The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-06-30
Is CHAMPION SHOOTER
Riley Thompson of GAINESVILLE, Makes
Perfect Score in Chicago Grand
American Handicap.

Riley Thompson, a we'll known
farmer living near GAINESVILLE, made
a national reputation for himself and
put the name of GAINESVILLE on the
map at Chicago last Thursday by
breaking all records and making
perfect score, breaking 100 straight
targets. Thompson is just a plain
farmer and used an old time gun
which makes his record all the more
remarkable when it is considered
that he was shooting against the
best shooters from all parts of the
country, many of whom were using
the finest guns that money could buy.
The Chicago Tribune in speaking of
the event says:
The little village of GAINESVILLE, Mo-,
was put on the map yesterday when
Riley Thompson won the eleventh
grand American handicap at the Chi
cago Gun Club and broke all exist
| ing records for the event by making
a perfect score of 100 targets from
the nineteen yard mark
Like the ten contests which pre-
ceded yesterdays Grand American,
| Not one person in ten looked up-
| VIZ hoAApooll oS a "luISI, UuI alter
he had broken the first sixty targets,
he began to attract attention. He
broke twenty in the fourth event and
this accomplishment made him high
gun for the first four contests.
Before Thompson went to the trap
to shoot his last twenty targets,
Harvey McMurchy, of Syracuse, fin
ished the program with score of 80.
He was given a great reception by
the shooters, for he is one of the old
est trap shooters in the country and
is known from coast to coast. A
shoot-off was predicted by the wise
ones,'' for they did not figure that
Thompson would make a perfect
score.
When Informed of McMurchy's
performance, the "Show me- shooter
displayed little concern and express
ed confidence in his ability to clean
up in the last contest. Thompson was
| member of the last squad and ow-
ing to the large number of entries, it
was getting dark when the squad was
called.
Thompson who was clad in typical
rubbish" fashion and with big chew
of tobacco in his mouth walked to
the trap as if he was going hunting
for quails on his farm He did not
pay any attention to the large gall
lery, which remained on the grounds
to witness his final effort. With his
old 1885 Parker gun, he hit the tar
gets squarely and broke every one of
them to bits. AS is generally the
case in such trying positions, a
broken target flew from the trap on
his eighteenth attempt, but this did
not disconcert him and he broke it,
and the remaining two, in clever
fashion.
When the referee had announced
the twentieth bird killed." the other
shooters rushed in and picked
up Thompson on their shoulders and
carried him to the club house. His
victory was popular one and he as
serted he had told the folks at home
he was going to win the banner
event in the shooting world. Be-
sides winning the diamond badge.
emblematic OF the national cham
plonship, the Missourian pulled down
$393.93 for his share of the money.
Thompson is an amateur and he has
been shooting for the last fifteen
years.
The former record for the Grand
American handicap was held by R.R.
Barber, of Paulina, Iowa, who reg
istered score of 80 out of 100 at
the annual event held at Indianapolis
| in 1908