The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-17
ARTISTS WITH A RIFLE.
Facts About TOepperwein, whose
Skill With the Rifle Is Surprising
IEurnnnnna

Europeans.
From the Chicago Times-Tierald.
Adolph Toepperwein, the youngster who
has been astonishing the Londoners by
drawing pictures of Commodore Schley
and other notables with target rife, is
of German descent, as his name shows.
He Is of the German type-burly, blonde.
blue-eyed, 1ovial and phlegmatic. He Is
the son of a small farmer, who lives just
south of the Helotes hills, fifteen miles
north of San Antonio, Tex. 1t is a coun-
try specially adapted for the development
of perfect sight, 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 everybody sees
we'll A person less than so years old
wearing glasses is looked upon as one
sadly afflicted. 1 do not think that the
distressing instance of little child peer
ing 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 cleo
tries burn nearly always, pay dearly for
the privilege.
Young Toepperweln was known as a re-
markable shot in community of good
shots when ne was 16 years old He has
been familiar with the rifle since he was
big enough 10 hold one up, and has used
II steadily in the field, where blowing
winds and running shadows and different
lights force man to learn all that there
is to be learned of the science of projec-
tile hurting. He is not only a strangely
efficient long distance shot, but ne is
wonderful trick shot, and it is trick shoot
Ing that he Is doing on the other side of
the water. Severing swinging strings and
splitting bullets driven against the edges
of knives, and shifting lighted candles
fifty yards away, and boring holes through
silver dollars tossed in the air are mat
ters OF everyday practice with him. It
should be said of him, too, that In these
exhibitions he uses always the single ball
of % caiber. Many persons who have seen
William f. Cody career around the ring,
smashing glass balls with a Winchester
carbine are not aware that the colonel
uses a shell loaded with fine shot, but that
is what he does. He does not use the sin
gle ball in the carbine for two reasons:
He could not hit anything with 1t, except
at infrequent intervals, and the Winches-
ter bullet has habit of flying a mile or
so and killing the inoffensive stranger
who Is standing OH the corner not mean
ing any harm.
Toepperwein before he took to shooting
as a business. had dreams of becoming
what he called "a artist" meaning there
by a newspaper cartoonist. He used to
practice on the San Antonio Express, fur
nishIng it with meat ak Illustrations for
the glory of seeing them signed ''Tep''
in large flowing letters in the lower right
hand corner The picture of Commodore
Schley, which he makes with 200 bullets
fred with wonderful rapidity from tar
a.
good 10 label 1t "Schley" because it could
be taken as readily for Louis Napoleon or
any other man who ever wore an "impe-
rial - but 1t is better work from the view
point of resemblance, delicacy of line, pur-
ity of method, tone, verve, chiaro oscu-
70, and things like that, than the remark
able figures with which he used to adorn
the Express, He draws better with bull
let than with the lead pencil or carver.
comparatively restricted territory has
produced three single bah shots who are
probably the greatest the world has ever
known. Toepperwen 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 (Tex) gunsmith
Young Petmecky is as remarkable for
his rapidity of his firing as for its accu-
racy. He is able, in the picturesque Ian
| guage of the Southwest, almost to melt
the bullets together in the barrel" A man
cannot count the shots he fires when go
ing at fun speed any more than he can
count the beats in a drum roll A ia
vorite feat of his is TO toss a brick in the
air. break it in two, and then break both
pieces before they strike the ground. This
feat is especially remarkable because no.
body can toss a whole brick 10 a great
hight, and the shooting must be done with
| inconceivable rapidity. I have never
| known any other person able to repeat this
performance, and l do not believe that
! Toepperwein can do it,