The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-10-26
CHAMPION AFlEsAOT
BRINGS TO TERRITORY
COVETED DISTINCTION
Has Fine Record As MiIitiaman
And Marksman Covering
Several Years
viii Be Called Upon Two fears
Hence To Defend His
New Title

ogniZe and acclaim any deed of
.-N signal merit on the part of her
sons, is preparing to welcome home in
hitting manner Sgt Thomas J. X.
Evans, Company A, First Infantry, Ma.
tional Guard Of Hawaii, whose great
achievement at the national rife com.
petitions at Jacksonville, Florida,
brought him the title of champion in
diVidual rifle shot of the United States
and today is the talk Of the entire
country.
h BY scoring the highest aggregate in
.tne individual competition, Sergeant
Evans heads the list of crack rife
shots OF the country. His feat ut Jack
sonville is equivalent to winning the
Kings Prize and Chair at Bisley, Eng
land, the Blue Riband of the range.
. The National Guard is, of course.
taking the lead in preparations to give
ITS distinguished member and the other
members Of the Hawaii Rifle Team a
hitting welcome home, although at the
present time details Of the ovation
remain to be worked out Sharing hon
ors with Sergeant Evans will be Sgt.
James Ho, who, with score Of 29S
led the rifle team Of the National Guard
of Hawaii in the inter team shoot
on Thursday.
Loaded With Mementoes
| Sergeant Evans will bring home a
title, trophy, a gold medal and a
sixty dollars cash prize as reward
for his achievement at Jacksonville.
Sergeant Evans was born in Lahaifla,
Maui, July ~, 1887, and is the son Of
Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas f. Evans of Ho-
-nolulu. He enlisted in the national
guard, February 81, 1905, in Signal
Corps company, which as time went by
grew so large that the whole organiza-
tion finally was mustered into the First
Infantry and designated Company A.,
Of which organization he is still n
member.
From the very first Sergeant Evans
developed great interest in every.
thing pertaining to target practise and
availed himself Of every opportunity
TO become good marksman, with the
result that in 1907, he was sent to the
United States as a member of the Ha.
waii Rifle team, and again in 1908
90 1913 and 1915. In 1909, before GO
ing to Camp Perry, Ohio, he won the
regimental medal, on a score Of 14l
points out of possible $50, and was
presented with the same before the
whole regiment during an inspection at
Rapiolani Park. In 1910 he was q mem
Der Of the six-man regimeutal team that
shot at Camp Perry, Ohio, just before
the opening of the national match. This
team won fourth place with fifteen
teams competing, and received a cash
prize of $24. In addition each man in
the team was presented with bronze
medal
Leads in Tryouts
In the tryouts for the team this year
Sergeant Evans led 900 eligibles with
an average score of 335 out of a posi-
BILE $50, and as a result was picked as
a member of the team for 1918. The
most remarkable feature in connection
with Sergeant Evans splendid marks
manship is that he is left-handed, and
is the only left handed marksman in
the National Guard Of Hawaii. He is
known throughout the guard as
" Spider" Evans, which name originally
was given to him by the present adju.
tant general, Col. Samuel I. johnson,
in 1907, and has stuck to him ever since
BY occupation Sergeant Evans is a
surveyor, and is employed in the terri,
torial survey Office. where he has been
continuously for the past Ave years.
In 1917 Sergeant Evans will be cah
ed upon to defend the title of "Cham
pion Indiv '"Nl Shot of the United
States" which he now holds. The ma
tional meet in 1917 probably will be
held at Sparta, Wisconsin, or at Camp
Perry, Ohio.
! There were no national matches held
last year at any one central point
neither were there National Rifle Asso
citation matches held at any central
point. For the purpose of holding the
1914 matches the country was divided
into FIVE divisions and the matches were
duplicated in each division.
The national individual rife match
was won as follows: Division A, Pvt
Charles C. Terry, U. s. Marine Corps
score, 1926; Division Is, Sgt, L. +. Walt
nrs Missouri National Guard, score
1926; Division d, Capt. f. A. Cole, First
Kansas Infantry. score, %. lnr ua
tional tar y itch was won by: Divi
sion A. Massachusetts, score. 37l7; Divi
sion h, protested, undecided; Division
d, Arizona, score, 35l4.