WONDERFUL SHOOTING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVI, Issue 6504, 31 December 1881, Page 5

WONDERFUL SHOOTING.

(Alia Mi/ornU.) Since the opening of Platt’s Hall op to last evening, possibly no such assemblage has ever bsca gathered within It* wails—having respect for the member* and refinement of the audience. The house wse crowded is every part with the elite and tbe intellect of thie advanced city. The Governor and hie party, under whose especial patronage the expootion* of the evening were tendered, were present, aealso the leading representative* #f (he Pres* of dan Francisco, The military wa* largely represented from the honoured veterans o i the United State* Army to the captain* and lieutenant* in active service. Officers of the United States saty and our resident foreign consul*, also lent their presence to the brilliant umo, ae did also the admiral* and officer* of the respective French, Busifan, and Italian fleet#, the whole contributing to make the occasion In general impressibility one not soon to be forgotten by those whose K 1 fortune enabled them to participate, occasion wa*, in brief, a grand comptimentaiy acknowledgment to the young Jfea Pa ces, who is no other than the protege of Captain O. E. 8. Uaedonald, the well-known military disciplinarian and Indian philamthropist, whose experience and dessert* in thie respect have rendered bis name a household word, not; only in the United Slates, but throughout the civilised world. Cf course, the compliment, or rather the spirit of it, woe meant for Captain Macdonald, at whose immediate instance thie wonderful boy of 16 yean of age has been brought to a degree of military expertness in drill and marksmanship nnparallelled in military record. Yet something is due to the bright little fellow himself for hie wonderful capacity os a recipient of such complicated, exhaustive, and marvellous tuition.

Hi* exposition comprises two put*. the art of srmr being annexed to his extraordinary •hooting accomplishments. To hi* agile, comely, and graceful form he adds more* menta of a degree of celerity that increases the charm of hie incredible military acquire* menu. Hie poeee, attitude*, bounds, leap*, and eanunmaolle are in themselves something amazing, and hie recovering end re* |KMug an fascinating in the extreme. What in hi* performance would aeem to he art celare arUm with He, from the beauty and ■ymjnetry of ita excitement, is actually with him but simple nature itself. We make bold to say that a nnular performance to that wit* necsed last night cannot be seen again, except through the same performer. To rival him is not is the nature of things sublunary. is absolute monarch of his peculiar specialty, as sgainst all the professional world. From among some fifty different kinds of, shots made last night we append the following:— In the first part a framework is discovered upon the stage composed of a rectangular presentment, with a broad space in front diverging to an angle. Within this are a myriad of swinging objects in the shape of glase balls. Upon the sides and the top and bottom of this frame are metallic shields in the shape of balk fastened to the outer frame. It is from this simple machinery that the young Hex Fence performs all of bis woncierful marksmanship. Upon the mar plantanent is suspended the figure of a man—-life-size. This is Otto’s first shot. A fire cent piece is placed upon the top of the bead of this figure. Ottc giro* the about, and the fire-eent piece is plugged through the centra. In the second part the boy lays dowchia nflo six feet from where he is standing, turns a somersault, catohea it again, fires, and cute the string of the suspended figure at which he had previously fired, thefigere doubling up and falling to the ground. A pistol barrens then placed in a small steel frame ; behind this a razor with the edge facing the audience. On each side of this razor is & glass securely placed for the object of this feat. The pistol barrel, razor, and balls are masked with a covering of wtite cloth. The boy is then blindfolded, his hack turned to the objects, the “ About face! ”is given, when he fires down through the pistol barrel, splits hit single rifie ball upoa the razor edge, and breaks both glass balls on the right •tud left, which furnishes the proof that the shot in conclusively a centre one. This remarkable feat is done by a discovery of Cap tun Mae* donald, used by him year# ago, and now accepted in many of the asylums of the blind in Europe lor special subject of die* cipline. It will be remembered that, many yearn ago, the gentleman above named organised and drilled to a pitch of perfection a whole company blindfolded, and, perhaps, at the same Ume, one of the most competent companies ever drilled in this city. The institutions in Europe avail themselves of Captain Macdonald’s exact modus Optraadi. It is done by the sounding of a bell to direct attention to a given abject. Next, a loaded pistol is placed diagonaliy from where Otto stands; three balls are swung in contrary directions ; Otto tires, hits the trigger of the pistol, and breaks the three balls. Bight metal balk are now aetn screwed on the ten-foot frame, on the aides, below, and above. Swinging in every direction, inside of the frame, arc numberless

glass ball*. Captain Macdonald stands in front of the boy, who then im over tut head, and at eaoh side of him, and below his knees, breaking the balls from any and every put where they are suspended behind Captain Macdonald’s bach. A target Is then pat up behind Captain Macdonald’* bach, fie goes through the same process, standing opposite Captain Macdonald and rings the WU, which is placed at the extreme rear, at every shot by caroming on the metal balls. In the third part young Otto caroms on metal balls, breaking twelve glass balls with his Winchester ride, and thirty swinging balls, passing and ■ winging by each other in diverse shapes and directions j with his unerring weapon he •mashes all of them, with six shots, and in ten seconds. In the fourth part six small light cd tapers ere arranged upon a slender, perpendicular pole. Then, while in the various postures of accelerated vaulting and lambing, Otto unremittingly extinguishes each light with his rifle, la the fifth part glass balls are thrown up in the air iu every conceivable direction. These Otto breaks promiscuously, signally and effectively, without any sight at •]], for a large business card is fastened over the point of hie rifle. This description of shooting he considers the most simple, and though wonderful to the spectator is scarcely worthy of his own prowess. Otto’e average in this class of shooting is 9$ out of 100. In the sixth part Otto leaveshia weapon at a point distant six feet from him. Then, at the word " ready,” two glass balls are thrown in the air. He tumbles, catches bis rifle, gete an incline, fires, and breaks both of these glass balls with one shot. Id the seventh part twelve glass balls ore placed upon a perpendicular pole in exact rotation. Otto leads, fires and breaks every one of them in twelve seconds. This in itself is simply wonderful, and at the same time has never been accomplished by any living marksman. Wo are Informed by Captain Macdonald himself that Otto's favourite weapon is the Winchester rifle, ono of which, in token of admiration, «u presented to Otto by the Winchester Hifle Company itself, through its accredited agent in this city. In the eighth part Otto, while his left arm is securely tied to his side, loads, aims, fires and breaks an indefinite number of glass b*D* effectively, firing with hi* right arm. This feat he himself considers of Might importance, though Carver, and the other marksmen of the day, considered that its accomplishment, even with both arms, wae a considerable and important effort.