The herald., 1898-11-02
: Some Artists With the Rifle .
+ + + r + r + r i. + + r + + + + r + + .i..

| Adolph Toepperwein, the youngster who
has been astonishing the Londoners by
| drawing pictures OF Commodore Schley and
other notables with target rifle, is OF Ger
man breed, as his name shows. He is OF the
German type also-burly, blond, blue-eyed,
jovial and phlegmatc. He is the son of a
small farmer who lives just south of the
| Helotes hills, fifteen miles north of San
Antonio, Texas. 1t is country specially
adapted for the development of perfect skin,
the air being always pure and thin, the
| light mellow and the surface of the land a
constant green from the never-changing
cactus and mesquite In this country every
body sees well. A person less than so years
old wearing glasses is looked upon as one
sadly afflicted. l do not think that the dis
| tressing instance of little child peering
through spectacles has ever existed there.
| We dwellers in the cities, where night is
| turned into day and the winter climate turns
| day into night and the electrics burn nearly
always, pay dearly for the privilege.
Young Toepperwein was known as a re-
marllable shot in a community of good shots
when he was l6 years old. He has been IA
miliar with the rifle since he was big enough
to hold one up, and has used it steadily in
the field, where blowing winds and running
shadows and different lights force man to
| LEARN dll lldl lueIt Is 10 De learned OF Ine
science of projectile hurting He is not only
strangely efficient long-dstance shot, but
he is wonderful trick shot, and it is trick
shooting that he is doing on the other side
of the water. Severing swinging strings, and
splitting bullets driven against the edges OF
knives, and snuffing lighted candles fifty
yards away, and boring holes through silver
dollars tossed in the air are matters Of
everyday practice with him. 1t should be
said of him, too, that in these exhibitions he
uses always the single ball of % caliber.
Many people who have seen William f.
Cody career around the ring, smashing glass
balls with Winchester carbine are not
aware that the colonel uses a she'll loaded
with fine shot, but that is what he does.
He does not use the single ball in the car
bne for two reasons: He could not hit any,
thing with it except at infreouent inter
walls and the Winchester bullet has a habit
of flying mile or so and killing the inofren-
sive stranger who is standing on the corner
not meaning any harm.
Toepperwein. before he took to shooting
as business. had dreams of becoming
what he called ga artist" meaning thereby
a newspaper cartoonist. He used to prac-
il. with meat-ax illustrations for the glory
of seeing them signed "Tep" in large flow
ing letters in the lower right hand corner.
The picture of Commodore Schlev which
he makes with 200 bullets fred with won.
derful rapiditv from target rife, is not
sneakinG likeness. Tt is rood to label it
"Schlev," because it could be taken as read
iv for Louis Napoleon or anv other man
who ever wore an "imperial," !" but it is bet.
ter work from the view point of resemblance
delicacv of line, purity of method tone.
y,erve, chiaro oscuro and things like that
than the remarkable frures which he used
to. adorn the Express. He draws better with
a bullet than with the lead pencil or carver
1t is singular but true that compara
lively restricted territory has produced
three single-ball shots who are probably
the greatest the world has ever known.
Ioepperwein is one Of them. A boy named
Petmecky is another. This youth, who is
now IN his early twenties, is the son of an
Austin CTexas) gunsmith, inventor of the
well known 'Petmecky gun cleaner" Young
Petmecky is as remarkable for the rapidity
OF his firing as for its accuracy He is able
IN the picturesque language of the south
west. almost to melt the bullets together
IN the barrel" A man cannot count the
shots he fires when going at full speed any
more than he can count the beats in a drum
roll A favorite feat OF his is to toss brick
IN the arr, break it in two and then break
both pieces before they strike the ground.
This feat is especially remarkable because
nobody can toss. a whole brick to a great
height, and the shooting must be done with
inconceivable rapiditv. 7 have never known
any other person abld to repeat this per
formance, and do not believe that Toep-
perwein can do it,
Joseph Tumlnson, now dead. was for
many years one of the most noted killers of
the lower Rio Grande district He is said
to have had the ghosts of nearly fifty men
following him about, "that is as an adj
mirer once remarked with navete. "count-
in Mexikins as men" It is certain that he
had slain in personal encounter nearly
twenty whites. His private gravevards
were numerous. He shot equally well with
the Winchester and with the Colts six.
shooter of IS caliber. This is force-ball
weapon, with "A heavy charge behind +he
lead. It has much "kck-up'' to it. and with
it accuracy is specially difficult of attain.
ment Tumlinson used to take a six-shootor
in his hand and write his initials into tree
while galloping past it; would scallop the
edges of a tin plate set up at thirty yards bv
striking it with half the bullet; would stand