The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-16
Diplomat AN EXPERT hARKshAN.
Wonderful shooting Of senor de Assis- Brasil
Brazilian Minister TO This Country.


WASHINGTON, Sept. iI-Sehor J. +. de Assis-
Brasil. the Brazilian Minister at Washington.
Is a born marksman. He likes the sport and
p~ractises a rood deal In and around his home.
He Ia an expert with the rife and sporting guns
Of all sorts. but his home practice is done with
u tiny rife aud a delicate pair OF pistols. ire
Quently In his parlor or on the veranda where
the small powder charge involved makes no
noise to attract attention.
In his boyhood days, Mr.. Brasil was what
would be known In the West as a gentleman
cow-puncher. That II. he rode and shot with
the vaqueros and hunters on his fathers Dig
ranches In Brazil. He soon found that he
could outshoot all but the most expert OF the
Brazilian hunters and the pride Of accomplish
ment naturally induced him 10 practise more
and more. His fame as a shot spread over the
country and preceded him to college. where
he continued TO practise and perfect himself
with firearms quite as ardently as he did In
the classics.
Some Of the Minister'S feats with the rife
are a tax on credulity til they have been seen.
He does his fancy shooting with a French gal
lery rife made 70 his order In Paris. He loads
his own cartridges for extra accurate work.
His finest shooting Il done with ~
caliber rifle and pistols. He cap pick all the
capital letters out OF a visiting card az far
as he can see them. Driving tacks in a sheet
OF paper the length OF his veranda Is too tame
for him to cal. 1t sport. and he will split a visit
ing card edgewise the length Of his own parlor
while his wife holds II for him In her fingers.
Mrs. Brasiis confidence In her sthhand's
ability as a shot Is absolute. and she will hold
a quarter hetween her fingers for him 10 shoot,
The fact is, however, that Witnessing a few
SSrrseuds s a M great drgrsa ' OF TeCsisss Mrsg IN the
average Spectator. Visitors who demonstrate
with Mrs. brazil for her acting as an animated
target sllnpOrt usually end hv holding cards
Tor the Minister 10 split. or bv letting him shoot
the ashes Of their cigars or cigarettes before
Minister Brasil Vim rut up a tsrret. tn. tie
Of a quarter, and standing about thirty feet
away will wave hi. revolver IN a circle IEe
a No %f" Of fn oo0mnaSd from 'T a sps a ! he viii
fire and ht the mark without anrarentlr having
can do ali the stage tricks Of a professional
shot, shooting with the mirror, holding the
rife upside down shooting between his legs
head IN fact. somo Of tie gun rlny" Of which
he ia, capable, would shame q Western bad
wooden board with ? metal bach, about no
target. 'ons' Of hi. %fayorito trick. Is to, put
Then he viii pqt he other four balls from his
nev9lver through The hrst hole; without chang
one OF his feats, which he does not perform
often ont ~ respect for the humane scrIple-
simultaneously without looking at either Of
them. lie will have "A servant place two hand
fuls OF corn on the lawn sixty feet apart and
In the chair while two chickens are brought
and, PLACED one at each corn pile. They I'm
at one chicken with the right-hand gun aud
then with the other al the chicken on his left.
Then looking away from both he will fire at
the, word Of command He generally kills
It Is no EFFORT at all for him to cut match stems
in half the length Of his parlor, and but little
let at the same. distance. Occasionally he
will damien the head Of a match so that IL
will be visible In the dark. and then light IL
across the length Of the room after all the lights
are turned of.
But perhaps his most astonishing feat Of
dext"rity he pe7forms with five matches without
the ain Of a gun. lie calls il his gun carriage
demonstration" II IL a sort Of fancy billiard
shot exhibition. and merely shows the mar
ysllous Ceiicacy OF touch that Will come from
wi th, OF a cinirg room table, The gun car
rage IL mare OF three matches lsit In the form
Of a letter ". with the foot Of the II parallel
over the cross bar OF the gun carriage" Ike
the barrel OF a cannon resting on LIS trunnions.
with the butt end, OF the match protesting a
the table Across the table a fifth match Is
stood up on END IN a salt cellar Taking an
blaze back like the spring of a catspult, and
sctrlkes the gun, sha.plY on The butt. n
upright match. about half the time striking IL
sIuarely 90 the head and lighting both matches.
People who have never seen this done rarely
bslieve II possible, but the Minister has so FAR
converteI all OF his intimate friends by an
Minister Brasil has never fought a dual.