91
REYNOLDS'S NEWSPAPER. SUNDAY, MAY 15.
SUNDAY'S EDITION. After some very clever shooting by Miss Annie Oakley, who seems to be a feminine Dr. Carver, and illustrations of "cowboys' fun" in throwing the lariat, and picking up objects from the ground while riding at full speed, the audience were treated to a spectable of some very clever riding, several members of Buffalo Bill's troupe mounting bucking horses and ponies, which dash about in a manner which threatened to dislocate their own backbones, and much more to injure anyone who dared to try to ride them. In almost every case, however, the cowboys were successful in mastering their steeds. More rifle shooting by Miss Lilian Smith, and horseback riding by American frontier girls, led up to the attack on the Deadwood stage coach by Indians, and their repulse by cowboys commanded by Buffalo Bill. This was very much a repetition of the previous part of the programme, the attack on an emigrant train. The Deadwood coach, with its solid india-rubber springs and ancient woodwork, was drawn rapidly along the ring by its team of mules. Suddenly the Indians appear on the horizon, and with a wild war-whoop bear down upon it. The passengers in the coach respond vigorously with their revolvers, and in the end Buffalo Bill and his followers give a good account of themselves, and the Indians are obliged to sheer off. The warfare, as in the previous contest, hurts nobody, and it was quite amusing to see the attackers and attacked galloping off in such happy guise. A race between Sioux Indian boys on barebacked Indian ponies, and another between Mexican thoroughbreds, were followed by an illustration of the phases of Indian life. As the nomadic tribes were seen camped on the prairie, an attack by hostile Indians was made, and this was followed by a scalp, was, and other dances. The latter were novel, if not musical nor particularly picturesque. Buffalo Bill, "America's practical all-round shot," then gave an exhibition of roping and riding of wild Texas steeds by cowboys and Mexicans. The latter, however, appeared to be a little cruel, and was not quite so successful as the other parts of the entertainment. After an illustration of the buffalo hunt came an attack upon a settler's cabin by hostile redskins, which was to a degree.
92
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH.
Yesterday morning the Prince of Wales visited the American Exhibition and "Wild West" at eleven o'clock. The party drove directly into the arena, and alighted in front of the Royal box. Among those present were the Prince and Princess of Wales, the King of Saxony, the King of Denmark, King of Greece, Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway, the Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria-Hungary, the Hereditary Prince and Princess of Saxe-Meiningen, Princess Victoria of Prussia, Prince George of Greece, the Duke of Sparta, Prince Albert Victor of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Princesses Victoria and Maud of Wales, Prince Louis of Baden, and Ladie and Gentlemen in Waiting. A full performance was given, and the Princess of Wales, Prince Albert Victor, the King of Denmark, Prince George of Wales, and the Crown Prince of Sweden and Norway entered the Deadwood coach.
93
LAND AND WATER LONDON, 182, STRAND, W.C., MAY 7,[?] Pigeon Shooting.
THE GUN CLUB. ON Saturday there was a large and [?] attendance, and the novelty of the day was the appearance of a lady gunner on the scene. This lady, Miss Annie Oakley, whose portrait we herewith present, is one of the numerous shooting wonders which have been produced in America. She is twenty years of age, and has practised shooting from almost babyhood, until she has now attained to great skill with shot-gun, rifle and pistol. With the rifle she once made a score of 943 glass balls (36 behind Ruth's "record') out of 1,000. This feat she has since surpassed, and now holds the record. She is a member of "Buffalo Bill's" Company. At this was her first lesson in English blue rock shooting, it was not surprising that several birds got away, but those she did kill were stopped in good time. The principal event was the
