USA > New York > Orange County > Goshen > A few biographical sketches of Goshen people and a few reminiscences of doings in Goshen > Part 5
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mountains finds its way, in the form of an S, first to the left around the base of the spur of one of them, then between the two, then to the right around the base of the spur of the other, and, then resuming its even course on its way to the sea.
After an excellent dinner we followed the river a few miles down and crossed it at Port- land and from there made our way to Blairs- town, where we staid that night. Friday we dined at Newton and spent the night at New Milford, at a quaint old fashioned public house in a very pretty section of country. Saturday forenoon took us through the fine Warwick Woodlands and the beautiful village of Warwick and the old village of Florida, and by noon, brought us safely back home once more. We had been favored with fine weather and had greatly enjoyed ourselves the whole time - but the poor horses and the driver were pretty well tired out.
THE CRICKETS
The Crickets was an institution - perhaps rather, a function, a social function; and yet it was an organization, though without officers, but it did have a constitution, brief but to the point. It was:
"Each member, a husband and wife being together a member, should give a square meal,
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each season, to the others, the others having the privilege of bringing with them one other couple, as their invited guests."
That was the whole of it. Some effort was made by some of the ladies, to limit the number of side dishes, but the proposition did not meet much encouragement from the men and it was finally agreed that a considerable latitude should be allowed the hostess, without her example being considered as establishing a precedent.
And it all came about in quite an impromptu manner. Champion, Reevs, Murray, Sanford and Coleman, with their wives, chanced to be together, as was then quite likely to happen, at the home, I think, of the Reevs', and the subject of what should be done in the way of entertain- ing during the coming season was being dis- cussed. It was decided that there had better be some definite plan arranged and not leave matters to chance, for we were a social set and greatly enjoyed getting together and having a good time-yes, and having a good supper, too, but without society frills, except as required by a proper consideration for Mrs. Grundy. And it resulted in the above constitution and then the question of a name arose. Several were proposed, and then it was suggested that as we expected to sit about each other's hearth stones, cheerfully chirping, "The Crickets" might do. This meeting general approval, it was so ordered.
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Of course in a community like Goshen the associate or invited guests would naturally be those with whom we were all well acquainted and therefore small danger of having an uncon- genial element brought in, for this was a party that did not wish to have their pleasure spoiled by any social frosts.
From the start the "function" was a great snecess and side invitations were very popular; and, as those invited were quite commonly the same at successive meetings, it resulted in still more suppers. Those certainly were famous gatherings, where friendly intercourse, without unnecessary formalities, and fun prevailed, within reasonable bounds - for we must needs not forget that we were all fathers and mothers -sufficiently, so as to leave our cares behind for the time being, and to brighten us up with some of the capers of other days, even though they were a little frolicsome. We all had family and business cares a plenty, but we did not mind this extra effort to get something more ont of life, socially, than merely living, and you may be sure we succeeded fairly well: and did have some mighty fine suppers, too.
The effort each time seemed to be rather for a change, or originality, in the chief dish of the evening, than for a spread and service. The tables were tastefully arranged, but so as to avoid unnecessary changing, and presented a
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cheery and appetizing effect when we were being ushered into the dining room. Often the serving was willingly and cheerfully done by our children with some of their young friends, and they too had a good time.
Oh, yes, we sometimes heard murmurings from the outside, who did not get on the inside, that we were a pretty wild set. Well it was not a church sociable and was not intended to be, so we were not disturbed.
Ah, yes, this was years and years ago; and now our children are entertaining company as we did then. The "function" lasted not only the season out, but for a number of years and until the vicissitudes of life began to separate us, then with many regrets that it had to be so, the Crickets became a thing of the past.
MY TRIP TO EUROPE
It came about in this way. I had from boy- hood been accustomed to use a shot gun, but a rifle or a pistol only a very little, in that little, however, had shown a decided ability to shoot well. My interest in target shooting at long distances was first aroused by the accounts given in the newspapers of the International rifle match at Creedmoor, L. I., between Ireland and America, in the summer of 1874. Yes, thirty-five years ago. I was then in my thirty- fourth year. That seems a long time ago even
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to me. What must it seem to you? The Irish- men the year before, at Wimbledon, England, had proved themselves the best marksmen of the world at long distances, and were looking for new worlds to conquer, had tried Brother Jonathan and were worsted, but by a very nar- row margin.
