of his head and |
broke more glass balls than the pro-
fesSionn did. The professional think
Ing that the boys had put up job to
humiHate him left the park in great
anger and would not speak TO his friend
afterwards. In the great feat Of shoot
ing the apple off his head, Mr.. Wilson
IN order TO prove that there is no fine
gun required. VIII use the gun now used
by ShreNe, the butcher, in killing the
beeves for his shop.
some time ago when that fine shoot
ing gaI!ery came 10 Wichita in which a
raooIt Jumped up and down Mr.. Wilson