Ludlow L3 Handicap Sweepstakes with L25 added. This brought together a field of twenty-four shooters. Messrs. Shirley, Tudor, Wynill, Gambier and Kenrick kept together until the end of the sixth round; the last three lost their seventh rock, Mr. Wynill having particularly bad luck in this round, as his bird, hard hit, just managed to top the boundary wall. Messrs. Shirley and Tudor were more fortunate, and as they were now the only two left in, they decided to divide the prize, L97. Nineteen members then came up for the L2 Handicap Sweepstakes. Mr. Wynill was again to the front, with Mr. Merwyn Watts, these gentlemen killing bird for bird to the end of the eighth round, Mr. Merwyn Watts eventually winning the pool, L38, with a score of eight out of nine. The winnters of the L1 sweeps were Messrs. Hastings, Cobb, Gambier, Wynill, Merwyn Watts and Earnfield. L2 HANDICAP SWEEPSTAKES. 19 subs. Mr. Merwyn Watts, 31yds. rise (Purdey)(won L38)..4 0 4 Mr. Wynill, 30 (Baker)..........................................4 0 3 0 Mr. C. Seaton, 27 (Grant)......4 0 Mr. Hastings, 30 1/2 (Grant)...... 1 0 Mr. Welbore Ellis, 30 (Purdey) 3 0 Mr. Earnfield, 27 1/2 (Purdey)... 1 0 Mr. W. F. Gambier, 24 1/2 (Grant) 3 0 Sir T. Freke, 27 1/2 (Purdey)...... 0 Mr. F. M. Cobb, 28 (Reiley)...... 3 0 Mr. A. Gilbey, 28 (Reilly) ...... 0 Lord de Clifford, 30 (Purdey)... 3 0 Mr. Hankey, 26 1/2 (Reilly)........ 0 Mr. Featherstone, 25(Purdey). 2 0 Mr. Winfred, 30 1/2 (Purdey)...... 0 Mr. A. D. Halford, 28 1/2 (Purdey). 2 C Mr. Kenrick, 27 1/2 (Purdey)...... 0 Col. Shelley, 25 (Purdey) .......... 1 0 Mr. Retlaw, 25 (Bonehill) ...... 0 Capt. Shelley, 28 1/2 (Reilly) ...... 1 0 LUDLOW L3 HANDICAP SWEEPSTAKES [?] cup or specie added. 25 subs. Mr. T. Shirley, 24yds. rise (Boss) ....................{divided} 7 Mr. Tudor, 24 (Grant) ..................................{ L97 } 7 Mr. Wynill, 30 (Baker) ............ 6 0 Mr. Featherstone, 25 (Purdey) 1 0 Mr. W. F. Gambier, 24 1/2 (Grant) 6 0 Mr. Brentwood, 27 (Purdey) ... 1 0 Mr. Kenrick, 27 1/2 (Purdey) ...... 6 0 Captain Shelley. 28 1/2 (Reilly) ... 1 0 Sir T. Freke, 27 1/2 (Purdey) ...... 6 r Mr. Retlaw, 25 (Bonehill) ...... 0 Mr. Welbore Ellis, 30 (Purdey) 5 0 Colonel Shelley, 25 (Purdey) ... 0 Mr. F. M. Cobb, 28 (Reilly) .... 4 0 Mr. Winfred, 30 1/2 [?] ........... ~ Mr. A. D. Halford, 28 (Purdey) 3 0 Mr. Hankey, 26 [?] ...................... Mr. A. Gilbey, 28 (Reilly) ...... 2 0 Mr. Filmer V [?] (Lan Mr. C. Seaton, 27 (Grant) ...... 2 0 caster)..................................... 0 Mr. Cornfield, 27 1/2 (Purdey) ...2 0 Mr. W. [?] Batt, 26 (Grant) ..... 0 Mr. Merwyn Watts, 31 (Purdey) 1 0 Lord [?] Clifford, 30 (Purdey) .. 0 Mr. Hastings, 30 1/2 (Grant) ......1 0
94
THE QUEEN IN LONDON.
VISIT TO WESTMINSTER AND THE AMERICAN EXHIBITION.
Her Majesty's visit to London yesterday was partly official and partly for a novel form of afternoon's amusement and relaxation from State duties. Shortly after eleven the Queen drove from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey, where she was received by Dean Bradley and the Abbey officails, and inspected the various preparations being made for the Jubilee service to take place on June 21. The Dean, the Lord Chamerlain (Lord Lathom), to whose department the arrangements officailly belong, Mr. Plunket, and Sir H. Ponsonby Fane conducted the Queen over the Abbey, and explained all details. Her Majesty made a few suggestions, and, having expressed her pleasure with the proposed plan of the ceremony, drove back to the Palace. Before leacing the Queen paid a visit to the grave of Dean Stanley. In the afternoon the Royal party left the Palace, and drove through Earl's-court and West Kensington to see "Buffalo Bill."
