Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-08
Serious Charge Against New Jersey
Teamsat Sea Girt.
TARGETS spuugTURED WITH KNIFE
Georgia s:Team Makes Investiga-
3 If
ton and Lodges Complaint.
DISTRICT MEN SATISFIED


SEA GRIT, N. J., September S.-The clos
ing hours of the eighth annual meeting of
the New Jersey State Rifle Association have
developed a sensation. In brief. the charge
is made, and 1t Is substantiated to the sat
isfaction of those who have been investi
eating that dishonesty of the most fragrant
type was practiced yesterday in connection
with the scoring in the Hilton trophy
match. According to the allegation scru-
tiny Of the targets on which the New Jer-
sey team shot at 600 yards last yesterday
afternoon shows only portion of the BULLS
eye hits accredited to the team.
Everybody Is disgusted Even though the
affair may ultimately be explained in some
way. the effect of the incident must Of ne
cessity prove lasting. Those who examined
the target assert that it cannot be explain
ed-at least, in way that will be salts
factory. AS is generally known, the Hilton
trophy match was the event of the week.
Inc expectation was that the only posi-
Bile winners were Georgia and the District
or Columbia, with the chances largely in
favor of the former.
Therefore, the majority Of the spectators
ana competitors were nightly aSton1Shed
when, at the conclusion Of the shooting at
40 yards, New Jersey stood second in the
race.
Good Work Kept Up.
At 500 yards the Jerseymen kept up their
good work, making higher total at that
range than did Georgia or the District of
Columbia. The surprise of the day. how
ever, was during the firing at 600 yards,
when the team did really remarkable work,
it being declared the finest shooting ever
seen at Sea Girt and in light that was
rapidly fading.
1t was almost dark as the last four men
fired their shots, but nevertheless there
1a6 fnr fhnr1 al
respectively, out of a possible 80. The last
man to fire. Whittemore, made possible.
Then mighty shout went up. for all who
had been keeping account of how things
had been going knew that Jersey had won,
with a total of 1,OS9, the score Of Georgia
being 1918 and that Of the District Of Co.
lumbia ops
The District team assembled and gave
three hearty cheers for the winners, and
then In turn cheered Gen. Spencer, the
team captain, its mascot, and in fact
everybody and everything in sight. Geor-
gia later also gave a cheer for Jersey.
The District men were entirely satisfied
They had been clearly outshot and they
had no expectation Of winning, were glad to
see Jersey. carry off the trophy. Imme-
diately after the close of the match some
remarks were made on the firing line by
Georgians to the effect that the scores had
not been properly recorded in the New Jcr-
Sey target. No attention was paid to this.
though, for the Georgians are VIGOROUSLY
poor losers, and the statement was re-
garded as due to chagrin following the loss
of the match. -
Request for investigation.
The next step in the incident was noted
shortly after 10 o'clock last night. when
Austin Of the Georgia team appeared in the
District camp and reported that he was
positive things We're not as they should be,
and requested that committee represent
ing the District of Columbia accompany a
like committee of Georgians to the pit for
the purpose of examining the targets.
These men, in whom every reliance is
placed reported that the Jersey team had
been credited with a number of hits more
than those shown by the target; that
punctures had been made in the paper
front of the target that had not penetrated
the cloth backing, and that the punctures
were closed lin the manner usual in cover
ing bullet hits with pastors. The targets
used by the District and Georgia teams
We're also examined, and We're found To !
correctly marked.
Further examinations were made this
morning, and at the earliest possible mo-
ment the matter was called to the atten-
ton of General Spencer who is executive
officer of the New Jersey State Rifle Assoc
citation, as well as captain of the Jersey
team. General Harres related to General
Spencer all that had developed. The latter
expressed the deepest concern and an
nounced that he would look into the affair
at once.
GeOrEfans Enter Protest.
The Georgia officials entered emphatic
verbal protests. Before the firing of the
day began the target was removed from the
pit and taken to the range office No one
has thought for moment of ascribing TO
the members Of the Georgia team or to the
range officials any knowledge of anything
improper that may have occurred in the
scoring match, but it is declared by those
who said they heard the conversation that
messages were sent by employees on the
hp rly
That was significant and first gave rise
to suspicion that the work in the pits so
far as the Jersey target recording was con-
cerned. to say the least was Inaccurate
me scores IN the Hilton match, as record
ed, were as follows:
NEW JEPSFy