18 6 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
[Aug. 13, 1904. 
yards — w ith a Remington-Creedmoor rifle. This ten- 
pound rifle, with its charge of 100 grains of powder and 
550 grains of lead, of course recoiled excessively. I shot 
this rifle in the "back position," namely, lying on my back, 
with my feet toward the target, the butt of the gun rest- 
ing in my right arm pit. At first I grasped it firmly with 
both hands, one at the grip and the other about mid-way 
of the barrel. While holding in this way I did no good 
shooting, my scores never reaching 200 points out of a 
possible 225, simply because I did not exert the same force 
in holding the rifle for each shot, and I presume it rested 
differently on my person as I gave no attention to such 
details at that time. 
My next method of holding was to rest the rifle on my 
person as nearly alike as possible for each shot, and not 
touch it with my hands at all, except to pull the trigger 
with one finger. The trigger pull and weight of rifle was 
of course uniform for each shot. Holding in this way my 
average for an entire season was a fraction over 213 
points out of a possible 225, and my best score was 223 
points. In the latter score, 44 out of 45 shots struck the 
bull and the shot which did not do so was no doubt owing 
to an imperfect cartridge. I believe this great difference 
in accuracy was due mainly to difference in holding the 
rifle. - . ... , , 
It is, of course, a difficult matter to fairly compare the 
accuracy of modern rifles with the old-time rifle. How- 
ever, in testing the Remington match rifle with which I 
now do my offhand target shooting, I put ten consecutive 
bullets in a 2^-inch ring at 200 yards distance. In test- 
ing a Sharps Creedmoor rifle which I now own, I put ten 
consecutive bullets in a i?4-inch ring at 200 yards. The 
charge for the latter rifle was 105 grains of powder and 
550 grains of lead. It is extremely doubtful if Daniel 
Boone, or any other of the old-time riflemen, ever shot a 
rifle which was capable of greater accuracy than this I 
have shot a good many of the old heavy muzzleloadmg 
rifles of the best makes, and while I was able to do good 
shooting with them at very short ranges, I found them 
unreliable at any range above 150 yards. This was neces- 
sarily the case as the light round bullet would not hold 
enough of its initial velocity, and its flight was too easily 
affected by variable winds and atmospheric conditions. 
It is not often the case that we get an unvarnished ac- 
count of what the old Kentucky rifle was really capable of 
doing. The historv of the battle of New Orleans, how- 
ever, furnishes such an account. Europe was amazed at 
the results of this battle, and we may safely conclude that 
the rifles and riflemen on the American side were at least - 
as good as anv in the country at that time. When the 
Emperor Napoleon learned that the deadly work m this 
battle was done by a few Tennessee and Kentucky rifle- 
men, he had four of the rifles they used sent to him for 
inspection and tests, also some targets which were shot by 
Coffee's Kentuckians. These targets, it was certified, 
were shot at 75 and 125 yards. At the first named dis- 
tance, ten bullets had been put into a square 4 by 4/2 
inches At the further distance, the shooting was at a 
6-inch square, and all of the bullets were well within the 
square. Now, we must assume that the best available men 
and guns were selected for this test, and that the best tar- 
gets which they could make were the ones sent to the 
French Emperor. It is perfectly fair, therefore, to com- 
pare these targets with the best shooting done at the 
present time, for instance with the target made at Walnut 
Hill by F. J. Rabbeth, when he put 15 consecutive bullets 
in a 2-inch ring at 200 yards. 
It would be strange, indeed, if modern machinery and 
skill could not produce as fine rifle barrels as those used 
by our ancestors, and as to our fixed ammunition, I do not 
think it too much to claim that it is -more accurate and 
uniform than a charge of powder hastily measured 111 the 
hand and a bullet defaced by the ramrod of the old muz- 
zleloaders. I am with Mr. Kelly in thinking that there 
are many myths in regard to ancient rifle-shootmg which 
should be "busted." Jos. W. Shurter. 
GrANSEVOORT, Aug. 4. 
head, deflecting it again; but it kept on, and may be still 
going, as the detective who had been sent to find out how 
this woman had been shot did not trace its course any 
further. " " 
I do not wonder that a man who had never seen bullet- 
molds before would mistake them for nut-crackers ; they 
are seldom seen now. The last time I ever saw a pair in 
use, a party of young Indians had them molding balis for 
their old Colt's powder and ball .45 army pistol, and they 
were doing it just as I had often done it, even to floating 
a piece of charcoal in the lead in their ladle. I could not 
show them anything ab.out it that they did not already 
know. 
