The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-06-25
A BACKWOODS BEEF SHOOT.
''COin" Harvey Invites the OZARK
MarkSmen to be Present.
The Ancient Deer Gun to Crack
Against the Modern Rife in IN
Old.Fashioned Match Near


Rogers, Ark.
Springfield, Mo-, June 19.-W. 81.
Harvey, who in 1895 told the world
so much about the relative quanti-
ties OF gold and silver, is now reviv-
ing In northwestern Arkansas the
code OF the old backwoods shooting
match. Next Saturday at Monte
Ne, the mountain pleasure resort Of
the once popular free silver author,
the most ancient deer guns in the
Ozarks will contest with the up-to-
date rifles for the best choices Of beef
and for other prizes. All kinds of
guns above the twenty-five cahber
gauge will be admitted. The twenty-
two rifle will be barred. Smooth
bores, muzzle leaders, full-stock rifles
that were hammered out in Tennes
see forges when Daniel Boone was in
his prime, guns that did service for
the pioneers long before the percus-
sion cap lock was invented-these old
heirlooms of the early hunting days
will blaze and crack at Monte Ne at
the big shooting match.
Mr.. Harvey will be the master of
ceremonies and direct the exciting
contest in gun craft. The shooting
will be done from several stations,
for it would take week to deliver
all of the shots at one target, The
contestants will be divided into
groups, and each firing squad will
have it's own station, Each marks
man will have his own board OF tar
get.
In a beef match there are five choices,
the four quarters and the hide and
tallow. In the old days there was a
sixth choice, the lead in the tre'
against which the target was placed
That was when ammunition was
costly and the hunter considered be
fore shooting, whether the game was
worth the powder and lead to b.
risked. The lead choice has not been
one of the prizes in shooting many
years, but the old mountaineers who
will be at Monte Ne Saturday know
all about the early rule which made
the battered bullets cut out OF the
tree one 81 the awards OF the contests
in shooting for beef.
The old rule was to drive the baef
to the place where the shooting was
done. The beef stood by till the last
shot was fred. and sometimes escap-
immediate death because OF the rare
skill OF one OF the marksmen. Ii any
participant in the match won the five
choices, which seldom occurred, he
proudly drove the beef home. There
was no greater honor than this in
those days. II the honors OF the
match we're divided the beef was
slaughtered on the ground and each
man took his part home with him
At Monte Ne the shooting will be d.
rected by the sound OF a bugle. The
first note will be the signal for the
several marksmen to get ready. The
second blast of the herald's horn will
command the men to fire.
The story OF William Tell will be
reproduced at the shooting match.
A wooden image OF "a hoy will haze
on its head glass ball of the size
and color of an apple. The marks
man who hits the boy goes out OF
the match. To stay in the contest
the apple must be hit or the image
missed.
The day will close with a banquet
at the Monte Ne hotel which is to
begin at 6 o'clock and close at mid
night, according to the rule of such
festivities two hundred years ago.
There are many old guns on the
Missouri and Arkansas border now
being cleaned up and oiled for the
Harvey match. Monte Ne is five
miles from Rogers, Ark, near White
river. Mr.. Harvey has little rail.
road of his own connecting Monte
Ne with the main line Of the Frisco.
This road was built with money
earned by the big sale Of Coins FL
nancial School eight years ago.