New-York tribune., 1904-10-26
DENIAL BY COL. BRUCE.
Replies to General Spencer in
Palma Trophy Case.

Colonel Leslie c. Bruce, captain OF the American
team at Bisley last year. who was on a vacation in
Morocco and the South Of Spain when the Palma
trophy was back. has returned to this country
indignant that the prize he helped win should
been sent across to England. He denies fatty the
published statement Of General Bird w Spencer.
the president Of the National Rifle Association.
that he had caused the trouble by negecttng TO
carry out orders He said yesterday:
What I specially protest against is the excuse
witt That the captain (myselO had failed COM
ply with the instructors % , given him to submit 0Oya
official and set ruling as to any possible oDjee-
AS General Spencer. who max this assertion.
knew at the time. We went abroad with one set OF
practice here And a year before (September. 1922
when the British team won this very trophy at OF
same Pope barrels used by DR. Hudson. OF the
American team with the full knowledge and con-
sent OF IT'S captain WhlIe Two 0theI melllSerS OF
that team Captain Graham and Lieutenant Casey.
sPrngfed. now the United sGates arm but not
then adopted pattern. No protest was then
lean team al that time failed to win-perhaps that
makes difference
Captain Bruce said yesterday that the Kras-
Jorgensen rifles obtained for the team from the
United States ordnance department showed a lack
OF uniformity in calibre. and so were replaced with
others of private make. Stock and mountings
were. he said government make. Other teams he
said, had special stocks and mountings Orthopic
were extensively employed, especially by the Brit
onS and Canadians. he said. Captain Bruce told
how at a mseting Of the captains OF the seven
competing teams all debatable points were consid-
cred. and how. on the morning Of the match, the
range officers examined the American arms with
out any protest The Norwegian team Captain
Bruce pointed out. had bright gilt sights. not OF
service pattern. but objection was made.
Captain Bruce spoke follows OF Secretary
Crosse:
In the correspondence. as have recently read II.
Secretary Crosse is compelled to acknowledge that
no secret made OF the exact description oe rifle
we were using, and. in fact they were described
IN the most minute detail in many OF the excellent
English publications devoted to the art OF rife
shooting. Instead of making a straight forward
manly and sportsmanlike protest soon the
fact noted, the secretary naIvely says. in eX-
cuse for his remarkable silence for so long a
period after the match. that IL would be offensive
to competing team TO assume that they intended
to commit breach Of the rules unless prevented
were to feel at liberty TO infringe rules in the hope
that objections would not be taken IL would be
impossible to preserve good feeling I'm any match "
Yet in another part OF his communication Secre-
tary Crosse acknowledged that he had at hand an
official sample Of tho very latest model OF the
United States arm. which has since supplanted the
Krag-Jorgensen OF this rifle he is emphatic, writ
ing: 1T would not have been allowed 1.-THE new
arml. although issued TO troops for service. as II
eligible for USE under ths rules OF the
match"