The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-10-12

On the range. the shooter harnesses
himself to the gun, like a mule to a
packsaddle. The sling strap cinches
the left wing Of the gun man and helps
him to hold steady. To hold steady
and squeeze" according to Captain
Sweeney, is the secret of shooting. But
he considers, of course, that shooters
concerned in q match of national i'm
portance, are physically perfect and
have eyes that grade 100 per cent per
eye.
Credit for eAggies.
Camp Scheutzen was an Insignificant
village, as compared with the regular
National Guard encampments. but the
camp discipline Is similar. The rules are
not SO strict-they don't have to be. be-
cause the expert shooters are the cream
of the soldiery, militia or regular. The
little camp does not require the night
guard that marks the larger encamp-
ment. The tent village housing hum
dred or more is laid out and pOliced in
proper shape but not with an officer
ordering every move. A lone visitor
and a number of officers noted that
the short street Of Aggieville turned
up each morning in perfect shape. with
every tent and all equipment in order,
and a little pile of papers, gun cleaning
rags and other debris at the perfectly
proper place in front of each tent.
The Aggie kids go into the military
part of their training with the same
spirit that makes them future experts
| in pumpkin culture and subsoil farming
| not a fakir or sidestepper in the bunch
la clean. game. cluster of college boys
who came, not to sulk at defeat by
seasoned expert riflemen, but to do the
best they could. And all the exprts
are free to admit that the school boys
| were credit to their college and their
| military instructor.
Rained in Bunches.
Some poor weather conditions have
attended the division match.
Sometimes it rained in punches, other
times it merely drizzled and gathered
drops on the eye brOwS of the shooters.
Friday afternoon they were trying to
close the pistol match when it was SO
dark they could barely distinguish the
color of the target spoilers disc.
The lone war correspondent at Camp
Scheutzen was greatly impressed with
the shoot game. He could see why 1t
| would become more absorbing to gun
bug than is golf to gold bug. He was
further impressed with the school boy
shooters work. Here were a dozen or
more young gentlemen who aspired to
Latin and the mysteries Of higher
trouble with nobody" yet any one of
these boys could, and would, perchance
the exigency arose, shoot a perfect
| stranger anywhere between the wish
bone and the gizZard at q range OF
three quarters Of a statute mile. AT
a range equal to a straight line from
| the top of the State Journal building to
| the Rock Island depot, they could queer
| all of the sick-tock stuff in the Rock
Island tower clock with two shots. The
dozen Of them could furnish transporta-
ton to the unknown for more people
| than a Twelfth street car can hold
| during rush hours. in less time than
it takes a night cashier to draw and
deliver a cup of coffee. Mayhap the
ancient authority had something of the
sort in mind when he spoke Of teach
ing the young idea how to shoot"
/ Col. Jerry Springstead was the mar
who furnished the ammunition. He
would drive out to the range and tar
a key of sudden death. The pills come
1900 in a case. The case is built like
a can Of imported sardines. only more
| SO. Colonel Jerry raises one lid and
yanks off another, which Is lightly
soldered Then the bandoliers, OF
TRANSFORMATION carriers. each holding
handed to the range officers. The i'm
portance of Colonel Springfield may
be grasped with ease: No Colone
Jerry, no canned ammunition, hence
no shoot, hence no story like this.
Each clear night, during the shoot
fest, Mr.. and Mrs. Coyote came dOwf
field and frisk the garbage can at thu
cook shack And they lifted up theil
voices in a duet that sounded like q
full chorus. The Arizona boys knew
and appreciated the efforts of the pair
but the Indtanians Opined that there
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