Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-11-15


nation. Putting bullet from A OF
45 caliber Colt six-shooter into the
neck of a bottle at a distance of nine
ty feet go yards) with plain open
sights the kind Hickock habitually
used) is evidently an error Of memory
or statement 1t is entirely possible al
thirty feet, but at ninety feet, 1t would
be encroaching on the limit Of accura-
cy for revolvers taking the army 45
and the frontier A cartridges. AS
suming that the neck Of the bottle was
Of the size usually found in saloons
Hitting a silver dime at thirty feet
comes nearer the realm of reason. but
the marksman who could put bullet
nearly half an inch in diameter through
a glass circle scarcely one quarter
larger at three times the distance
would hardly care to waste his time
shooting at silver dime, approximate
ly three quarters Of an inch in diameter
at one third the distance. Putting six
consecutive shots in the letter o. on a
sign board at 100 yards rapidly, is
rather an indefinite statement. Assum-
ing that the o was eight inches in di-
ameter, the accuracy required to hit 1t
is wholly within the capabilities Of the
arm used; but it would necessitate a
most deliberate and carefully aimed
fire. However, Colonel Cody's state
ment further says that leach of the
bullets left its own distinct impression
about the edges of the single hole.
This would mean that the six shots
were so closely grouped that they all
broke into one hole. Giving the ia
nous marksman the advantage Of the
full section Of the bullet, the
group would still be considerably less
than ii inches in diameter. The ca
pacity for accuracy of the IS Colt sin
gle action army revolver Is approx
mately a four-inch circle at fifty yards,
and for the 44-caliber frontier three
inch circle at the same range. The
shooting described in Colonel Cody's
article is far beyond the accredited
records Of either the A or As caliber
revolvers with any ammunition and It
would be a very creditable perform
ance with a rifle, from fixed rest with
magnifying sights. The writer has
himself seen Mr.. Hickock shoot US
ing a Colt single action revolver in
either hand firing simultaneously or
alternately, and I am prepared to be-
lieve any story of his skill or prowess
that does not conflict with the laws of
gravitation and physics. Wild Bill is
credited by Colonel Cody with having
hit a tomato can, presumably a quart
size, tossed in the air, twelve times be-
fore it returned to earth. AS As feet in
the air would be about the limit to
which the can would be thrown and at
which Mr.. Hickock could begin shoot
ing, starting with both shooters in the
holster. The can would require at least
two (2) seconds to make its descent to
earth. To fire twelve aimed shots In
two seconds would be equivalent to
one shot for each sixth of second,
from the instant the can began to de-
scend from a forty -eight-foot altitude,
or a shot at the can for each four feet
average of its drop. I have seen Wild
Bill fire two shots simultaneously US
ing both hands at stationary targets,
and alternate shots with either hand at
moving objects, for limited number
of shots and score with each shot 1t
was while giving an exhibition of his
skill with the six x-shooter that saw
him hit quart tomato can while in
the air, with two single action Colt
six-shooters. He did not seem to be
hurried, and I feel sure he could have
fired another shot with his left hand,
but firmly believe that four shots
(two with each handD fired with an
aim sufficiently accurate to be effec-
tive, would be the absolute limit for
the type of weapons used by Wild Bill.
Mr. Adolph Topperwein, the Winches-
ter. company's famous expert with
firearms, can hit quart can five to
seven times while in the air with %
caliber Winchester automatic rifle
and this, think, represents the maxi
mum limit of speed, with accuracy,
that has yet been attained by any one
at aerial targets Of reasonable dimen-
sions. But this unique arm differs ma
terially from single action one-hand
gun in so far that after the first shot
at an object tossed in the air, fair
aim may be maintained by gauging
the speed of the target, leading slight
ly in the direction Of its travel, and
rapidly manipulating the trigger. / am
convinced that Mr.. Topperwein's per-
formance represents the maximum
speed at which fire-controlling triggers
of automatic arms Of any type or dou-
BILE action revolvers may be worked
The shooting fraternity of America
may take at it's face value the state
ment of Colonel Cody in regard to the
position of the bullet hole in the fore
head of the unfortunates whom Wild
Bill put out of action. Those Of us who
have practiced snap shooting assidu-
ously and have become prominent In
the art will recall that 1t is not a diff
cult stunt to hit barrel bungs, smash
small fruits or marbles an inch or less
in diameter with a properly tuned pis-
tol or six-shooter at easy distances
from the marksman and at heights ir
the air that would make Wild Bills
forehead shots seem tame; simple and
commonplace by comparison with q
spring trap set to throw the targets
anywhere from the height of the aver
age man to a reasonable height al
which one might care to practice with
a view to practical work. Undoubted-
ly most of Mr.. Hickock's practice with
rifle and revolver was conducted along
lines calculated to render him more
skillful at the style of shooting which
his adventurous life rendered impera
tive.
Some of the old generation of from
tiersmen contemporaries of Wild Bill
have tried to account for his fearless
ness in the presence of danger b!
claiming that he wore a bullet-proo1