SCR00007.192

THE SPRINGFIELD DAILY [UNION?]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1887.

AN EXPERT MARKSWOMAN.

REMARKABLE PERFORMANCES OF MISS ANNIE OAKLEY,

A Young American Girl Who is Creating a Furore Among the Crack Rifle Shots of England—Some Account of Her Feats—Coming to Springfield in 1888.

Miss Annie Oakley, the celebrated woman shot, whose picture we publish with this sketch, was born at Woodland, Darke county, O., August 13, 1866. Ever since a mere child she has been an inherent lover of firearms and hunting. At the age of 10 years she would smuggle her brother's musket and steal into the woods, where game at that time was plentiful. Naturally she was a good shot and came home well supplied with game. At the age of 12 she was presented with a small bore, muzzle loading shotgun. With this she improved rapidly and became such a fine shot that she rarely missed quail or pheasant. At the age of 14 she had paid off a mortgage on her father's homestead with money earned from the sale of game and skins shot and trapped by herself alone. Then came a local reputation and with improved fire arms she attracted wider notice. For the past six years she has been shooting before the public with great success. Though, like the modest little girl she is, she never laid claim to being a champion, yet in 1883—4 Richard K. Fox of New York had so much confidence in her ability that he offered to back her against any other so-called champion. Sitting Bull, the great Indian chief, after seeing her shoot in St. Paul, Minn., adopted her in the Sioux tribe, gave her the name of "Watanya Cicila," or "Little Sure Shot."

The first two years before the public she devoted to rifle and pistol shooting and there is very little in that line she has not accomplished. At [Griffin?], O., she once shot a 10 cent piece held between the thumb and forefinger of an attendant at a distance of 30 feet. In April, 1884, she attempted to beat the best record made at balls thrown in the air, using a 22 caliber rifle. The best record was 979 made by Dr. Ruth. Miss Oakley used a Stevens 22 caliber rifle and broke 943. Her first attempt at clay pigeons and trap shooting was about three years ago in Cincinnati, O., shooting with such fine shots as Banale, McMurchy and other noted shots in February, 1885, she attempted the feat of shooting at 5000 balls in one day, loading the guns herself. In this feat she used three 16 gauge hammer guns. The balls were thrown straight away from three traps 15 yards rise. Out of the 5000 shot at, she broke 4772. On the second thousand, she only missed 16, making the best 1000 ball record, 984. This feat was accomplished near Cincinnati, in less than nine hours. Besides the thousands of exhibitions she has given she has shot in over 40 matches and tournaments, winning prizes in all but six. Her collection of medals, cups, works of art and fire arms, which she has won or had presented to her, is considered the finest in America. Among them is the London, Eng., gun club medal, presented to Miss Oakley in May of this year, by the club in appreciation of the exhibition she gave before the club at the club grounds at Wormwood Scubs. The medal cost $250. Another medal which Miss Oaklely prizes highly is the one presented by Charles Lancaster, the noted gunmaker of London, on the occasion of her killing 41 blue rocks out of a possible 50, a feat uneualed, as Miss Oakley was using a 20 gauge gun and stood 25 yards. Another badge is one presented to Miss Oakley previous to her leaving New York for England by her women admirers for her fine riding, picking up a pocket handkerchief from the ground, the horse going at full gallop. She has hunted in many of the game sections of America and Canada, and says, with a pardonable pride, that she has shot quail in Virginia, ducks in Illinois, prairie chickens in Kansas and deer in Nothern Michigan. Her style and position at the trap is considered perfection by such critics as Budd, Stice, Erb, Bogardus, Cody, Carver and the English champions, Graham and Price. Shooting clay pigeons, she has a record of 96 out of 100. At live pigeons her best record is 23 out of 25 in America, and 41 out of 50 in England. It must be remembered that 41 out of 50 of the English birds is considered an extraordinary score, as English blue rocks are very swift flyers and are small birds. The 23 out of 25 was in a match for $100, and the 41 out of 50 was in a match for $500, a well known trap show matching 35 birds against Miss Oakley, the match being shot September 30 last, at Charles Lancaster's grounds at Willesden, London, T.T. Cartwright of this city being appointed referee.

