Bisbee Daily Review

Rifle Club Members Will Meet Monday Night to Elect Officers And Make Plans for Active Work

What is to become of the Bisbee Tombstone Rifle Club and allied rifle and revolver clubs in the Warren District?

This is the question that officers of the clubs have been endeavoring to answer and so far they have been unable to find any solution. The Bisbee and Tombstone Canyon clubs have enrolled about 600 members, and of those 400 have in their possession government rifles loaned to them through the club on the condition that they would take an interest in rifle practice and would try to qualify as sharpshooters or expert marksmen.

Since the declaration of war on Germany, leaders of the clubs have been doing everything in their power to induce the members of the different organizations to get together, practice marksmanship and otherwise prepare to be ready to do their share in case of an attack on the city.

Interest Wanes

For several weeks small squads of men from a few of the clubs have been meeting once or twice a week and drilling, but for some unaccountable reason, the number of men who turn out is slowly decreasing and unless interest is shown at once, it is probable that the rifle club will call in all of the government rifles whose owners are not keeping their part of the agreement, and distribute them to men who are willing to devote a little of their time toward developing an organization that will reflect credit on the district.

Practically every other city or town in the southwest has its Home Guards who are eagerly drilling and practicing firearms in order to be ready for any emergency. Bisbee, however, has fallen far behind in this connection, in spite of the nearness of this city to the border and in spite of the rich industries that might be irreparably damaged by a foreign foe. At a meeting of the leaders of the different clubs yesterday afternoon, it was decided to make a final appeal to the members of the clubs to take an interest in their work. With this in mind, a big shoot will be held Sunday afternoon at the Warren rifle range, starting at nine o'clock in the morning. Warren marksmen are invited to participate and no one will have to wait long for his turn.

Meeting Monday Night

A special joint meeting of members of every rifle club in the district will be held at 7:20 o'clock Monday evening in the Tombstone Canyon fire station. At this meeting a commander for the associated clubs will be chosen, and plans made to divide the membership into companies, each to be commanded by some member competent to direct the squad. It is also planned to engage several men to drill the riflemen in the rudiments of military tactics in order that each group will know exactly what to do in case of trouble.

It was pointed out at the meeting yesterday that unless a systematic method of drilling the clubs is invoked, and unless every member shows an interest in the work, the members would do more harm than good in case of an attack on the district from any direction. If the local riflemen all turn out to the meeting Monday night and show their willingness to assist in making the local organization a live one, the officers of the clubs promise that they will not have cause to regret it.

Other Meetings

In addition to the shoot Sunday and the big meeting Monday evening, the Quality Hill, Laundry Hill and Mason Hill home guards will meet Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights on the old tennis court, Higgins Hill, for regular drills, and the Tombstone Canyon Club will meet in the fire station in the canyon Tuesday and Friday evenings.

A war department order issued a short time ago gives the rifle clubs through which government rifles and revolvers are distributed, the ownership of such firearms until the possessors have qualified as sharpshooters or expert riflemen. Until such qualification, the club can call back any of the guns, refund the possessor's the money they deposited on them and turn them over to some other persons who are willing to practice and show interest in the government's efforts to encourage rifle practice among civilians.