Dec. 19, 1908.] 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
989 
Cheapening the Handicap. 
Cincinnati, O., Dec. 12. —Editor Forest and Stream: 
Oh, my, oh, my! I must get it out of my system at 
once, so here goes, hot off the griddle. 
I have just read in your paper, which reached me this 
morning, your report of the proceedings at the annual 
meeting of the Interstate Association in New \ ork about 
ten days ago. What is our governing body trying to do 
now, any way? “Shooting for targets” permitted m the 
programme of the Grand American _ Handicap, which 
event, I am glad to see, goes to Chicago for the year 
1909. And “doubles” in the Preliminary Handicap and 
in the Amateur and Professional Championships! Why 
don’t the Olympic Committees allow amateurs to run 
along with the men entered in the different races, just 
to let them see how much the other fellow could and 
did beat him? It would not matter much, but it cer¬ 
tainly would crowd the course a bit. Then, too, they 
might make the Marathon a mixture of steeplechasing, 
hop-step-and-jumping, with a two-mile walk thrown in to 
make it an “interesting event.” 
Don’t let anybody run away with the ldea^that 1 am 
trying to grind an axe. I am a has-been, a “once-was, 
too old now to do more than tell how it was done in the 
days when Roll Heikes, Redwing and others broke a few 
targets (not but what Rolla can break a mess now and 
then, old as he is), I can even go back to the days 
when Charlie Budd was young, and when he, Charlie 
Grimm, Jim Stice and others irom Iowa used to make 
us think of packing up our guns when they put in an 
appearance. Those were fairly good days, and there were 
“shoots for shooters,” too. Nowadays they try to pro¬ 
tect the amateur. From what? No, sir, to my way of 
thinking the Interstate Association is working backward, 
going from a college state of existence back to kinder- 
garten once more. If the trapshooters of to-day needed 
tuition ab initio (that sounds good to me) it would 
probably be o.k. to let them go to work and shoot for 
targets during the Grand American Handicap tournament. 
But they surely do not need a nurse to look after the 
big fellows and make them let the little fellows have a 
share of the cellar door to slide down, not at this stage 
of the game. 
You can do a lot of us a favor, and do some good lor 
trapshooting, if you will just give Manager Elmer Shaner 
some space in one of your papers to tell us what he is 
going to do with all the entries, free and paid-in-full, 
that he will have to look after on the days when the 
“sweepstakes,” optional sweepstakes, they will be, are 
going to be shot, and when the Preliminary Handicap is 
decided? Will those “in for money” be mixed up with 
those “shooting for targets only”? Will the former be 
given preference over the latter? Shall those of us who 
are fortunate enough to have the price or “business in 
Chicago,” and who go out to the grounds of the 
Chicago Gun Club, have a chance to see the crack pro- 
fessionals give us ocular demonstrations of their marvel- 
ous skill, or shall we have to look on at performances 
just like those we can see any practice day at a cross¬ 
roads gun club? “It seems to me,” as the song goes, 
that I can see the finish of what is always an event looked 
forward to from year to year. 
And “doubles” in the championships! What would race¬ 
goers think of the governing body among horsemen, if 
the latter changed the trotting championship events so 
that the drivers were compelled to make their horses 
pace part of the time? The Futurity, run at Sheepshead 
Bay or some other race course near New York, would 
look funny if a lot of fences and a ditch or two had to 
be jumped when the race was half over! Why not let 
a good thing alone? 
What is the object of the change? Will you please 
enlighten us, or else get some official of the Interstate 
Association to do the trick—if he can. I could go on 
for a long while, for I am not half done and don t feel 
quite well yet, but I will close by asking just two more 
questions—these: What in the world are the boys going 
to do for practice at doubles? How many clubs are 
there that are equipped with the only traps that can 
throw doubles, namely “expert traps”? Some of these 
magazaine traps can throw what a few people might term 
“doubles,” but you know, and I know, that they can’t 
throw the real thing. 
Feeling a little better, but with no hope of ever quite 
getting over it unless the Interstate Association stops 
monkeying with a good article, I will stop now, but 
trust some more worthy brother will take up the cud¬ 
gels and “hit her another lick” in behalf of “a shoot for 
shooters.” 4S Grains. 
Sunny South Handicap. 
Houston, Tex., Dec. 4.—All arrangements have been 
perfected for pulling off the eighth Sunny South Handi¬ 
cap at Houston, Tex., Jan. 18-23, 1909. This great sporting 
event will be held under the auspices of the Adoue- 
Blaine Gun Club, with the well-known sportsman and 
tournament manager, Alf. Gardiner as manager. The 
club has selected beautiful grounds, with clear open 
background, and will fit it with five sets of traps and 
all conveniences for the pulling off of a big tournament. 
