The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-24
NEW DANGER no HUNTERS
RIFLES Which Are Miles Away May XIII
the UnsuspectinE NimrOd.

~AAAliASdLOAlS JOuIIldl.
After all, taking the present disposition
of the big game hunters in this locality.
there may not be so many rifles in the
woods this November as have been count
ed on. The inVariable reply when a Ques-
ton IS put to one of the regular Novem-
Der starters as to whether he is going after
deer or moose this year, is that he doesn't
There are too many going" he SAYS.
and the risk is too great for the enter
If the majority of the hunters look at the
matter in this light it is patent that there
will be mighty thinning of the ranks,
ana those who do go may have a chance
to return home with whole skins.
George Rignold, of st. Paul. who is a
regular deer hunter, having missed no sea-
son of the last ten says that if the daily
papers Keep on waving the danger signal
he will certainly go out as usual, because
ne believes that when the time comes four
out of five who had intended to go looking
for moose or other big game will have been
frightened out of it by the alarming state
ments that are being made about the dam
ger OF such rifles as are now used for this
class or sport. Mr.. Rignold does not be-
lieve that the danger is any greater than
it used to be- because, he argues in heavy
TIMBER a bullet never travels very far its
flight being intercepted by trees and bram-
bleS.
The Journal recollects, however. that Mr.,
Rignold had decidedly close call himself
last season, the facts regarding which were
chronic!ed in this paper at the time. and
pooh poohed by Mr.. Rignod afterward
though he did not deny that the statement
was correct. In fact, he subsequently, ex-
planned the incident. which explanation did
not alter the fact that he had come within
an ace of being killed by one of his own
party.
It was up in the Brainerd country. Mr.
RignOld had gone on ahead of the wagon
which was hauling camp supplies in the
nope OF getting shot at something He
was fully two miles ahead of the wagon
and his three friends. Having failed to
see anything worth shooting at he sat
down c Of he
proceeded to eat a light lunch he had in
his pocket While sitting there a bullet
nattened itself on a tamarac pole within
eight inches of his head and dropped to
the earth. He heard the spat of the ball
and was STOPPING to pick it up, when an
other passed over the back of his neck so
closely that he felt the wind of it, There
was no report to signify from what direc-
ton the bullets were coming, but having
satisfied himself that they We're coming
and pretty thick at that, Mr. Rignold lost
no time in tumbling down behind the log,
where he lay tight while three or four more
balls went whistling over him at danger
The hunter did not leave his place be-
hind the log until satisfied that the shoot
ing was over for the time being. and he
was very much puzzled to find out how
unless the balls had been directed at him.
they had all come close to the same
spot.
The mystery was explained on the ar
rival of the wagon. some thirty or forty
minutes later. 1t then turned out that the
other members of the party had been
shooting at beer bottles that had contained
the liquid end of their luncheon. The bot
ties had been set on log by the roadside.
while every member of the party cracked
away at them with rifles at one-hundred-
yards range OF course, as all the bullets
had been aimed at the same object. they
pursued the same line of flight through
the timber and made matters distinctly I'M
comfortable for Mr. Rignold two miles
away. The latter gentleman asserts that
this was a phenomenal circumstance; that
the same thing is not likely to occur again
in fifteen years
At the same time ii looks to the layman
in such matters as though with several
hundred of these long-range rifles potting
away over the same territory there are
chances to be taken that no man wants TO
go against unless he has plenty OF life in.
surance and is ready to have it cashed.