67
For the next two weeks London folks who go to witness Buffalo Bill's great act, "the attack on the Deadwood stage," may perhaps be surprised to see a tattooed Indian riding with the assaulting party. It should not be forgotten, however, that Buffalo Bill will probably tender the freedom of the camp to Mr. Blaine while he is in London, and that Mr. Blaine's physician has prescribed daily horseback exercise for him.
68
Rapid Rifle Shooting.
"Shooting at the word is the first rate practice. It trains the ye and the hand to work together and get the forefinger into the habit of pressing the trigger at just the right moment. Grasp the rifle in the Kentucky manner or in Dr. Carver's style, holding the butt just below the elbow, and keep the eye fixed upon the mark. If you can shoot with both eyes open so much the better. At the word "Fire!" bring the butt to the shoulder quickly and raise the barrel until the sights are in line with the mark, pressing the trigger as soon as you see them in line. You must shoot after the word "Fire!" and before the counter finishes counting three like the tick of a clock. With practice the rifle will come into position instantly, the eye will telgraph to the forfinger that the aim is right and the finger will press the trigger unconsciously. Men who practice this style of shooting can do more accurate work at the word than in taking deliberate aim, and they will fire when the counter says 'One.'
"Another good plan is to take a repeating rifle- a Winchester, for example- and try to put as many shots as possible into the bull's eye as rapidly as the gun can be fired. Try for accuracy first and repidity by degrees. It is well to vary the mark and not shoot at a round black bull's eye all the time. Fire at swininging balls, suspended bullets, white objects, things of irregular shape and neutral color, and then have somebody toss up balls or blocks of wood and shoot them on the wing. It is not so difficult to hit glass balls in the air as some people fancy. That kind of shoooting, as preformed in the shows, is nothing but a fake. The ball is thrown from an old fashioned Bogardus trap, that tosses it easily and on just the smae curve every time. The shooter draws a bead on a certain point on the [word?], and when the ball comes into line he lets her go. More than that, these fake shooters don't use bullets. Here is one of the Wild West syle of Winchester cartriges. You see it in a brass shell filled with bird shot. That kind of ammuniton is made in large quantities at the factoriesfor these phenomenal riflemen. Carver actually shot bullets his first season, but it was unsafe, and he adopted the shot cartridge finally. No man witha bit of sense in his head would fire rifle bullets around as Buffalo Bill pretends to do. He might kill somebody a mile off after smashing a glass ball in the air. These wonderful feats of shooting glass balls from horseback with a rifle are actually performed with bird shot that scotters over a space of several feet. Any fair wing shot couldn't help smashing the balls. --New York Sun.
69
THE VICTORIAN JUBILEE.
Grand Preparations at Westminster Abbey Holiday Crush at the Yankeeries.
London, June 4.-- Unless you have been in London on one of those occasions, you will find it very hard to realize what a bank holiday is like. The better class of people, as far as possible, either get out of town or keep themselves well within doors, while the entire population of the lower classes turn out into the streets in gay attire, and make the best of their way to places of popular amusement. The streets are thronged with 'Arry's and 'Arrlett's. The mob, however, is fairly good-natured, but rather inclined for hooting and occasional horseplay. The underground rail-roads, the tramways and 'buses are simply loaded down with people of this class, until they look like lumps of sugar covered with flies.
I spent the day at the American Exhibition, where there was considerable anxiety displayed by the officials, not only in regard to the number of shillings they were going to receive, but as to the result of their first experiment in banding an overwhelming crowd, and it may be just as well to say right here that under the direction of the Director-General (Mr. John B. Whitley), the arrangements were so carefully made and so judiciously carried out by Mr. Frederick C. Penfield (late United States Vice-Consul), who was the officer of the day, assisted by Mr. Townsend Tercy and Captain L. H. Skinner (late of the Seventh Royal Fuslre), that is only one case of drunkenness was reported during the day, and not the slightest accident of any kind occurred. The doors were opened as early as 9 o'clock, two hours before the usual time, and even at that hour crowds of people came to the turnstiles showed that 40,000 people had already passed through, and every approach to the grounds was crowded with a dense mass of humanity.
A continuous concert was given during the day by four military bands, viz: the Grenadier Guards Band, the Royal Horse Guards (Blue) Band, the Hungarian National Band, and the Cow Boy Band.
An Inspiring Sight.
It was really a marvelous sight to view the sea of beads from any point of advantage in the grounds. By passing through the stables of the "Wild West" I obtained a view, from a prep through the scenery, of the grandstand just as Buffalo Bill made his entrance, and the roar of applause and the shout of delight which greeted his appearance from 40,000 people were like the roar of the sea.
From the bridge, going to the gardens, the bright costumes and gaudy bonnets of the women reminded one of a vast flower garden of "poppies" and "daises," while from the platform at the main entrance the view down the four aisles of the exhibition showed an equal populace and busy sight.
Counting the Shekels.
It was with a feeling of great relief when the last of them went safely out of the building shortly before midnight and the doors closed, and an armed guard mounted over the vast sums of coin which had been taken in during the day. While nearly 100,000 people were present, not a single accident of any kind occurred and had the place been capable of accommodating them, and had it not been necessary to close the doors, it is probable that 150,00 people would have visited the exhibition.
Our Own Club.
