HB... I remember when discussing the Ligowsky Trap Mr. Teipel`s name came up. I found a photo of Ben from the 1899 Grand American program that I thought would be of interest... Trap3
Thank you Trap3, I added it to my Shooter Pics file. I seem to recall seeing his picture before but for some reason I did not have it on file. It turns out it looks like the same picture used in his obituary. Ben Teipel was a notable shooter who competed with and beat the crack shots of the 1800s. He shot everything, live birds, glass balls and clay pigeons. Competed with Bogardus, J. A. R. Elliott, Charlie Grimm, Harvey McMurchy, E. D. Fulford, Rolla Heikes, etc. At one time he was the champion of the world winning the International Diamond Badge at New Orleans about 1886. He was granted several patents ( I have 7 on file), some having to do with the design of a better carrier arm and target holder for the Ligowsky trap, a target and a trap. Mr. Teipel opened a new shooting park and ran tournaments. He was later elected councilman of Covington, KY. Sadly he was confined to an insane asylum about December 19, 1900 when he became violent after getting hit in the head by a police baton. He died at age 41, December 29, 1900 leaving a wife and young son. HB
Many of Mr. Teipel's patents are mentioned on pages 56, 57 & 64 of TRAPSHOOTING - The Patriotic Sport, 1921 edition, written by D. H. Eaton. I have 8 Teipel patents on file. Three were sold to the Ligowsky Clay Pigeon Company to help transition to targets without a tab. Two patents he kept ownership were improvements designed specifically for the Ligowsky Trap. Benjamin Teipel's first patent: This was the final patent sold to the Ligowsky Clay Pigeon Co. A Story About Ben M’MURCHY TELLS A YARN. He Relates How Teipel Won a Match With a Sling Shot. One night during the recent tournament of the Cincinnati Gun Club, Harvey McMurchy, E. D. Fulford, J. A. R. Elliott, R. O. Heikes and several others met in the Gibson House and naturally began recalling events of the past. Finally McMurchy limbered up and said: “The most unique shooting that I ever saw was at a state shoot held in Springfield, Ohio, years ago. During the pigeon shoot, Eugene Bogardus, son of Captain Bogardus, was brought out to give an exhibition of fancy rifle shooting, hitting pennies, lead pencils, etc., thrown into the air. Some Cincinnati man laughed at Bogardus saying that Ben Teipel, who was a contestant in the match, could do better shooting with an ordinary rubber sling shot than the expert did with his rifle. Such a remark naturally resulted in a warm discussion, and as a result that evening a sling shot was manufactured for Teipel and the next afternoon the match was shot. Strange as it may seem the man with the rubber toy shooting a single buckshot hit about ten percent, more pennies and lead pencils tossed up than did young Bogardus, and was declared the victor. Teipel came from Cincinnati or rather Covington, and had learned to use a sling shot when a boy. Later he exchanged it for a cross bow, and it is said with a ten penny nail as a missile, found no difficulty in hitting a bird on the wing. When 21 years of age he won the world’s diamond championship badge at New Orleans, defeating Captain Bogardus, Buffalo Bill, Dr. Carver and other crack shots. There was no notary public present and McMurchy couldn’t be sworn to the above but he affirms it to be true as he believes. Sporting Goods Gazette. [ SPORTING LIFE, January 21, 1899, page 15 ] Should anyone come across either of these articles, I'd appreciative a copy of it. L.C. Smith Maker, Syracuse, New York – Part III, the Ben Teipel Gun by John N. Davis Reprint of an article published in The American Field on March 27, 1886 telling the story of renowned shooter Ben Teipel sending his Parker to L.C. Smith in Syracuse to be re-bored according to the Smith system of multiplied chokes. (From the L. C. Smith Collectors Association} Rest in peace Ben Ben Teipel died in an insane asylum at Lakeland, Ky., December 29. For years he was a noted figure in the trap shooting world, having won many championship prizes and competed against the best shots of the day. He was also the inventor of the “Teipel arm” for throwing the old clay pigeons as well as other improvements on traps. Teipel was about 40 years old and was taken to the insane asylum on December 18. He was a participant in the Grand American Handicap in 1899. [ SPORTING LIFE, January 5, 1901, page 14 ] HB
