 At the Birdcage Theater, one of the cowboys sees the juggler,  "Professor Gilman" and says "Aw! Professor Gilman? I seen him in  Bisbee. He catches things." To which another cowboy stands up, pulls  a gun and says "Hey, Professor! Catch this!" and shoots one of the  bowling pins hes juggling. This is based on a true anecdote told in  the Time Life book series "The Old West