The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-04-06
PASCOAG SHOOTER WON
CRANE AMERICAN HANDICAP TAKEN
RY f. c. GRIFFITH.
Only Expert Who Had FOrty-Three
Scores of Other Trap Murksmen.

NEW YORK. April 5.-After a close and
exciting finish of the shoot-off. miss and
out, of the twenty-five ties in the Grand
American handicap Eugene c. Griffith, of
Pascoag, r. l.. won with a total of forty
three straight kills at interstate Park. Long
island. to-day. Twenty-Five men tied for
first honors with twenty-five kills each.
and in the shoot-off Griffith, who was on
the twenty-eight-yard mark, outshot all his
opponents by killing his eighteenth bird.
The victory of the New England man was
a complete surprise TO the majority of the
contestants, as well as TO the spectators,
several hundred of whom watched the finish
OF the contest from the piazza, veranda and
roof of the Casino, and when the last bird
was shot Griffith received an ovation from
the on-lookers and congratulations were
shOwered on him by all the gunners who
had taken part in the big event. The win
ner holds the state championship of Rhode
Island for shooting at inanimate targets, but
has not been prominent as a live-bird trap
shooter. He said to-day that he had not
shot at more than three hundred live birds
in his career at the traps. Last year he
took part in the Grand American handicap
and killed twenty-five out of twenty-five.
and this was his most successful effort at
live birds until to-day.
On previous occasions, when men tied
with full scores in the handicap, they di-
vided the money, which, under the condi-
tons. was due TO the high guns, but this
year no arrangement was arrived at by the
twenty-five who tied. and they shot off for
individual positions and moneys. Griffith
received $500 in cash and the silver cup
presented by the Interstate Association.
Next TO the winner the shooting done by
j. l.. ID. Morrison, of st. Paul. Mimi, who
stood a yard farther back than Griffith,
was the most meritorious. Morrison killed
seventeen and went out on his eighteenth.
which was a very difficult bird. Morrison
received the second prize of $500 in cash. r.
Rahm, of Pitttsburg, Pa, who was handi-
capped at twenty-seven yards, failed in the
fifteenth round of the shoot-off and re-
ceived $500 In cash as third prize. The
other nineteen shooters received sums rang
ing from $255 to S72. according TO the posi-
ton in which they finished.
When the shoot was resumed early in the
day there was very little wind, and rain
was falling steadily. The weather cleared
as the shoot progressed during the fore
noon and the northwest breeze freshened
somewhat. During the remainder Of the
day the weather was clear and bright. but
there was not sufficient wind to help the
birds in their flight, and with the excep-
ton of an occasional screamer the birds
were as a rule an easy lot. Fred Gilbert,
of Spirit Lake, Ia, was a prime faVOrite
among the experts for handicap honors,
and he was the only one of the three
scratch men who shot twenty-four straight
in the handicap proper. On his twenty
fifth bird. however, the Western shooter
drew a very lively right quartering driver,
which he dropped with his second barrel.
The bird proved TO be only lightly hit, and
when the boy tried TO retrieve 1t the pigeon
evaded him and flew away out OF bounds
seemingly unhurt-
\. Ii. Fox, of Baltimore. succeeded in
killing twenty-five straight, and. next to
Gilbert, was looked upon as the most dan
gerOus aspirant for premier hOnors. He
also fell a victim 10 the luck OF the game.
shoot-off. The bird was a straightaway
driver. and Fox failed to hit il with either
barrel. This made his first miss in any
event on the programme during the tour
nament.
IL was a noticeable fact that none OF the
~well-known experts lasted long enough to
get into the group OF leaders at the end