This incited a number of us in Goshen to form a rifle club that summer which we called the Leather Stocking Rifle Club-hoping to emulate the wonderful shooting of Cooper's hero - with a range of from 200 to 500 yards, back of my house. Here we did some very good work with sporting rifles. Some of us were ambitions to try the longer ranges so got suitable rifles and laid out a range on my father's farm for that purpose. This was in January and a call was already out for competitors to make up a team to go to Ireland to shoot a return match the following June. The weather conditions were very unfavorable for much practice in the mean- time but I got what I could on the range and at home I practiced night and day, when I could get a few minutes, with spots of black pasted on the wall or on a lamp shade for bulls eyes, sighting and trigger pulling, in position on my back, until I had it down fine. And I got all I conld to read on the subject and got the theory down fine too. The distances for the match were 800. 900 and 1000 yards. more than a half
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a mile to east a single bullet, with gravitation constantly drawing it down from a height, in its flight, of 100 or more feet, and the wind carrying it to either side, according to its direction and velocity, from one to fifty feet, from the instant it left the muzzle of the rifle barrel. Then too there was the effect of changing lights on the eve, and temperature upon the rifle barrel, to be constantly kept in mind and overcome. The ammunition was weighed to a grain on an apothecary's seale so as to be exactly uniform in power and resistance. This was with the black powder and heavy bullet used at that time. Complicated and interesting, very, was'nt it?
On the day before the first competition at Creedmoor I went there to pick up any points I could about the range. There were four com- petitions, one in each week, and in them I man- aged to secure a place as one of the reserves, with the possibility of shooting on the team.
I had very much desired to go to Europe and this seemed a favorable and very desirable op- portunity, for not only our expenses were to be paid, this was important to me, but all the indications pointed to a grand time. But, there was the wife and six, and the business which supported them. What about them? Well, the wife put on a brave and cheerful look -- in my presence-the children did not
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realize the situation and the business must take its chances. This was the opportunity of a life time and one which money, even if I had it, or afterward did get it, could not buy. So I went. When we parted in New York, at the dock on the Battery, wife still kept up the brave smile, but, as she afterwards admitted to me, when I had actually gone with my companions on the boat which was to take us ont to the steamer in the bay, she sat down on the bench by herself and gave way in tears to a feeling of utter lone- liness. My father and mother, who were with her, soon cheered her up and she started back home with a brave heart, yet, as she crossed the ferry, and saw the City of Chester going out to sea with us aboard she could not entirely hide her feelings.
We were the guests of the Inman Line in going over and received many courtesies from the officers of the Company. One difficulty arose before sailing. By the terms of the match the members of the team must be American born, the rifles and ammunition American made, and the latter we took with us. But the Company quite decidedly objected to the powder, several pounds per man. This however was arranged, after cabling back and forth several times to the home office in Liverpool, by our giving out the powder into the custody of the Captain for careful storage away from all danger of ignition.
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My team-mates were a fine, intelligent and companionable lot of men and there was quite an escort of friends who accompanied us on the trip. The passage was said by those who were able to judge to have been an unusually fine one, but I felt very unhappy most of the time-from quite natural causes. We were met at Queens- town Harbor by a delegation from Dublin and Cork and taken charge of by them from that time on - no bills to pay and entertainments night and day, when our practice and matches did not absolutely demand our time. You will hardly care to follow us, in detail, through our stay, while the guests of the Irish people, to lunch at Queenstown, to a banquet and for the night at Cork, then on to Dublin, (stopping on the way at Blarney Castle), for about three weeks, then to Belfast for several days, where we parted with them. having in all things been most hospitably and delightfully welcomed, entertained, feasted and finally bidden god-speed on our way. But I must stop to say that our team match at Dallymount, near Dublin, in which I shot as one of the team of six, resulted in a glorious victory for us and that many trophies were won by our party in individual matches.
