Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-30
GIANT STAR TELLS
ABOUT TARGET SHOOTING
BY JOHN B. (HoNUs) LoBERT

Boys. can you remember your
early days when your father pur-
chased your first air rifle, and how
ne cautioned you to be very careful
at what you shot; then the joy that
came year or two later when your
stocking contained a real rife?
Then You can imagine my feelings
upon my first visit to a trapshooting
club and my first shot at clay tar
gets.
1t happened this way: for n good
many years the summer months, or
to be more exact, the baseball sea-
son, which extends from March un-
til October, required my attention.
and during that time l did nothing
but think, eat and act baseball.
l am fond of outdoor life and
when the baseball season concludes
always HE myself to the fields with
my gun and dogs and there. believe
me. not only do 1 find real sport;
but the ten days or so in the woods
find provides the best tonic and
nerve builder in the world. All
cares are forgotten, business worries
are cast aside. and the stiff collar
and shirt go into the discard. The
soft flannel or khaki shirt replaces
them.
You tramp all day. and never
think of getting tired. as long as you
can get a shot at Br'er Rabbit or
flush a covey of quail, with an occa-
sional partridge. When you return
to camp table etiquette is eliminated
you eat plain, wholesome food and,
my, how you can sleep.
Blamcs "Chicf" Bender
But I'm getting away from what
started to write about-trapshoot
ing. When Chief Bender, Christy
Matthewson, Harry Davis and Otis
Crandall toured the country several
years ago shooting at clay targets,
I began to pay attention to their
scores and became very much inter
ested in what they did. Then read
lot about Charley Newcomb, a
neighbor of mine in Philadelphia;
Lester German and other stars, and
I figured out that I would like to
take a whirl myself.
One Saturday morning, returning
from market, I met Chief Bender
who was starting for the Gun Club
and he invited me to accompany him
couldn't go then, but / told the
Chief that I would go the following
Saturday. I could hardly wait for
the day to arrive. l was ready at
nine o'clock and the Chief didn't
show up until noon. we Went 10 the
Beideman Gun Club, above Camden,
n. J. 1t was a cold. bleak day, the
thermometer showing Is degrees
above zero. The targets were
thrown over the Delaware River,
which was frozen over.
was all keyed up thinking what
I would do when 1 lined up with my
squad 1 didn't take my gun along,
for Bender said he would supply me
with a gun at the club. He did and
1t fitted finely. In the squad with me
| were Superintendent of Police (Phil-
adelphia) James Robinson, Joe Bush
then pitching for the Athletics; Ben
der and z. w. Ford. I was number
4, between Bender and Ford. Talk
about preparedness. 1 was ready tc
do or die.
Superintendent Robinson broke
the first target. I put my gun tc
my shoulder and followed the tar
| gets thrown to Bush and Bender
| Then it was my turn. I glued my
eye to the top of the trap house and
| in time yelled pull" / looked
straight ahead over the barrel of the
gun, but didn't see any target. AT.
ter holding my gun patiently for q
| few moments I turned to the puller
and asked why he didn't pull. Just
! then I got n glimpse of Bender try
! ing to suppress n laugh. I put dowf