On Sunday night the first dinner of the Columbia Club, the first American Culb ever instituted in Europe, was given at the Club House, Mr.Thomas Burnside being in the chair. Speeches were made by Mr.John R. Whitley, director-general of the exhibition; Buffalo Bill (Colonel W. F. Cody), who convulsed the audience by humorous tales of Western life; Mr. E. A Perry, of the Boston Herald; Mr. Harry A. Marsh, late of the New York World, now editor and proprietor of the Financial News, and Townsend Percey, F.B.G.S, honorary secretary of the club. The party broke up late, after a most enjoyable evening. The club has been made by the committee of the headquarters in London for members of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion, and the New York Seventh Regiment.
A Dizzy King.
On Wednesday afternoon "Buck Taylor," the "King of the Cowboys," met with a painful and distressing accident. During the dancing of the quadrille on horseback he was suddenly seized with "vertigo," and losing control of his horse he was thrown roughly against the iron cantle of the saddle of one of the ladies, and the horse swerving, threw him bravely on the ground. He attempted to rise but fell back with a cry of pain, and on being picked up it was discovered that he had sustained a fracture of the thigh bone. He was moved to the West London Hospital, where his case is progressing favorably.
The Jubilee
The influx of Americans into London increases every week, and everybody is, naturally, going to stay for the Queen's Jubilee. The rush for tickets to the Westminster Abbey on the occasion of the thanksgiving services is something frightful, but there are very few who will succeed in getting any. Only thirty places have been set aside for the press, and for these seats there are over one thousand applicants. Advantageous places to view the procession are selling readily at from $15 to $25 each.
At the Old Abbey
Rapid progress is being made in preparing Westminster Abbey for the thanksgiving service on the 21st instant, and yesterday the work, which has kept several hundred men busy for the past three weeks, had so far advanced that two of the main galleries were tried for strength and stability. These structures withstood the test satisfactorily, no evidence of weakness being shown when some 350 men ran along them and stamped at intervals. An idea of the extent of the task to be accomplished may be inferred when it is stated that the length of the abbey to be fixed with galleries fitted with sea's is 360 feet and the width for the greater part of the length 73 feet, while in some places the tiers of galleries run up 80 feet in height. Besides these there are 200 feet of stands extending across the transept.
The Monarch's Marquee.
Outside the west door, the principal entrance to the Abbey, and through which the Queen and the royal visitors will pass, there will be erected a spacious marquee, and the awning will extend from this to the roadway. Her Majesty and the royal personages will on arrival pass to the marquee, which will serve as a reception chamber, and in which the great officers of State will marshal the procession to the Abbey. The proposed time for her Majesty's arrival at the Abbey is 12 o'clock, but this is subject to alteration. Above the entrance to the corridor facing the sacrarium are the largest galleries, comprising four tiers of seats, each tier having about ten rows of seats.
On either side of the have extending to the organ gallery there will be three tiers of seats the first rising from the ground, the second from the level about fifteen feet above the floor, and the highest seats rising to the arches of the windows. In the centre of the choir, immediately under the lantern, [word?] has been erected, upon which her Majesty will be seated in the
Coronation Chair,
In the south transept there are two immense galleries, capable of seating a very large number of persons. The seats from the ground to the first tier are to be allotted to peers and their wives, and immediately to the right and left the ambassadors and the diplomatic circle generally will be seated. In the north transept there are a like number of galleries and seats as in the south transept, and the ground platform has been appropriated to the members of the House of Commons.
70
ALL SORTS OF ITEMS.
When a man is too busy to laugh he needs a vaction.
If you are good, you know it; if you are bad, everybody knows it.
Which is the worst sinner, the man who can sing and won't, or the man who can't sing and will?
A Chicago man who supports three elderly female relatives is wont tefer to them as his aunty poverty society. -Chicago Tribune
Pat Gilmore will never beleive tat the Queens Jubilee is a greater even than the one he got up a dozen years ago. -Lowell Citizen.
A widow may not be much of a gardener, but she always has an idea that she can raise orange blossoms from weeds. - Fall Kiter Adrance.
Diplomacy has a long, supple hand and a beautifully kept finger-nail. The handwriting of a diplmatist looks like a snake crawling away.
It is said that croquet is going to be revived again this summer. If you are engaged you had better get married before the quarrel. - Bulington Free Press.
In a Western co-educaitonal college, female sophomores haze good-look freshmen by blindfolind them and kissing them. This smack of captial punishment.
Russia nad France aver that Turkey's Grand Vixier has taken a briibe of $3,000,000 from England. This news is calculated to humbe the pride of even a New York Alderman. - N.Y. Graphic.
A servant who prided himself on living in a genteel family, being asked to define the term said : "Where they keep a carriage have three or four kinds of wine, and never pay a bill the first time it is called for."
First Kansas Woman - I didn't see you at the caucus last night. Second Kansas Woman- No; couldn't get away. John was not feeling well and I had to clear off the table and wash the dishes. -Tid-Bits
Buffalo Bill's viogour Western Style of expression has not been spoled by close contact with effete monarchy. In a letter to a friend in New York he says: "I have got all the big-bugs oslid, from the old Queen down."
Some Mexicans were caught robbing a freight car on a siding of the Mexican Central a few days ago, and the station agent telegraphed to headquarters as to how to proceed. The reply was: "Prosecute vigourously." He replied to this with, "Can't do it in this case, as they have been executed, but will do so in the next. -Wall street news.
TWO WAYS OF LOOKING AT IT.
You go upon the board of trade. Where Marging Mergants meet, And Take some little options On January wheat: You warch the little ticker Till the hands swing round the ring, Then you find your little boodie Has gone a glimmering That's business.
You go into a faro bank And buy a stack of chips, And watch the cards come from the box Which the dealer deflty flys. When your head is dull and aching At the breaking of the day You see that tickle fortune has gone the other way. Thats gambling -Power and Transmission.