In case of bad weather there will be ample warm shelter 
for any number of shooters that may attend. lhe 
grounds will be fitted with every accommodation. Noth¬ 
ing will be left undone that will add to the pleasure and 
comfort of the attendance. The club expects to add 
about $2,000 in cash besides the trophies. Programmes 
will be ready for mailing about Dec. 18th, and can be 
had by addressing Alf Gardiner, Mgr., 1605 Johnson 
street, Houston, Tex. Houston. 
2,000 Shots Without Cleaning made with a 
WINCHESTER. 
.22 Automatic Rille and Cartridges 
■■Pi 
,, O <5* ' i' 
iR®. 
-WM 
The sureness of the operation of 
the Winchester .22 Caliber Auto¬ 
matic Rifle, and the cleanliness and 
accuracy of Winchester Smokeless 
Powder Greaseless Bullet Car¬ 
tridges, have again been publicly 
demonstrated. This time by Mrs. 
Adolph Topperwein, who, in San 
Antonio, Texas, on December 13, 
shot at 2,000 2^-inch wooden 
blocks thrown into the air, hitting 
1,995 of them and making a straight 
run of 1437. Only one rifle was 
used and it was not cleaned during 
the shooting. Such a performance 
would not be possible with a rifle 
or ammunition not up to the Win¬ 
chester high standard of excellence, 
even if Mrs. Topperwein with all her wonderful skill was doing 
the shooting. When it comes to a small caliber i epeater, the 
Winchester Automatic Rifle offers many advantages. It is novel 
and simple in operation, light in weight, and shoots a cartridge 
that is inexpensive and cleanMof handle. One of them makes a 
sportsman’s outfit complete. 
IH 
§■ 
MRS. ADOLPH TOPPERWEIN 
Shoot the Red W Brand of Guns and Ammunition 
A 
Fred A. Stone Gun Club. 
Denver, Colo., Dec. 6 .—Herewith are the scores of our 
second monthly tournament. Considering the weather 
conditions, we had a verv good attendance. 
The professional trophv for the month of December 
was won by Mr. C. Plank; score 47 out of 50. 
The amateur trophy for the month of December was 
won bv Mr. Hendrickson, score 48 out of 50. 
The Ballistite trophy was won by Mr. S. W arren, who 
made a perfect score, 25 straight. , 
The Du Pont trophy was won by Mr. \ onkman alter 
a close and exciting tie between he and Mr. King; score 
25 straight. 
Events: 12345678 
Targets: 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 
Yonkman . 19 20 23 23 25 25 22 24 
McKenzie . 19 22 20 25 21 21 21 22 
Hendrickson . 20 24 19 24 17 20 22 22 
King . 20 23 23 23 25 24 24 
McCreerv’ . 25 23 24 22 22 24 .. .. 
Sharpe . . 20 22 24 24 20 25 .. .. 
Plank . 21 23 24 24 . 
Bowman . 25 24 22 23 . 
Gilpatrick . 23 23 . 
Murphy .19 20... 
Howland . 23 20 .. .. 
Barley . 6 9 20 11 . 
Moritz . 22 10. 
Walker . 16 20 . 
S Warren . 25 20 . 
F W Bowman. H 12 
New Haven Gun Club. 
Shot 
at. 
200 
200 
200 
175 
150 
150 
100 
100 
100 
100 
50 
50 
50 
100 
50 
50 
50 
50 
New Haven, Conn., Dec. 9. —Fifteen members par¬ 
ticipated in a successful shoot held by the club to-day. 
The weather was ideal. Three contestants had qualified 
for the final event of the Hunter Arms Co. trophy, 
which will be shot at the next monthly competition ot 
the club. A team race, the two teams captained by 
Dr Johnson ani Mr. Thompson respectively, was an 
interesting event. Dr. Johnson’s team won. No. 10 
was the team race. Scores: 
Events: 
Targets: 
Kelly . 
Dr Nettleti 
Ailing .... 
Thompson 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
10 
25 
30 
15 
9 
6 
8 
22 
15 
6 
9 
8 
12 
9 
6 
10 
22 
14 
9 
10 
9 
22 
29 
13 
3 
6 
6 
5 
13 
. . 
8 
8 
9 
22 
•• 
13 
7 
5 
6 
7 
12 
8 
8 
7 
9 
7 
i3 
5 
5 
6 
7 
7 
7 
9 
10 
13 
6 
7 
9 
8 
8 
7 
7 
. . 
. . 
12 
4 
3 
6 
3 
Harry W’arken, Sec’y. Fish 
