Annie Oakley Scrapbook

THE FIELD.

SATURDAY, JULY 16, 1887.

SHOOTING.

SHOOTING WITH BOTH EYES OPEN.

SIR,—Miss Annie Oakley, of the Wild West Show, has asked me to answer the letters of Z. A. and "Old Rap," which appeared in your issue of the 9th inst. (as being the only English maker of her guns), respecting the stocking of the guns I have had the honour of building for her.

As no doubt most of your readers are aware, nearly all Americans shoot with guns with a great deal of bend—i.e., about 3 in.—which allows the gun to come well under the right eye, instead of using straighter stocks, with a proper amount of cast off to suit the person for whom the gun is intended, so as to allow the perfect alignment for the right eye.

The original gun I built for Miss Oakley, as ordered for her from America, was 2 7/8 in., and little or no cast off; but after trying this gun at my private shooting ground, it was found she was shooting a great deal under her birds, and at my suggestion, to remedy this, it was restocked very much straighter—viz., 1 3/4 in., and cast off 3/16 in.

This gun weighed nearly 7 1/2 lb., and, although lighter than her other guns, was found to be handicapping her for the shooting she had to do, and I therefore built her another gun weighing only 6lb. 14oz., with 28in. barrels, and which was stocked 2in., and cast off 3/16in. With this gun Miss Oakley has succeeded in doing some very fine shooting—viz., killing twenty-two starlings out of twenty-five, shot at at 23 yards' rise; and I feel convinced, from the way in she has shot the very best blue rock pigeons up to 30 yards' rise, that before the lady leaves England she will make a splendid score at our leading clubs.

I may add that I am now building a pair of 20-bore breech-loading hammerless guns for Miss Oakley, and being specially designed for exhibition shooting, I shall be pleased to submit then for your inspection when finished.

If your correspondent Z. A. will do me a favour to pay me a visit, I shall be pleased to go into the question, to enable him to procure a gun most suitable for his son.

Charles Lancaster.

151, New Bond-street, W.

THE AMERICAN FIELD

NOTES.

The Grand Duke Michael of Russia, who, rumor says, has visited England to find a wife from among the daughters of the Prince of Wales, is in his own country a generous patron of everything connected with sport. Recently he requested Miss Annie Oakley to allow him to enter into competition with her at the Wild West Show, which request she granted. An English journal, referring to the contest, says that "although the Prince made a fairly good score, it showed but poorly in comparison with that of his fair competitor, and he retired from the contest abashed, but firmly convinced of the superiority of American markswomen over Russian amateur lady-shots."

PICTORIAL NEWS, SATURDAY, JULY 23, 1887.

MISS ANNIE OAKLEY,

THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL-SHOT IN THE WORLD (See

BUFFALO BILL'S WILD WEST.

Miss Annie Oakley, the most Famous Girl-Shot in the World.

(See Illustration, page 16.)

This celebrated shot was born at Woodland, Darke Co., Ohio, August 13, 1866. Ever since a child she has had an inherent love for firearms and hunting, and at the age of 10 she, as often as ammunition was obtainable, 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 14-gauge muzzle-loading shot-gun. With this she improved rapidly and became such a fine shot that she rarely missed quail or pheasant; and at the age of 14 she has 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 firearms she attracted wider notice. For the past five 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, giving her the name of "Watanya Cicilia," 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 Tiffin, Ohio, 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 cal. rifle. The best record was 979, made by Dr. Ruth. Miss Oakley used a Stevens 22 cal. rifle, and broke 943. Her first attempt at clay pigeon and trap shooting was made about three years ago in Cincinnati, shooting with such fine shots as Bandle, McMurchy, and other noted shots.

In February, 1885, she attempted the feat of shooting at 5,000 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 5,000 shot at, she broke 4,772. On the second thousand she only missed 16, making the best 1,000-ball record—984. This feat was accomplished near Cincinnati, Ohio, in less than nine hours.

Besides the thousands of exhibitions she has given, she has shot in 31 matches and tournaments, winning 25 prizes. Her collection of medals and firearms, all of which have been won or presented to her is considered the finest in America.

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 Northern 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, made in a match for 100 dollars.

What makes Miss Oakley's feats more surprising is the fact that she is small in stature and weighs only 110 pounds.

Besides her wonderful marksmanship, Miss Oakley is an accomplished housekeeper, as the neat and cheery appearance of her tent on Arapeah Avenue, withing the encampment, testifies, and those visitors who are fortunate to be invited within cannot but admire the quiet and ladylike manner in which she acts the part of hostess. The Prince of Wales was particularly pleased with her, and complimented her most highly, as did also the Queen.

THE SUNDAY CHRONICLE, JULY 24, 1887.

People are wondering at the marked interest taken in the Wild Westeries by H. R. H. the Prince of Wales. In fact, if Royal Patronage could make the show a success, Colonel Cody should not be uneasy for one moment. Very recently the Prince presented Buffalo Bill with a gold horse-shoe pin, set with diamonds and rubies. On Wednesday, at Wimbledon, he sent for Miss Annie Oakley, who had made a fairly good record at the "Shooting Der," shook hands with her, and congratulated her very warmly. Nothing surprises American visitors more than the patronage accorded the West Brompton Hippodrome by the cream of London fashionable society. Among the middle and lower classes little interest is evoked by the vagaries of the Red Man and the Cowboy.