In regard to barking the squirrels, if I may be allowed 
tc mention an opinion, I think that quite enough evidence 
has already been brought before the court to convince 
Mr. Kelly, or any one else, that they can be barked, pro- 
vided you only know how to do it, and that should allow 
the defense to rest their case. Cabia Blanco. 
Milford, Conn.— Editor Forest and Stream: In order 
to add, if possible, to the discomfiture of Allen Kelly (for 
I am one who belives in the old Daniel Boone, Davy 
Crockett, Natty Bumpo tales), let me tell him that it is a 
well recognized fact in military surgery that a rifle or 
cannon ball need not touch the victim m order to kill. ■ 
The "Medical and Surgical History of the Rebellion 
furnishes many such instances ; some in which a conical 
or spheroidal ball, passing close to the leg, caused com- 
minuted fracture of the bones about the knee joint; others 
where sudden death occurred from the effect of the ball 
passing close to the heart, etc. All surgical works de- 
vote space to wind contusions and wind fractures. 
Old Daniel need not have hit the limb of the tree to kill 
by shock. The ball passing within the fraction of an inch 
of the heart or back of the head would have killed, but 
it was more sport to bark the varmint; and then, perhaps, 
Daniel, like Allen Kelly, didn't know about wind con- 
tusions. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
I beg to tender to Mr. Allen Kelly my sincere apologies 
for having implied a doubt of any of the statements which 
he has made in the squirrel-barking controversy. I did 
not intend to express any such doubt, but sometimes one s 
feelings carry him a little further than he intended. 
I trust that Mr. Kelly will accept the assurance of my 
distinguished consideration.. Though we have differed on 
one point about rifle shooting, I heartily agree with the 
remarks which he recently expressed on the Palma trophy 
fiasco in your rifle columns^ Rifleman. 
Editor Forest and Stream: . 
I notice that Mr. Kelly gives me the credit ot being able 
to knock out the squirrels by hitting the limb a foot away 
iV Tdid e not claim to be able to kill them that way; in 
fact, stated that I did not want to hurt them, and I 
Pr By1he d way%ese little .22 caliber Stevens rifles have 
made another record, this time in Philadelphia Some 
boys were shooting at a tin can set on top of a post in a 
back yard, when the ball passed clear through the can, 
then through a board in a fence and next struck a stone 
wall which deflected it, and then going next through a 
pane of glass in a window, struck a woman m the fore- 
Snuffingf the Candle. 
Editor Forest and Stream: 
The feats of skill attributed to Kentucky riflemen of 
the last century, were discussed by the members of a 
shooting club recently, the squirrel barkers having revived 
interest in the question. Difference of opinion developed 
when the trick of snuffing a candle was mentioned, and 
the matter was put to the test of experiment by three 
members of national reputation as expert marksmen. A 
lighted candle was placed at a distance of eight yards 
from the firing point. The shooters used a .22 caliber 
match rifle of the highest type, fitted with peep and globe . 
sights, and fired from a rest, insuring the most perfect 
accuracy. They had no difficulty in hitting the wick, and 
they snuffed the candle frequently. But invariably when 
the wick was hit the candle was extinguished. 
Now we are told that at a distance of fifty yards the 
Kentuckians, using rifles of large caliber — Crockett's 
seems to have been .52 — and shooting offhand, frequently 
snuffed the candle without putting out the light. Indeed, 
it appears that the contestant whose bullet extinguished 
the flame was regarded as. an inferior shot. 
Is it possible that the most skillful riflemen of this day, 
using the most perfect weapon obtainable, are unable to 
shoot from a table rest at a distance of eight or ten yards 
as accurately as the old-timers shot offhand at fifty yards? 
Or is the disturbance of air caused by the passage of a 
heavy round ball .so much less than that produced by a 
.22 conical bullet as to account for the difference in 
results ? 
Perhaps a modern candle is more easily extinguished 
than an old-fashioned tallow dip with its thick wick. The 
latter leaves a long, charred tip of wick as it burns down, 
and possibly the extreme end of that may be shot away 
without affecting the flame. 
If readers of Forest and Stream have tried the feat 
under exact Kentucky conditions, their reports of results 
should be interesting. What somebody's uncle told him 
he saw his grandfather do is of no consequence. Let us 
have direct and competent testimony. Has anyone seen a 
candle snuffed with a rifle ball without putting out the 
light? Manhattan. 