Miss Oakley is now giving exhibitions with the Wild West show at the American exhibition and is one of the taking cards of the show. She is a great favorite with the English people, her private tent in the camp being crowded from morning to night. Her tent is kept well supplied with the choicest bouquets from her admirers of both sexes. On August 13, which was her 21st birthday, Miss Oakley recieved no less than 67 very nice presents, among them being a photograph of Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales, send by the princess herself. It is seldom a day passes but that Miss Oakley is invited to some reception, dinner or party. Miss Oakley is now using a pair of 20-bore hammerless shot guns and a 12-gauge, also hammerless, made by Charles Lancaster of London. These guns were specially made for Miss Oakley after experimenting to see just what suited her. The stocks are a great deal straighter than the American gun stocks and are made in every way just as she wanted them. The 20-gauge weigh five pounds two ounces each and are magnificent weapons. The charge used in 35 grains of Schultze powder and three-fourths of an ounce of shot. The following is the socre of the 50 shot match. Steptember 30:

1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1—8
1 0 1* 1 1 1 1* 1 1* 1*—9
1 1 1* 0 1—4
1 1 1 1 1 1* 0 1 0 0—7
1 0 1 1* 0 1 1 1 1 1—8
1* 1* 1 1* 1—5

Total 41

[* Denotes both barrels fired.]

Miss Oakley is recieving a great deal of praise in the newspapers of England as well as this country, and a few of the English comments are given to show how completely she has won the hearts of the sport loving Englishmen:

The highest complement we can pay this little lady is to say she can ride as well as she can shoot.—Society Times, June 22.

Exhibitions of schooting were given by Buffalo Bill, Miss Annie Oakley, and Miss Lillian Smith. Miss Oakley being far and away the best show.—Evening News, May 10.

THE SPRINGFIELD DAILY [UNION?]

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1887.

AN EXPERT MARKSWOMAN.

REMARKABLE PERFORMANCES OF MISS ANNIE OAKLEY,

A Young American Girl Who is Creating a Furore Among the Crack Rifle Shots of England—Some Account of Her Feats—Coming to Springfield in 1888.

Miss Annie Oakley, the celebrated woman shot, whose picture we publish with this sketch, was born at Woodland, Darke county, O., August 13, 1866. Ever since a mere child she has been an inherent lover of firearms and hunting. At the age of 10 years she would smuggle her brother's musket and steal into the woods, where game at that time was plentiful. Naturally she was a good shot and came home well supplied with game. At the age of 12 she was presented with a small bore, muzzle loading shotgun. With this she improved rapidly and became such a fine shot that she rarely missed quail or pheasant. At the age of 14 she had paid off a mortgage on her father's homestead with money earned from the sale of game and skins shot and trapped by herself alone. Then came a local reputation and with improved fire arms she attracted wider notice. For the past six years she has been shooting before the public with great success. Though, like the modest little girl she is, she never laid claim to being a champion, yet in 1883—4 Richard K. Fox of New York had so much confidence in her ability that he offered to back her against any other so-called champion. Sitting Bull, the great Indian chief, after seeing her shoot in St. Paul, Minn., adopted her in the Sioux tribe, gave her the name of "Watanya Cicila," or "Little Sure Shot."

