Evening star., 1936-08-22


utive in history, for since he took Office
in 1888 the Secret Service. whose duty
1t is to guard the Chief Executive, has
undergone an intensive course in fire.
arms training, inaugurated by Secre-
tary of the Treasury Morgenthau in
1894.
For years all branches of the civilian
police under the direction of the
Treasury Department have gone their
Individual ways in the matter of fire
arms training. Men had their own
guns, bought their own ammunition
and did their own shooting. Now
they have been welded into the IT
men" a co-ordinated. cohesive group
under the direction of the Secretary,
and every mothers son of them is
marksman, if not an expert, with re-
volver or pistol
Old Tom Quisenberry in the West
Virginia mountains started the whole
thing. Old Tom, as will be recalled,
went on a rampage here about two
years ago and shot a Virginia police
man. The ''revenooers" were after
him for illicit diStilling of liquor, and
before the fighting was over old Tom
had wounded an alcohol tax man with
his gun. Everybody remembers with
what disgust he regarded his failure
to "get his man." with his boast that
he never failed at quarter of mile.
Well, anyway, before the revenue
officers got him the Treasury Depart
ment found it necessary to call on the
Coast Guard for men and guns to
bring him in. Which they did.
This fact set Secretary Morgenthau
TO thinking. The men under him
should be perfectly trained in the use
of firearms, so that there would be no
danger of death from the hands Of
those who took the law in their own
hands. And if there were not enough
men to do the job in the particular
division concerned there should be a
reserve that could be called out.
Thus came the "T-men." The group
Is composed of the personnel of eight
different units of the Government
under the direction of the Treasury
Department. They are: Secret Serv-
ice, White House police, customs, alco-
hol tax unit, guards of the mints and
assay Offices, Treasury guards and Bu-
reau of Engraving and Printing
guards. And to this list may be added
shortly guards of the F. D. I. c.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Also might be added to this group,
by request, the civilian police person.
mel of the Supreme Court.
"A IL in all there are more than
"a $500 of these men. They range
the country over-some in one city,
some in another. In fact, they go by
districts throughout the United States
wherever there exists a branch OF
one of the above named agencies.
The firearms training given these
men is under the direction of the
United States Coast Guard. Chief of
the training is Comdr. j. E. Stika,
with headquarters in Washington.
Washington, perhaps, has the largest
single group of this far-fung person.
mel. In the Capital City is the Treas
ury Department, with its millions in
gold, silver and currency, the Presi-
dent, the White House and branch
of the alcohol tax unit. There is no
mint at Washington, yet the Bureau
of Printing and Engraving is here.
The training given the members OF
the personnel in Washington is rep
resentative of the training given men,
bers scattered throughout the United
States, whether it be Seattle. Phila-
delphia, San Francisco, New Orleans,
Jacksonville or Norfolk.
In Washington are three ranges.
Two of these are in southeast section
of the city and the third is in the
basement of the Bureau of Printing
and Engraving. These ranges are Is
yards each, with a brick wall for
backstop. In front of this brick wall
is a steel plate set at an angle of As
degrees, top out. This defects bullets
fired into a bed of sand 3 feet deep
at the base of the target.
Before the trainees are permitted to
start firing they receive instruction
in the use of gun from experts of
the Coast Guard. This instruction
follows routine that has been worked
out for efficiency. The principal
things touched upon in these pre-
liminary lectures are safety in the
Use of a revolver or pistol, sighting,
aiming, position and trigger squeeze.
That phrase trigger squeeze may
confuse the novice reading about fire.
arms instruction. Most of us think
that all that is required once we have
the gun sighted on the target is to
pull the trigger. The "T-Men" never
pull a trigger. What they do is
squeeze" it. BY this is meant the
revolver or pistol is gripped firmly in
the hand at the moment of fire,
squeezed" with pressure applied to
the trigger.
THE reason for this method of firing
- a small arm instead of pulling
the trigger is that 1t makes for steadi-
ness of fire. The natural tendency
for a revolver at the end of the arm
is one of wavering indecision. First
1t is on the target, then it is of. It
points above or it points down. But
at some time or other it is directly
on the target. The idea, then, is to
hold it there steadily for that frac-
ton of a second while the trigger is
released. With the gun held firmly
in the hand, the side braced by the
thumb and the trigger squeezed in
stead of pulled. accuracy of fire is at
its best. Aiming, position, sighting
may all be important and the trainee
be perfect in their application, but
unless he knows how to release the
trigger of his gun with the greatest
OF ease he may never qualify.
Training first is given the personnel
with .22-caliber revolvers and pistols.
They are told to stand at 10 yards
and fire 10 shots, slow fire. The size
of the whole target shot at Is 81
inches. It is divided into circles.
starting with the black "eye" in the
q e.