Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-10-30
|CLEVER TRICKS
USED BY SHOOTERS
FANCY SHOTS ON STAGE 30 RE.
MARkABLE FEATS SIMPLY
BY KNOWING HOW.

If you are frequenter of vaudeville
theatres you have seen what appears
to be marvellous shooting feats on the
stage and have marveled greatly there.
at.
Several years ago Captain Fowler,
VINO was an excellent shot, as we'll as
a clever stage marksman, exposed the
deception practiced in an article in one
OF the publications devoted to the in.
terests of shooting and fishing. Recent.
~ some of the lodges were described.
and II you would delight in astonish-
ing your friends with your skill with
the rifle or revolver we viii let you in
on few of the tricks.
Balloons Are Used.
Say you desire to show OF at tar
gets apparently one inch in diameter.
You require black background and
few air balloons. These are painted
black and inflated to about six inches
in diameter They are affixed to the
background, and small white spots one
inch in diameter are painted on them.
From a short distance the outlines
OF the balloons are invisible. ana you
have target of some 80 inches at
which to fire. A repeating rife is
used, and it is an easy matter to make
10 targets in as many seconds. A
shot anywhere within a considerable
radius would be practically certain to
hit one of the balloons, and with its
instantaneous collapse the white tar.
get would vanish.
Extinsuish Candles.
Where lighted candles are extin.
guished with rife, candles are placed
in compartments or open boxes. on
background. The whole is painted
black. At the back of each box is
placed looseIy-hung plate OF steel,
suspended only by the top and free to
swing slightly. Before this are placed
the lighted candles. and the shooting
begins.
1t should be remarked that these
plates are six inches square, and con.
seduently give an area of large size to
shoot at. When a bullet strikes a
plate. the conclusion Of the air caused
by the quick movement of the plate in
response to the impact of the bullet
blows out the candle, and the trick Is
accomplished.
Disrobine an Assistant.
In the feat of disrobing an assistant
with rife bullets, the garments are
made in halves, front and back, fas-
tened together with thin glass globes.
about two and one-half inches in di-
ameter and Of dark material. and the
usual white spots painted on thsM,-
while the assistant invariably stands
against a black background. II you
can shoot reasonably straight 1t is not
at all difficult.
The marvellous revolver shooting at
moving targets Is generally done with
cartridges filed with bird shot.
The man or woman who goes up into
the top gallery and snuffs out the
lighted candles or Areaks small bal
loon sometimes does it the same way
as described above, although many use
steel funnel with a wide opening
which narrows down to about one
inch, behind which the object is
placed. This opening, on account OF
the black back ground. does not show
TO the audience, and all the marksman
has to do is to shoot into the opening.
and the bullet will finally reach the
small end.
Rifles May Fall.
A few years ago a Frenchman ere
ated quite a sensation while playing
in theatres throughout the country.
He made about half a dozen straight
shots, the rest we're clearly fakes, but
he had no trouble in fooling the gem
eral public until one night, while he
was playing the piano, supposedly BY
using bullets to strike the keys. his
rifle damned and the piano kept on
playing for few seconds, but quite
long enough to make the audience sit
up and take notice.
FAVOR THOMAS AND