Omaha daily bee., 1914-10-04
SCOUTS USE OF DUM-DUMS
Selous, of Big Game Hunting Fame,
Discredits Their Use in War.
LAYS IT TO STEEL JACKETS
Says They Turn sidewise and In
fIict Terrible Wounds, Accord
ing to His Experience
with Animals.

Correspondence of the Associated Press)
LONDON Sept. 19.-F. c. Selous, the
English big-game hunter is inclined to
scout the charges made by the warning
European powers that each is using the
dum-dum bullet. Ragged wounds that
have been inflicted he believes were done,
by the steel jacketed bullets turning side
wise. To support this theory he cites
some of his own experiences in shooting
big game and relates other instances as
told to him by Colonel Roosevelt.
81 think in all probability both the al
lies and their antagonists" said Mr.. Sc
lous, shave been innocent of the charges
made against them in this respect. and
that the serious ragged wounds supposed
to have been caused by bullets which have
been purposely tampered with, have more
likely been due to the fact, which I be-
linve is not generally known, that the
new pointed bullet-itself a German in
veRtion, now for the first time being en-
ployed in warfare in western Europe-in-
flicts at short ranges more grievous
wounds than any form of soft-nosed eX-
panding bullets
In 1870 on his journey through British
East Africa and the Sudan, Mr. Roose-
welt used for all game, except the very
heaviest. an American Springfield rifle Of
.2S0 bore. taking the American military
cartridge, which is loaded, like our own
military cartridges, with the solid. nickel
covered, point bullet known in Germany
as the 'spitzkugel" These solid pointed
military bullets, Mr.. Roosevelt told me,
although they never broke up on striking
the animal inflicted more serious wounds
than any kind of expanding bullet he had
ever previously used for big game
shooting.
InfIict Terrible Wound.
"Since that time l have myself shot in
Africa with Ross rifle (the Canadian
army rifle), and rifle of .275 bore, both
taking cartridges loaded with solid nickel
coated, sharp pointed bullets, and my ex-
perience with these projectiles entirely
bears out what Mr.. Roosevelt told me.
that at close ranges. and at any rate up
to distance of 300 yards. they caused
more grevious wounds than any form of
expanding bullet. 1t would certainly
seem that for some distance after leaving
the muzzle OF a rifle as long as their
enormous initial velocity is but slightly
impaired, these pointed bullets turn side
ways on striking an animal, for although
the hole of entry is always small. round,
and clean cut, the skin is often torn
open where they pass out on the other
side, and on several occasions / have
found one Of these long, solid pointed
bullets absolutely unimpaired in shape.
lying broadside under the skin Of an anil
NAL, through whose body it had torn a
large lacerated wound.
AT longer ranges than those at which
game is usually shot. and when the ini-
tial velocity of these pointed bullets has
slowed down to a considerable extent, no
doubt they only drill small, neat. round
holes through anything they hit, or a
good deal more would have been heard
about the use OF 'dum-dum' bullets dur
during the late Balkan wars than was
actually the case. But accusations that
such bullets were used in those wars
were frequently made, and they are now
being heard again in western Europe, and
I cannot help thinking from my own ex-
periences in big game shooting. that
such accusations viii always be made on
one side and the other in all future wars
wherever the shooting is fairly close
quarters as long as pointed bullets are
used"