The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-01-28
She is A CRACK SHOT.
Miss Mollie Morgan Kills Many
Geese Every Season.
She Ia a California Girl, and She Killed
Nearly Ten Thousand Geese on the Wing
in One Year-The Bounty on the Slaugh-
tered-Anima1s Was Considerable.

in One Year-The Bounty on the Slaugn-
tered Animals Was Considerable.
Miss Mollie Morgan is probably as
pretty girl as ever blossomed On the
Colusa plains, and is decidedly more dis
tinguished as rifle shot than any other
Of her sex in California.
She can tell stories of her work IN
shooting geese that would make :he most
credulous doubtful unless he heard the
adventures from her own lips.
EDO you want to meet the greatest
girl shooter in the worldY" asked Michael
Francis Donleavy.
The desire of meeting such noted
parsonage was readily admitted, and in
q few moments she was found in the ho-
tel at the corner Of Fifth and Mission
streets.
She was in the parlor standing before
window and gazing out upon the dis
NAL prospect as the rain fell in torrents.
While approaching her 1t was noticed
that she had her arms up as 1t she were
in the attitude Of firing at something
with gun.
When addressed Miss Mollie turned
suddenly around, and on being intro
duced she blushed deeply and laughed,
saying:
sYou have caught me in the act"
"And what act is thatf'
ooh, of shooting geese. This is the
time Of the year that we shoot geese up
in Colusa, and should be there to help"
"Do you shoot geese?"
Certainly. have been a shotgun and
rifle shot since was twelve years of
age
ssAnd you are now-ah, beg pardon"
And her interviewer was thinking of
blushing when she stopped the rush of
blood to his cheeks by replying:
Seventeen. That's all right. It's no
transgression with me to inquire my age.
You are reporter and want to know
something about herding geese in Colusa,
your friend says" she ratified away in the
most composed manner. "Well," she
resumed thoughtfully, sit is lots of fun
for me at least, but I've never met real
live reporter before. suppose, though,
| they are no worse than millions of other
geese that have met. But then had
| gun"
Her father came in at this juncture,
and hearing the last remark laughed.
Several other people also laughed.
/ Fearing that she might get a gun Miss
Moliie was quickly asked:
s.Did you say millions!'
EXACTLY" was the, answer. "Don't
be alarmed at that I'm inside the limit,
| because have it down to mathemat-
| ical certainty. / have seen over 5000
acres covered with them, and estimating
| 1000 birds to the acre, there would be
5000, 900, and am putting it low, be-
cause do not want to be accused of ex-
aggeration.
| ssYou WON'T" was the only response
| that her questioner could summon upas
| her large black eyes sparkled with mer-
riment at the anazement she had pro-
duced.
..That's right chimed in the proud
father. ssNow, Mollie. tell him what
| you did last year" s5.
| s'Yes, sir, but it may not be believed.
| You see, now shoot rifle altogether
| a Winchester. Formerly used shot
gun, but soon learned by experience that
| / could not get in range. The object of
course was simply to keep the geese off
the growing grain.
| "My father hired four men to do this,
paying them thirty five dollars a month
for their services. They used old army
muskets loaded with shot. It was sell
dom that any of the men ever killed a
goose. All they wanted to do was to
| brighten them. When the bounty was
offered by the county for the head of
each goose I adopted the Winchester.
Father paid me twenty dollars month,
and sold my heads to the county at the
rate of two cents per head.
s.Last year was my largest record.
The season began in November and, as
usual, lasted 81 months or Whereabouts.
During that time l herded every day,
and i killed 1856 geese. I wanted to
make even 5000 in bounty money, but
| could not quite reach that sum. This
1 year expected to do better, but now
| have lost three days because ! had to
come down here and help father to do
some business"
With this last remark Miss Mollie, or
Mary Elizabeth Morgan, as she writes it
on the back of her photographs, heaved
| a sigh. But will be up there tomor-
row."
"That is large sized story, Miss Mol
lie," was suggested. sit would be awful
to ask you how many you ever killed at
one shot"
81 really could not TELL" was the re-
ply. 81 have crept up through swale
or waterway onto acres of geese and
emptied my entire sixteen shots into the
flock before they got out of range
"And you picked up
| "Just sixty seven. You know some
times one shot went through half dozen
of them. That is the largest work l
ever did without reloading. When there
| is small flock do some fancy shooting
by taking their heads off. can do that
forty-nine times out of fifty at the range
of 100 yards.
IF you don't believe it come up there
l