Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-09-10
BY PETER p. CARNEY.

TrapshoOters of all parts Of this
broad land know of the Westy Hogans.
They know, too, that the Westy
Hogans is an organization OF profess.
sional trapshooters. and that each
year 1t conducts a trapshooting tourna-
Inent that is second only in size and
Importance to the Grand American
Handicap.
But what puzzles the great majority
OF the trapgun artists is the oddly Of
the name of the shooting organization
Time after time you will hear this
question
What does Westy Hogans mean"
SO We made up our mind to find out
and did land will now try and set
the minds Of the trapshots at ease.
On the nineteenth OF July, 1906. a
group Of professional trapshooters
were gathered in the office of a hotel
in the innermost recesses of Penns.
sylvania, As is quite likely the case
In a small tavern in the evening a
goodly sprinklng of the citizens from
the nils were present. augmented on
doubt on this evening by thepresence
OF out'oftown trapshooters on hand
for the shoot Of the morrow.
Unexpectedly one of the profession.
ais spoke up why don't we pro.
fessionals give the amateurs a
shoot?"
The suggestion was enthusiastically
received and an organization was per
fected then and there. NeafApgar
was elected president and he has held
the Office ever since.
The question at once arose as to
where and when the shoot should he
held, Happily the glorious month OF
september. which was just the right
distance in the future, was seized upon
ana Atlantic City for the location, For
-FOUR OF five years the shoot was reeu.
larly staged on Young's Pier at Allan.
NC Olty but severe storm finally
wrecked the pier and this enforced n
change of location to Venice Park
where it has since been shot
a name for the organization came
as spontaneously as the suggestion of
the shoot many queer name has he
come Affixed to the map of North
America with less proyocation
Among the visitors to the hotel of
nee on this epock making evening was
a man from the mountains who was
somewhat of a character and who
sometime before had enlisted his ef
forts with others in holding up the
motel hitching post where il invited
a moonlit anchorage in the ot,lng. Ri,
name was Westy lIoan In spiri
OF Jest the name was suggested
adopted, and regretted. now that IN,
tournament has gone beyond the wild
est expectations of the roup assem-
pied at the little PENNSYLVANIA hotel
The shoot rivals the Grand Ameri
can Handicap in popularity; the name
mas stuck through decade, and yet Il
does add an individual touch to the
now famous tournament given BY the
professionals to the amateur. For The
eleventh time this tournament will b,
shot at Atlantic City on September 1.
to 10, inclusive The flower of the trap
shooting East will participate. II /.
Il shoot where good fellowship ex
pands to the power and where tn,
tropics show unmistakable evidenc,
of the cunning hand of the most skill
ed artists.
Upward Of 300 trapshooters invad,
Atlantic City each fall for the Hogans
shoot and many notable performances
have been recorded in the 10 tourna
ments. II was here last year that
d Morgan broke 233 targets stralgh,
and II was at the Hogans' shoot tn
year before that Lester German brok
372 straight. 499 out of 500 and Ga
oui of $50 targets.
|, The Westy Hogans Is live wir
organization and keeps abreast Of tn