The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-02-27
INDIANS MAKE
 GOOD SHOTS IN
 RIFLE JOURNEYS
(Bx Peter P. Carney.l

There was a time when about all the shooting in this good old U. s. A. was done by Indians. But that was before your time and mine. The In dian was the pioneer with the bow and arrow and most red skins were proficient in this method of shooting. Then came the white man with shot guns and rifles and since that time the Indian has been more or less thrust into the background.
 Hundreds of red skins took to the white mans weapons. but very few Indians could hit the mark with the accuracy of the white man; th herefore, we haven't found many Indians among the ranks of the trapshooters Indians have played glorious parts in baseball, football, track athletics not one, but many-but in the shoot. ing game we know of only three In- dians who have figured to any extent. and one of the three is nationally known outside of his trapshooting ability.
 We have reference to Charles A.
 (Chief) Bender, one of the noblest of the Chippewas. Bender's face as a trapshooter is nothing compared to his reputation as a baseball pitcher. For years he was the mainstay of the pitching department O. the Philade1. phia Ath1edcs-in the days when the Athletics commanded the respect of all baseball clubs and the admiration of the baseball public.
 Bender waS-and he says he still is "a marvellous pitcher. For a dozen years with the Athletics he was the king pin of them all. No less a per sonage than Connie Mack, to my mind the smartest of all baseball managers, told me more than once that Bender
 was the best money pitcher Tn
 baseball. We know that any time
 Mack wanted a game real bad that Bender was his chief reliance. When the Chief knew that much depended upon his pitching, that a series, the leadership in the league, or a. pennant depended upon his pitching, you could depend upon the Chippewa to pitch with his head as well as his arm. And for craftiness we don't know of any one who has anything on Bender We have heard of Bender for many years, but he is only 8 years old now and last year for the Richmond Club of the Virginia League he pitched and won 29 out of 31 games. We doubt very much if this record has even been equa1led. This year Bender will pitch and manage the New Haven Club in the Eastern League.
 We have an idea that Bender would like to take up the life of a profes- siona1 trapshooter and if he does we believe that he will be just as suc- cessful as he has been on the baseball diamond Bender is a natural shot He likes Doth field and trapshooting
 would rather shoot than eat, as the saying goes, and is never happier
 than when he is shooting---no matter
 whether the birds be live or mani mate Give the Chief a gun and hC is at home.
 1 He is a different Bender, too, with Z shotgun. Bender on the pitching mound is sedate, phlegmatic, and rare i " ever smiles. His expression seldom : changes. Winning or losing seems tC
 make. no difference to him. But witf
 a. gun in his hands his expression
 changes to one of joy. He appears aS happy as a boy just finding a full
 stocking after Santa Claus has de parted. That is what makes us be l lieve that Bender would develop into
 one of the greatest of all shooters. He 1 likes to shoot and when one likes tc do something it is uusually done well