Massachusetts Game. 
Boston, Aug. 6. — Editor Forest and Stream: — The 
search law passed last winter is beginning to bear fruit. 
Deputy John F. Luman, assisted by deputies D. F. Shea 
and A. D. Putnam, have recently raided the premises of a 
taxidermist of Worcester, where they found twenty-six 
quail, four woodcock, six pheasants, sixty-nine partridges, 
and a large number of song and insectivorous birds, be- 
sides several nests. The full amount of fines would be 
$4,740. In court, J. R. Kane, Esq., conducted the case for 
the commonwealth. 
Reports of deer being seen are numerous. A few days 
ago a fawn appeared on the lawn of a summer resident at 
Annisquam. One was also seen in the North Shore 
woods at Beverly Farms. A lad at Country Farms, in 
Greenfield, while driving cows to pasture, reported seeing 
four, and several citizens of Pochassic, near Mt. Tekoa, 
report seeing a herd of fifteen between Peter S. Malone's 
house and the tracks of the Boston and Albany Railroad. 
Deputy Luman, who has been in the western part of the 
State for several days, and has had an opportunity to ob- 
serve, 'says the outlook there for game is very good. He 
thinks partridges have wintered better than was expected. 
Mr. Frank N. Swan, of Bellevue avenue, Springfield, 
while seated on his piazza overlooking his back lawn, saw 
a deer trot across into the garden, where she regaled her- 
self for a half- hour with his sweet corn. He approached 
within half a dozen rods before she moved on. Mr. A. 
P. Butterfield, of Dunstable, called in at the office this week 
and reported that one of his neighbors has been visited by 
a deer several times, and the animal enjoys a meal now 
and then in his garden. 
In the quail sections of the State it is not expected that 
birds will be very plenty, and there is no question that it 
will require another year's restocking and much self- 
denial on the part of sportsmen the coming fall to give 
our stock of quail a chance to recuperate. If the next 
winter should prove a mild one, by a year from next fall, 
provided the work of restocking is kept up, we may hope 
for good quail shooting. Central. 
The Dogf and his Skin. 
In England, according to the Shooting Times, from 
which the appended excerpt is taken, a dog and his skin 
is in much the same state of jeopardy as a fool and his 
money, to wit : 
"It appears as if there were some solid foundation for 
the rumors that have for some time been prevalent of 
dogs being stolen for the sake of their skins to turn into 
motor coats and rugs. In a police court case the other 
day, when a man was charged with stealing two dogs — 
a spaniel and a mongrel — he is reported to have stated 
that he could get 25s. for a spaniel's skin, and 10s. for the 
nondescript's covering. This adds an extra risk to the 
dog owner, as, if this story is true, the dog stealer will 
endeavor to kill and skin the dog at the earliest moment ; 
so that there will be little chance of recovering from such 
a class of "thieves," 
-—^> — 
In Colorado Waters. 
Denver, Colo., July 30. — Catching bullbats on the fly 
seems to be a common occurrence on the banks of the 
Gunnison at least. My yarn in a recent issue of this paper 
has been read with widespread interest locallv, and has 
brought out a similar experience. This time the hero is 
Thomas D. Parker, secretary of the Colorado Promotion 
and Publicity Committee, and an enthusiastic angler. He 
ranks with the experts in long distance casting, and it was 
while doing some tall stunts of this kind near Gunnison 
a couple of weeks ago that he almost jerked. his arm-out 
of its socket by hooking onto something behind him. It 
was rather late in the afternoon, dusk was falling, " and 
he says he noticed that for some time the bullbats had 
been hovering about him in large numbers. Of course, 
the idea that they were trying to take his flies never en- 
tered his head until he accidentally hooked one. It was a 
rather delicate task to reel the captive in, particularly as 
the barb had anchored in the wing of the bird. When 
almost within arm's length, the bird fluttered off and 
disappeared. 
Mr. Parker then returned to the whipping of the 
stream, and was doing very nicely when he got another 
"air strike," and behold, there was another bullbat circling 
skyward with his tackle. The experience might have been 
pleasant enough if he had been out for bullbats, but it was 
rather ticklish business reeling in from the clouds, and 
there was danger of smashing a tackle. However, the 
captive bird was finally reeled in and netted in the 
presence of half a score of other anglers, who quit east- 
ing to witness the queer proceeding. Examination showed 
that the poor bird had actually taken the fly in its mouth 
while darting through the air in search of insect food. 
