Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-27
lear all about the shooting, but more

hear all about the shooting, but more
especially regarding Smells work.
'.Yes. it was rather tough luck" said
Mr.. Smell to the Spy man, that l was
not able to make a clean score OF 20
birds The first day we shot at nine
birds. and I killed sa.ll of mine all right.
Thursday maintained clean score un-
til I reached the 18th bird That one
killed, but she fell outside the bounda-
ries, and so of course did not count. 1t
was a straight driver, and l hit the
bird squarely enough. Nine times out
of ten a bird would have swerved to one
side or the other and fallen inside the
boundary. But this one kept straight
ahead just as long as she had any
strength left, and fell outside by about
IL feet If the bird had twisted about
as many others did, and dropped within
bounds, I should have been just about
$4O0 richer"
'But talk about hard luck. Capt. Jack
Brewer, the worlds champion, had the
toughest bit of hard luck of amy of us.
He missed his bird on the first shot, but
struck it square enough with the second
shot The bird fell within the boundary,
and as it was really a very difficult shot
that Brewer had made every one OF the
1900 spectators was applauding loudly
as Brewer was a general favoTdte. AS
Judgement of the applause the bird got
together and fluttered just over the
boundary. He surely deserved the bird.
No man living could have held a gun
more accurately on a bird than he did
on that one.
ct was surprising to me to see so
many of the men drop out on the 25th
bird when they had a clean score up to
the very last square. They were men,
&IooA 1o5 a,ff eiT1er fO.~ i1n
event for weeks, and / don't see why
they should allow themselves to get so
ratified. Why, 1 would have been willing
to bet anything that If all | needed was
the 25th bird to make a perfect score
that / could have killed her within the
boundary or I'd have smashed my gun
in the attempt"
1t might be stated here that Smell and
Forehand went on to New York to COM
pete against the best shots of the coun-
try without the slightest preparation
Neither had ever shot at live pigeons be-
fore. To get through with the shooting
quicker all who missed birds enough to
put them out of the money were re-
uuired to drop out, and for this reason
Forehand shot at only 21 out of the 25.
He missed his 18th, 18th and 18th pige-
ons.
Speaking Of Mrs Shattuck's shooting,
Mr.. Smell said: "That woman, 1 have not
the slightest hesitancy in saying is the
finest lady marksman 1 ever saw. She
made some elegant kills with her left
barrel and handled her gun first rate.
She must have shot a good many birds
before, judging from her work at Elk
wood, but. never appeared before in the
east. to my knowledge.
Mr.. Smell says that in all about $1,000
live pigeons had been gathered for the
handicap, They came from all parts of
the country and had been kept at the
grounds for over two months One man
has been doing nothing else in that time
except selecting the strongest and most
lively ones for the big event. They were
nearly all blue-rocks, which renders 1t
more difficult for the marksmen to see
them, than if the birds were lighter col
ored. MIR. Smell had most enjoyable
trip and contemplates entering again
next year.