The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-11-02
III
Mezc York
Rv PAuIr HARRIsoN

BY KAUA tAklHkksl9OlN
New York-It's a strange process
sion of people that goes down
| to Mayor Anthony Fiala's sporting
goods and Quitting store, and
| thence into sub-basement to
blaze away at targets. Bankers,
physicians, cashiers, bodyguards'
| now and then a society woman,
burly policemen, fiedgling Nimrods
planning big game hunts, private
| detectives, Central American diplo-
mats-they all seem to want 10
learn how to shoot.
Frequently, too, some gangland
toughie barges in to get wised up
on the better handling of his gat.
| One such precious playboy tried 1t
the other day. "Send in this guy
Mayer" he commanded the blue
eyed, slightly built, meek looking
young man who was puttering
with a telescope sight. Tell him
he's got a new pupil"
"Tm Captain Walter Mayer,
/ and I'm the instructor at this
range" grinned the mild
hammered fellow. "Haye you
any character references, and
have you got q license TO car
dy the gun which j see you
| have on your hip2 Otherwise
1 can't take you" THE gang
ster laughed, then clustered,
finally made threats. A few
minutes later he was out on
the sidewalk, disarmed and
trying to remember just what
had happened. You see, mo-
body had tipped him on that
Captain Mayer is the only
American who has been
awarded Japan's Black Belt
for proficiency in jiu-jitsu.
.
Wounded -Four Times
| He came from Louisiana, where
he had practiced shooting from
the time he was 8 years DID,. He
| enlisted in the Marines as a buck
private, chased bandits and insur-
| rectionists over many a troptc
landscape, and emerged from the
| World War a captain. He has been
wounded four timesy there's a sill
yer plate where part of his skull +,
ought to be; he's blind in one eye,
deaf in one ear, and half dozen or
| his lower teeth were cracked re-
Gently during a jiu-jitsu workout
with q little pal of his named Lieu
tenant Saki, Of the Japanese navy.
For all that, Captain Mayer still
looks only about 80 of his 40 years.
He swims every day, plays a fast
game of tennis, and smokes Gig
arets almost continuously. Never
touches liquor, though. He was a
member of the National Rifle and
Pistol Team for twelve years, the
Olympic team in 1912, American
Legion Rifle and Pistol champion
in 1926, and the quick draw cham
pion for IL years. His record OF
/ 1-2 seconds for q draw and the
firing of six shots has never been
| broken.
His Distinguished Pupils
In revolver and pistol work all
his pupils are, taught to shoot with
either hand, and from the hip. lie
coaches most of the police depart
ments hereabout, as well as the
guards of practically all the biG fl
1 nancial institutions. Sometimes IL,
has volunteered to guard places
where robberies have been recur-
rent. He is supposed to be on the
erasure lists of several gangs. and
has been shot at five times in the
six years he has been in New York.
He is convinced that gangsters
are the sorriest marksmen in the
world.
Captain Mayer says he'd rather
instruct a woman than a man, be
cause men believe they already
known how to shoot" Alice Long
worth was one Of his pupils. SO
was Mrs. Martin johnson. Mrs.
Joseph p. Gest was such an inept
pupil that he begged her to look
for some other hobby. She stuck
to shooting, though, and now Is
one of the best amateur pistol
| shots in the country.
Dozens Of prominent business
men keep costly guns at the Fiala
range and hold matches for
amusement. Mayors star pupils,
though, are Cary w. Box, the pub
Usher, and DIR. r. Bogran, Consul
General from Honduras. Perhaps
the best marksman and close-quar-
tiers scrapper he ever developed
was Antonio Jiminez, who, If you
remember, became head Of Cuba's
terrorist secret police and finally
wilted under rebel rife fire. jim
my studied with Mayer for year.
practiced drawing a sawed-up .45
which he affectionately termed
belly buster"