From Ireland we traveled in Scotland, visiting Glasgow and passed through the lakes on our way to Edinburgh. from there we went to Lon-
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don. And there again, at Wimbledon, we did some more shooting with gratifying results, and received much courteous attention; and partic- ularly I will mention an interesting visit to Windsor Castle, where we were shown very ex- tendedly about that historic place, and through Eton, and a trip to Woolwich Arsenal.
At London the team separated and Captain Bruce and I took quite an extended but hasty trip to Antwerp, Brussels, Cologne, Mayence, Heidleberg, Baden-Baden, Basle, and from there to Paris, having sailed up the Rhine from Cologne to Mayence. At Paris I left Bruce and with most of the other members of the team made our way to London and to Liverpool to sail for home. Before sailing we were given a luncheon by Mr. Inman at his country place seven miles out from Liverpool. Here we were detained by a severe shower and so arrived late to find our vessel, the City of Berlin, out in the stream waiting for us. From thence we sailed to touch at Cork Harbor for the mails, again the guests of the Inman Company and again I was very unhappy most of the way over. But when we reached New York harbor I soon forgot my ills in the excitement, with the forts salut. ing us as returning conquering heroes and to find my little wife, this time with a welcoming smile, (and with Mr. and Mrs. Champion and other friends for company) on the little boat sent out
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to meet us and bring us to shore at the Battery, from which twelve weeks before we had depart- ed full of hopeful anticipations and now returned full of gladsome realizations.
Here my trip to Europe ends, and here I should too, but some of my grandchildren may sometime wish to hear something more about the shooting, and I may not be here to tell them, so I will end with an account of the match for the London Illustrated and Dramatic News Cup, the most valuable trophy for which we shot in individual competition, at Dallymount near
Dublin. Those to whom this is a twice told tale may now be excused. This match, by the terms prescribed by the donor, was at five hun- dred yards, but with a bull's eye greatly reduced from the regulation size and it must be shot by an equal number of British and American marksmen. When the match was called it was found that eleven British but only nine Ameri- cans had entered. Col. Gildersleeve and I, who were at another part of the range, and had not entered as competitors, were looked up and urged to do so to make up the American eleven. Our rifles had been sent back to the City, but Maj. Fulton offered to let me shoot with his and Gen. Dakin to supply me with ammunition, and one of the Scotch gentlemen did the same for Col. Gildersleve, so we went in. It was a bright afternoon in July with a mild but trying "fish
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tail" wind directly down the range, liable at any minute to be from either side finding you with wind and wind-gange both on the same side at the moment of firing. This, with the small bull's eye, made it particularly difficult shooting for a high score. When all had completed their scores it was found that of the twenty-two competitors only Col. Gildersleve and I had full scores, all bull's eyes. So we must shoot off the tie. By this time the whole body of several thousand spectators were gathered about us, extending horse-shoe like around us and down on both sides to the butts, and down this lane of human beings we had to shoot. The Colonel, I suppose because of his superior rank. I being only a Captain, led off with the first shot. The crowd hushed down as he stepped ont and laid down in position to fire. Hundreds of glasses were focused on the target and as he fired, al- most instantly a great shout went up "bull's eye." Of course I must do as well or lose, so I did. All the afternoon there had been frequent though slight shiftings of the weather conditions, requiring close observation with corresponding changes of the rifle sights, and quick firing after getting into position; some Inek too entered into the game. Among our friends each had his partizans and we could hear them good natured- ly backing us and bantering each other. Matters were getting decidedly interesting, but we must
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not permit them to become exciting to us. Again the Colonel shot. This time some trickey flaw in the wind, or some unfamiliarity with the borrowed rifle, caused him to hit one point out from the bull. What happened next? Well, the cup is here, as you may see, and we will let it tell the result.
R. C. Coleman in position for shooting at 1,000 yards
WOOLSEY PRINT NEWBURGH, N. Y
EN 81
N. MANCHESTER, INDIANA 46962
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