Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-06-20

TALK
Speaking OF pigeons

Speaking Of pigeons
A new sport is looming over the
horizon in the Valley. IL Is pigeon
This is a form OF sport
understood outside Of its i'm
mediate following. But take an
honest-to-goodnesS, ed-in-th
wool pigeon racer and he is incur
able. AS a general rule he Is a one
sport man. He wouldn't give a plug
ged dime for a season ticket TO the
Yankee stadium, but would sit up
all night waiting for a homing bird
to come into the cote. He may
have q hard time remembering his
grandmother's maternal name, but
can rattle off his birds pedigrees
by note. This game has long been
worked down to an exact science.
Stop watches and automatic record
ing machines note the arrival OF
homing pigeons.
II. w. Mcqueen or Mercedes Is
probably the only owner of a cote
in the Valley. Mcqueen now Is
trying out a flock OF young pige-
OnS with short flights within a
2OO-mile radius Of this section.
Some OF his older stock recently
made fast time back 20 the Val
ley after being released at Austin.
The homing instinct in these trim
filters brings them back over al
most increditabIe distances.
Pete" Petersen Of San Antonio.
chief toll dashboard man for the
telephone company. is one of the
best known racers Of blooded stock
In Texas. or In the whole southwest
for that matter. Peterson, All af-
fably grizzly-headed Swede. never
got over his boyhood loye for pig
cons. He has maintained a cote
almost as far back as he car r
member. Several fine strains have
been developed through his on
structive breeding. AT one time he
was mentioned prominently for the
presidency of the national pigeon
society but was defeated almost
solely because he lived In Texas
The group tries 70 name heads who
live in the center Of the pigeon
racing population.
During the World war Petersen
had charge OF the American car
rier pigeons in France. He had
~flattering offers TO become a high
officer in the network OF tele-
phone and telegraph communica-
items built up in France by tn.
American forces but he preferred
handling the pigeons.
Pete's job Is to keep long distance
lines in the clear. Through testing
apparatus. he sits at the dashboard
in San Antonio and locates trouble
many miles away. But about once
a week Pete gets no from his chair.
puts on his hat and walks out OF
the office. leaving the trouble to
his assistants. They know through
long experience that Pete has gone
home to watch pigeons come in.
perhaps from half way across the
continent. He can Judge their time
for the longest flights within a few
hours.
Pete'S hobby Is such a well
known thing among telegraph op-
orators over the nationwide A.
IT. & II. system that they often
line wires up by sending this test
phrase: "Pete's Pink Pigeons"
Gunners over the state continue
to roll In good scores. A. v. Hol-
land Of San Antonio made his sec
ond 25 straight hits Sunday over
the Olmos Basin skeet traps. A
fellow citizen. Don Nissen. carried
off the state pistol championship In
the meet held at Austin by scoring
$40 out OF a possible 500. The Fort
Worth Rifle and Pistol club won
the state team championship.
II looks as IL Pete Mckenzie
will participate In a framed" af-
fair at last. Mckenzie, who has
been under the shadow of death
for some time as the result Of his
conviction Of the Staying Of a San
Antonio chief of polcie. formerly
was a preliminary fighter I'm West
Texas. IL appears as II Pete will
enter his corner for his last figh.
with the Observation-Disclosures
called on him.
Open season for fish stories has
arrived. The latest one going the
rounds runs as follows:
A sportsman trying for fish at
the point was giving out of bait.
He had only a few minnows left and
they were dying. The thing those
minnows needed was a bit Of en-
lievning. he thought. "A small mem
Der Of the finny tribe was placed on
the hook. Then the fisherman took
a bottle from his pocket Ind poured
few drops of a we'll known enliv-
ener, beginning with t-e-q and end
ing with la. into the minnow's
mouth. Then the line was tossed
into the water. In a few moments
the fisherman got a heavy strike.
After a furious fight he pulled in
his prize. Low and behold The
minnow had a tarpon by the nape
Of the neck. Next.
One fisherman at the Point