The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-08-21
JACKIE KNEW THE TRICK.
Knew How to Handle Firearms and the

F akfr.
Of all the fakr tricks to fleece the un-
| suspecting seaside lamb, none works
smoother than that of the target gal
lery man who offers prizes tor high
scores made with his rifles. His method
OF peculation is as simple as it is effec-
tive. While the markSman is scoring
his seven straight bulseyes out Of the
first rife handed him the proprietor is
loading another rifle with the three
cartridges intended to finish the feat.
This is nothing unusual. 1t is the regu-
| lar mode of procedure, supposedly done
to save time and to enable the shooter
to continue with but moments inter-
ruption rather than to ask him to wait
until his now empty rife has been re-
loaded. But in the loading of this sec
ond gun there is the secret of success
for the fakir His methods to defeat the
ambitious one are several
A couple of flatheaded bullets showed
into the magazine are usually enough
to do the trick But often extra percau-
single blank cartridge is apt to inter-
rupt the winning streak. Likewise If
the sight of the rifle is either loose or
fixed that is ''doctored.p -
Among the easiest lambs that sfall to
the willy rifieman are the. man wars
men. 1t was a very deceptive man-o-
warsman who hesitated last. week in
front of gallery not far from the IA
of the men in the natty uniforms of blue,'
this man somehow failed to present the
usual spick-and- span appearance Be
sides, his hatband with the name of his
ship, was conspicueuslyy absent; 1T was
easy to see he must be a man newly en-
listed and not yet initiated into the fold:
He stood for some time at a. respectful
distance and observed Z the shooting of
others until the crack of the rifle became
too much for him a{Tds he moved closer
toward the circle of specta tors interested
young woman shot. jack rubbed his
chin as the show proceeded and his eyes
wandered toward the big sign which an
nounced the $5' pri2eT to the snlan making
ished, the proprietor caught singht of the
sailor and, still bawling himself red in
the face at the crowd at large, he ex-
tended the rifle toward the bluejacket.
See those little clay pipes way up on
the top? Weir then's them You just
pick off ten O. them in succession an
the .$5 is yours an the shootin' don't cost
you nawthin'. Just as easy as roolin' off
place down here last week an he cleaned
me out O. $40 an l couldn't afford to let
him shoot nos moreu cause Was@broke.
Here you are nowhere shots for
centS.''
II don't like, the looks O. yer rifles
the bores is too small an ,. the, sights is
anyway the sailor said, leaning on the
platform with his elbows, and took long
and deliberate AIM Them: the rifle
cracked and clay pipe sputtered into
WHlte ulSI, HlL SQudi Sty III TIC iiiAeAoAS VI
Shoots Shoot; pretty true, all right, don't
she?" said the mafksn1an. Then he pump
ed the handle of the magazine, which
threw another cartridge into place and
this time disdained the use of an arm
rest. But he aimed as long and carefully
as before, and this time when the crack
came a pipe went down, shipped off the
stem a half inch from the bowl.
Say, Teller could split a hair with
that thing Jack said gleefully and adj
miringly. surveyed the rifle before pump
ing another cartridge into place. All this
time the gallery man was becoming more
and more anxious and yet his money
seemed in no wise in danger, all con-
sidered. He spoke soothing, encouraging
words to his patron and meanwhile had
loaded a second rifle which he held ready
to substitute for the one in use as soon
as it was empty.
Meanwhile the sailor was firing away,
taking less and less time to aim accord
ing as he became used to the weapon
and disdaining the larger mark OF the
bowl of the pipes, seemed to take de-
light in shipping their stems off at
about equal length. When he had emptied
the rife the proprietor wanted TO mana
him the. second one, but there Is Where
itation the marksman had reached forth
and helped himself to three cartridges ly-
ing loose among half hundred ready for
aye can take this gun, it's all loaded"
said the proprietor.
'I think 1 like the one I got" said
the sailor as he quickly glanced at each
cartridge before showing it home. You
see it's this way Matey. man gets used
to one gun an when he picks up another
he's got to get used to that one all over
again, an he's likely to miss. You know
that, don't you?"
The gallery man saw that his man knew
thing or two. and nothing but bluff re-
manned. who's running this place, me
or your" he cried, advancing closer to
no shoots
here gun or with none at all, seer?
But the sailor did not see. He saw
just the opposite way Either ne had
heard all about it down in the navy yard;
at any rate, he was not slow In calling
halt. o,n :, a;d
Between me an you, you know well
/ couldn't hit the end of the range three
times with the things you, got In there.
An if you don't know it, think SO, any
way. an that makes it all the same. So
JUS stand aside an give me show, for
I'm going to shoot with any gun like,
an if you don't look out, I'll call d copper
an have you pulled for runnin a spin
game"
The proprietor was not to be bluffed,
however He turned to one of his assist
| ants and said:
you run and get q policeman, an
| I'll see whose runnin' this place an if a
man can come in here an create dis
| turbance."
Inc assistant never UuOSed,
what was expected. But one of the spec
| tators. fearing trouble, found a policeman
not far off and brought him around on a
AS the officer entered. the sailor gave
three quick shots from his rifle, and with
each report pipe went. making the re-
| quired 40 straight" The gallery man
then told his story to the policeman, and
so did the sailor and some of the specta-
| tors.
Il guess you'll have to give that man
his prize or I'll. tell the captain" was
the policemans verdict. and reluctantly
the fakir came out with pair of soiled
81 bills and a dollar in change. which
! was transferred to the pocket of the
| man in blue. And as he walked away
the sailor said: Say it amt for nothin'
I've won the prize for four years hand
| runnin' aboard the Indiana. If 1t Weren
| rye Just enlisted again 1 wouldn't be SC
rusty. an I'd a-showed you shootin' that