It was released as gently as possible and returned to its 
native element. At the time the air over the water was 
literally alive with the little stone fly, and Mr. Parker 
was using the ginger-quill and blue-quill midges for his 
battery. 
More than 10,000 fine trout were killed by the cloud- 
burst which visited South Platte Canon last Sunday night. 
A burst dam released a flood of water twenty feet high, 
and it swept everything before it. When the waters be- 
came, normal, anglers and boys went along the banks and 
gathered sacks and dish-pans and other utensils full of 
large fat trout. Orlando Preston, of Denver, says he saw 
boys gather up strings of forty and "fifty handsome trout, 
ranging from twelve to fifteen inches in length. Trout 
smaller than these were left to decay on the banks. 
Digging in the newly made sand banks always revealed a 
number of dead fish. Some few of them weighed as much 
as six pounds. Thousands of the dead fish rotted in the 
sands. 
At Cimarron, on the Rio Grande Railroad, where the 
two forks of the Cimarron flow into the Gunnison, there 
is most excellent fishing ground. But up to the present ' 
the opportunity for good sport has been fraught with 
more of discomfort, not to say privation, than the average 
tenderfoot could stand. Now, however, a good hunting- 
lodge has been opened there, and sportsmen who stop 
there from now on will find ample accommodations of a 
liberal kind awaiting them. The lodge is conducted under 
the auspices of the Rio Grande road. Trout are very 
plentiful in the three streams that come together here; it 
is only a matter of a couple of hours to take all one wants 
for food purposes, and there are some as big and lusty 
chaps lurking in the deep pools as are to be found lower 
down the Gunnison. 
William Doty is high line for the State up to date. He 
captured Colorado's prize trout at Wagon Wheel Gap on 
the Rio Grande River last week. He had the fight of his 
life before he brought his captiye to beach at the end of 
ten minutes. Weight, 11^ pounds; length, 30 inches; 
girth, 22 inches. Mr. Doty presented it to T. J. Fisher, 
of Colorado Springs, and the latter has had it mounted 
by Stainsky, the local taxidermist. 
This is the day of the midge. Heretofore flies mounted 
on No. 6, 8, and 10 hooks have had the call, but I fail 
to hear of any one doing successful work with other than 
the midges. Almost every big catch reported has been 
made with the lightest 'of tackle. The best killers are the 
stone fly, the ginger and blue-quill; the hackles and red 
ants are also good killers. Wise anglers are putting away 
their tackle, except for single day's sport, until about the 
20th of August, when the real sport with the real big ones 
begins and lasts clean up to the last of the open season. 
September will record some big catches. 
A party of four anglers, A. R. Merriman, J. B. Milner, 
and R. G. Spencer, of Loveland, and Byron Haywood, 
representing A. G. Spalding & Co., at Denver, fell into 
the hands of an ambitious game warden while fishing the 
Big Thompson a few days ago. They were bound oyer 
for trial on the charge of having trout in their possession 
under the legal length, seven inches.. Yesterday their trial 
took place, and the four were discharged. And now Mr. 
Haywood is putting in some busy moments explaining to 
his numerous friends how such an old and seasoned 
angler as himself got caught in bad company. 
DEnver, Colo., Aug. 5. — Mrs. A. B. Schmidt, wife of 
the Rock Island's City Passenger Agent at this point, is 
just back from the Gunnison, having put in several weeks 
at Iola. Mrs, Schmidt has the reputation of being one 
of the "best fellows" that ever unfurled a leader over a 
Colorado pool. She acquired her woodlore back in New 
England. She makes one of the most picturesque figures 
to be found in a day's journey. No fine fishing togs for 
her— just a plain woolen sweater that looks suspiciously 
as if it might have once belonged to her husband, a pair 
of 75-cent overalls, a straw hat, firmly tied on, and a. pair 
of wading trousers. Those who have seen the lady on the 
waters up to her waist -say she can handle a string of flies 
as gracefully and accurately as the next one, and that her 
manipulation of a bleached minnow leaves nothing to be 
desired. She must have a tantalizing method, for on her 
return to the city last week she invited a number of rail- 
road men to the Schmidt domicile and feted them on 
baked trout — mind you, they were too big to fry — as they 
were never feted before. Mrs. Schmidt is also a famous 
camp cook, and is so popular among those who have had 
