The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-04-06
HIRSCHY is CHAMPION
FAIRLY WON THE IT'LL OF BEST
WING SHOT IN AMERICA.
Captured the Handicap Prize and Es-
tabIished a Record of 1O2 Straight
kills-The Final Scores.

KANSAS CITY, Mo, April 5.-Herman G.
Hirschy, with a handicap of twenty-nine
yards, to-day won the Great American ham
dicap and thus became champion wing
shot of America. The last man to stand up
with him on the shoot-off out of the four
teen men who had clean scores yesterday
was c. G. Spencer, of St. Louis, also a
northumberland man, who finally failed
to kill his fifty-third bird, a towering out
gOer. Spencer will receive second money,
r. o. Heikes, of Dayton, O., third, ]. d.
Pollard, of Chicago, fourth, and ]. J..
Owen, of Cushing, o. T., fifth. Mr.. Hir-
schy is not a novice at the shooting game,
having been prominent in trap shooting
circles for a number of years. In the Grand
American last year he killed twenty-four,
losing his other bird dead out of bounds.
During the present week he has not lost
a single bird, scoring 1O2 straight kills. He
has been prominent in the Minnesota State
shoots for the past five years and has won
the live-bird championship of that State
four times during that time and now holds
the State trophy.
The purse amounted to s12, O9O, and was
divided as follows: First money, II. c..
Hirschy, $6SS.7O; second, c.. G. Spencer.
$5SS.7 o third, Rola Heikes, $4Ss. 20; fourth,
j. d. Pollard. $4SS.7O; fifth, ]. Lowens.
$33S.7O sixth, George Rolls, $S3S.7O seventh,
Guy Deering. S2SS.7O eighth to twelfth.
S2SS.SO each; thirteenth to twenty-fourth
$1SS.7O each, and twenty-ffth to sixty-third,
S1SS.7O each.
The Great American handicap race, which
was for twenty-five birds, proved to be
one of the most sensational in the annals
% I00ts-- $500
nrst days shooting on Wednesday 143 men
had straight scores of eight birds. Most of
the weak ones and those with national
reputation missed their birds. The latter in
Guided T.. w Morley, of Queens, l.. l., the
winner of the 1894 shoot; O. r. Dickey. of
Boston,. who captured the trophy in 1896.
and Thomas A. Marshall, of Keithsburg,
Ill, who became the American champion in
1897 and again in 1899. On the first day Z. G..
Griffith. the present holder of the trophy.
also failed 10 make a clean score and L. D.
Fultord, Utica, n. Y, the 1898 winner, and
G. w. Budd. of Des MOines, Ia, lost a bird
or two. At the close of the second day only
forty-four men came out with straight
scores of sixteen birds to their record
When the full twenty-five rounds had been
shot yesterday there remained but thirty
five with clean scores. Then came the shoot
off. When darkness prevented further work
last evening nineteen men had missed out
on a chance for the first money, leaving
fourteen with perfect scores.
The fourteen who began the final race
0VOA <NAt-Cs Ill
Guy V. Deering. Columbus, Wis: c. S.
Spencer, St. Louis; G. b. D. Darby, Phila-
delphia; r. o.. Heikes, Dayton, O.: George
a. Roll, Blue Island, ILL.,; l.. j. Squier, Gin
%cinnati; H. c. Hirschy, Minneapolis: j. /.
d. Morrison, st. Paul; Fred Gilbert. Spirit
Lake, Ia; ]. ID. Pollard, Chicago; f. Sny-
der, Charlottesville, Ind; j. l.. Owens,
Cushing, O. T.; g. w. Clay, Austerlitz. Ky.
When the eleventh round in the shoot-of
was begun this morning a hard south wind
was blowing. but the weather was bright
and clear. All fourteen men made clean
scores. In the twelfth round r. W. Cool,
of Aledo, ILL.,. and G.. B.. Darby, of PhiladeI-
bert, of Spirit Lake, Ia, missed a hard left
quartering driver. The bird was hit, but
was able TO fly away. In the fourteenth L.
J; s9uier, Cincinnati: J. l. d. Morrison; st.
missed. This left but eight men in the
race, all of whom shot clean in the fifteenth
and sixteenth rounds. In the seventeenth
Guy V. Deering, Columbus, Wis, and L.
Snyder Charlottesville Ind, lost out.
The six remaining men shot straight in
the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth
rounds. Heikes killing his eighteenth with
the second barrel when the bird was fifty
yards straight down the field. George J.
Roll lost his twenty-irst. There were no
misses i'm the twenty-second and twenty
third rounds. L. II. Owen lost his twenty
fourth, which died out of bounds. Spencer,
Heikes, Hirschy and Pollard were straight
at the end of the twenty-ffth- There were
no misses in the twenty-sixth and twenty
seventh, but Pollard lost his twenty-eighth
Heikes making many long sensational
shots. This left Spencer, Heikes and
Hirschy alone in the race. All three killed
their twenty-ninth and thirtieth. Heikes
finally lost out on his thirty-first, a hard
outgoing driver.
This left but two men I'm the race. s.
Spencer, OF st. Louis, and II. G. Hirschy,
of Minneapolis, each with a handicap of
twenty-nine yards. Hirschy had not missed
a bird since the tournament began on Mon
day, including the two preliminary events.
They killed their birds with ease and regu-
larity and soon passed the record mark for
straight kills Of thirty-four, set by Bates
in 1909. Hirschy's shooting was steadier
than Spencer's on the last rounds and many
picked him for the winner after the for
tieth bird had been killed. Both men were
straight up TO the fifty-second bird. The
fifty-third was a towering outgoer. Spen-
Ger shot first, and although he hit il the
bird fell dead out of bounds. Hfrschy's
ifty-third was an ordinary right quarterer.
He killed il with his first barrel. but used
the second TO make sure. Hirschy had not
only won the Grand American handicap.
but he had placed 10 his record a score of
seventy-eight straight birds for this event
and a grand total of 102 for the week. hav-
ing grassed every one since the tourna-
ment began on Monday morning. When