Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1898-10-06
SHAFTER'S MARKSMANSHIP.
The Good Joke Played by "Pecos
: Bill' on IN officer of a Rival
Regiment,

Regiment. EIs. q
. Col. Thomas II. Barry, adjutant gen.
eral to Maj. Gen. Otis, on the way to
Manila, before leaving told good
story of Maj. Gen. Skaters shooting
in the days when he was colonel on
the Mexican border. A day before he
took ship for the Philippines, Barry,
with Brig. Gen. Hughes and Chron-'
icle representative, discussing Shat
ter's gallantry before Santiago, said:
Il was Skaters aid years ago when
we both were bronzing under the hot
test sun that shines in these states.
Shafter was known as the best shot
rot only in his reg ment, but in the
whole country about. One day an Off
Ger from another regiment not ac-
quainted with Skaters ability in this
line visited the post and soon made it
apparent to US that he esteemed him
self about as expert a marksman as
ever pulled a trigger. We secretly
laughed at his opinion of himself and
whispered to each other: Just wait
till Pecos Bill gets after him.
Shafter and I started out to ride 40
miles or more to another post, and the
visitor asked to be allowed to accom-
pany us. We trotted along easily I'M
til about noon, when we halted to eat
our luncheon, which we packed with
us. At that time officers carried short
carbines on such service and I had
one strapped to my saddle. The con-
versation drifted from the topography
of the country to craftsmanship, and
the officer - call him Smith - said:
Say, colonel, have you got any shots
in your regiment?'
"Shafter smiled and replied: Have
I? Why, I've got some men that can
discount the sharpshooters you read
about. Officers, too. I'm not much
myself, but when you get back to the
fort I'll tell few of the good ones to
show you thing or two
''Just then an antelope sprang up a
quarter of mile away, and all seeing
it at the same moment reached for
their carbines. Shafter was quickest
and in second adjusted the sights to
600 feet and blazed away. Down came
Mr.. Antelope, and when we rode up to
where he lay we found bullet over
his heart.
"Smith examined the wound, looked
over the carbine and then muttered,
half aside: Not bad. You say you're
not in it with other officers in your
regiment, colonel?'
"'No, said Shafter, I'm ashamed of
myself alongside of them
"a couple of hours later another an
telope appeared, but further away.
Smith fdgeted moment and then
said, eagerly: Colonel, may go after
him?'
'Pshaw! You wouldn't chase him
on horseback at that distance, ex-
claimed Shafter, Selling the weapon
and leveling it as he spoke. I'll put
lead in his head
''He fired and we saw the animal
bound away. Smith was gleeful. "A
little high, colonel he shouted, as we
galloped on. Rea aching the place where
the game had been, we were on high
rising piece of ground, and, looking
down so feet, Shafter pointed to dark
object and said quietly: I guess got
the head
''Sure enough, the antelope was ly-
ing dead, with bullet through his left
ear. Smith looked at me disguised as
any man I ever saw.
"'And the officers are better?' he
queried.
"Shafter's eyes twinkled: Lieut..
Smith, he replied, with assumed stern
ness: I want you to say nothing of
this at the post. ought to have hit
him in the eye, and feel ashamed of
my poor aim
'Smith, who had no sense of humor,
was dumfounded. For years after he
spread the fame of Col. Shafter as a
marksman far and wide."-San Fran
cisco Chronicle.