Truly Colonel W.F. Cody should feel honoured, for in the last week all the notabilities of London -princes, pliticians, and players- hace visited what can now be fairly called "Wild West Brompton." Yesterday cam his crowining triumph, for it was her Majesty's Royal will and pleasure to witness the performance of the picturesque people who are already the talk of the town. As in the case of the Queen's cisit to Olympia, the entertainment was of a strictly private nature, the public being admitted to the Exhibition, but not to the ampitheatre. The Royal carriage came into the arena about half-past five, and with a suggestion of Ascot formality drove round the circle to the centre of the amphitheater, where a crimson velvet dais, decorated with orchids, and been prepared for her Majesty's use. The Queen, who looked in remarkably good spirits, was received by the Marquis of Lorne and the representatives of the Executive Council, comprising Lord Ronald Gower, Colonerl Hughes-0Hallett, M.P., Mr. John Priestman, Mr. Wm. Lee Thornton, Mr. J. G. Speed, and Colonel Griffin. With her Majesty came the Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg, and the Royal party was attended by the Duchess of Athole and Sir Henry and Lady Ponsonby, with Colonerl Gardiner and Sir Henry Ewart as equrries. The Marquis of Lorn having duly presented the president, Colonerl Henry Russel, the director, Mr. Whibley, and the secretary of the Exhibition, Mr. Vinvent Applin, a selection from the performance was given. The "orator" was not called on to exercise his excellent powers of sonorous elocution from the rostrum, but stood just outside on the left of the Royal box and performed his duties of introducing the various groups. Mexican Vaqueros, Indians, cowboys, "a group of American girls," as the "orator put it, and, in short the whole show was paraded before her Majesty, the Indians sweep[ing past at full gallop with wild cries of delight. To a man every one of them knew the real meaning of the tiny audience and the honour of the occasion, and so they put their hearts into their work, and fought, plunged, danced, and shouted with rare spirit. "Buck Taylor" dashed up and saluted; the little "cowboy," Master Bennie Irvingm kissed his small hands in token of his respect, and when, finally, Buffalo Bill had reined up his white mustang, waved his salutations, and dismissed his little army, the selected programme was gone through. A three-quarter mile race between a "Cow-boy," Indian and Mexican, was followed by the "pony express," with its incident of a quick remount then Miss Lilian Smith showed her skill with the rifle, and after her performance was called to the Royal box and complimented. Then little Miss Annie Oakley showed what she could do with clay pigeons, and in her turn was presented and complimented, and made the prettiest of curtseys before she scampered off.
Next came the picking up of handkerchiefs at full gallop by "Buck Taylor," the gigantic, and buck-jumping on the snorting mule "Suicide," which animal in its over loyal zeal seemed at one moment apparently desirous of paying its personal respects to Royalty till duly "warned off" by the "orator" and Mr. Salisbury. Then followed the "war dance," wherein the painted Indians crowded as close as they could to the Royal box, and placed themselves ambitiously in evidence. What the whoopings and yells quite meant we have no means of judging; but anyhow they were a very sincere form of enthusiam of some sort. After Sergeant Bates had waved his flag to the strains of "Yankee Doodle," Miss Mina Hickick had done her haute ecole business, and Buffalo Bill had shown his shooting powers on horseback, the "Deadwood coach" scene, with Indian attack and "cowboy" defence, was spiritedly enacted. Lord Renald Gower and Colonel Hughes Hallett, as on the opening day, took their places inside as passengers; and we are bound to say the noble lord and the hon. member for Rochester comported themselves with much dignity under a seemingly murderous fire. The performance would up with the dramatic attack on the isolated hut on the imaginary ranche, in the course of which many "braves" of the Araphoes, Brule Sioux, Shoshones, and Ogalallas temporarily "strewed the ground." When all the shooting was over and the "braves" had recovered and run home to the rocky fastnesses of the distant panorama, Colonel Cody was presented to her Majesty, who graciously expressed her delight with the show, regretted she had not more time to spare, and trusted to be able to come again. Mr. Nate Salisbury, the manager, having been presented, her Majesty sent for Ogila-sa, better known as "Red Shirt," the Chief of the Sioux. That redoubtable warrior advanced, in all the glories of his full-feathered war-bonnet, made a grave bow, and stood as still as a statue in the presence of what was to him "the Great White Queen." The few kind words of congratulation were interpreted to him, and he returned brief thanks with smiles. After a pause he desired the interpreter to say that "he had come a long way to see her Majesty, and was glad," after which "Red Shirt," feeling the interview was over, strode abruptly away. His notions of Court etiquette are primitive, but for all that there was both diginity and respect in his manner.
95
The Penny Illustrated Paper.
SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1887.
Marksmanship! Our riflemen score well and quickly, nobody can deny. But, my word, sharp-eyed Annie Oakley and Lilian Smith beat'em in the general rapidity and certainty with which they demolish earthenware pigeons and glass balls with firearms. Small wonder the Prince and Princess called these lissom young girl shots for the Royal box, and praised them for their skill.