The first two years before the public she devoted to rifle and pistol shooting and there is very little in that line she has not accomplished. At [Griffin?], O., she once shot a 10 cent piece held between the thumb and forefinger of an attendant at a distance of 30 feet. In April, 1884, she attempted to beat the best record made at balls thrown in the air, using a 22 caliber rifle. The best record was 979 made by Dr. Ruth. Miss Oakley used a Stevens 22 caliber rifle and broke 943. Her first attempt at clay pigeons and trap shooting was about three years ago in Cincinnati, O., shooting with such fine shots as Banale, McMurchy and other noted shots in February, 1885, she attempted the feat of shooting at 5000 balls in one day, loading the guns herself. In this feat she used three 16 gauge hammer guns. The balls were thrown straight away from three traps 15 yards rise. Out of the 5000 shot at, she broke 4772. On the second thousand, she only missed 16, making the best 1000 ball record, 984. This feat was accomplished near Cincinnati, in less than nine hours. Besides the thousands of exhibitions she has given she has shot in over 40 matches and tournaments, winning prizes in all but six. Her collection of medals, cups, works of art and fire arms, which she has won or had presented to her, is considered the finest in America. Among them is the London, Eng., gun club medal, presented to Miss Oakley in May of this year, by the club in appreciation of the exhibition she gave before the club at the club grounds at Wormwood Scubs. The medal cost $250. Another medal which Miss Oaklely prizes highly is the one presented by Charles Lancaster, the noted gunmaker of London, on the occasion of her killing 41 blue rocks out of a possible 50, a feat uneualed, as Miss Oakley was using a 20 gauge gun and stood 25 yards. Another badge is one presented to Miss Oakley previous to her leaving New York for England by her women admirers for her fine riding, picking up a pocket handkerchief from the ground, the horse going at full gallop. She has hunted in many of the game sections of America and Canada, and says, with a pardonable pride, that she has shot quail in Virginia, ducks in Illinois, prairie chickens in Kansas and deer in Nothern Michigan. Her style and position at the trap is considered perfection by such critics as Budd, Stice, Erb, Bogardus, Cody, Carver and the English champions, Graham and Price. Shooting clay pigeons, she has a record of 96 out of 100. At live pigeons her best record is 23 out of 25 in America, and 41 out of 50 in England. It must be remembered that 41 out of 50 of the English birds is considered an extraordinary score, as English blue rocks are very swift flyers and are small birds. The 23 out of 25 was in a match for $100, and the 41 out of 50 was in a match for $500, a well known trap show matching 35 birds against Miss Oakley, the match being shot September 30 last, at Charles Lancaster's grounds at Willesden, London, T.T. Cartwright of this city being appointed referee.

Miss Oakley is now giving exhibitions with the Wild West show at the American exhibition and is one of the taking cards of the show. She is a great favorite with the English people, her private tent in the camp being crowded from morning to night. Her tent is kept well supplied with the choicest bouquets from her admirers of both sexes. On August 13, which was her 21st birthday, Miss Oakley recieved no less than 67 very nice presents, among them being a photograph of Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales, send by the princess herself. It is seldom a day passes but that Miss Oakley is invited to some reception, dinner or party. Miss Oakley is now using a pair of 20-bore hammerless shot guns and a 12-gauge, also hammerless, made by Charles Lancaster of London. These guns were specially made for Miss Oakley after experimenting to see just what suited her. The stocks are a great deal straighter than the American gun stocks and are made in every way just as she wanted them. The 20-gauge weigh five pounds two ounces each and are magnificent weapons. The charge used in 35 grains of Schultze powder and three-fourths of an ounce of shot. The following is the socre of the 50 shot match. Steptember 30:

1 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1—8
1 0 1* 1 1 1 1* 1 1* 1*—9
1 1 1* 0 1 —4
1 1 1 1 1 1* 0 1 0 0—7
1 0 1 1* 0 1 1 1 1 1—8
1* 1* 1 1* 1 —5

Total 41

[* Denotes both barrels fired.]

Miss Oakley is recieving a great deal of praise in the newspapers of England as well as this country, and a few of the English comments are given to show how completely she has won the hearts of the sport loving Englishmen:

The highest complement we can pay this little lady is to say she can ride as well as she can shoot.—Society Times, June 22.

Exhibitions of schooting were given by Buffalo Bill, Miss Annie Oakley, and Miss Lillian Smith. Miss Oakley being far and away the best show.—Evening News, May 10.