Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-02-10
A GIRL GAME-SHOOTER.
A DAUGHTER OF CALIFORNIA
BEATS THE accord.
This Gentle Maiden kills Nearly Ore
Thousand Birds With Her Rifle
in One season-Mollie Is
Death on Geese


the Colusa plains. and is decidedly
more distinguished as rifle shot
than any OF her sex In California
She can tell stories OF her work In
shooting geese that would make the
most credulous doubtful! unless he
heard the adventures from her own
lips.
do you want to meet the greatest
girl shooter in the worldp" asked
Michael Francis Donleavy. OF San
Francisco Call man.
The desire OF meeting such a noted
parsonage was readily admitted and
in few moments she was found in
the hotel at the corner of Fifth and
Mission street..
She was In the parlor standing be-
fore window and gazing out upon
the dismal prospect rs the rain fell
in torrents. While approa hing her
1t was mott ed that she had her arms
up as II she were in the attituds Of
firing at something with gun.
When addressed Miss Mollie turned
suddenly round and on being intro
du ed she blushed deeply and
laughed saying;
You have caught me in the act"
'And what t is that"
'Oh. OF shooting geese. This Is
the time OF the year we shoot geese
up in Colusa and | should be there
to help"
'Do you shoot geese?'
Certainly. have been a shot
gun and rifles shot since l was Twelve
years OF age"
'And you are now-ah. beg par
don" and her interviewer was think
ing CT blushing when she stopped
the rush OF blood 10 his cheeks by
replying:
seventeen. That's all right It's
no transgression with me 10 inquire
my age You are reporter and
want to know something about herd
ing geese in Colusa your friend
says che ratified away In the moss
composed manner.
We'll she resumed thoughtfully.
ats lots OF fun for me at least tut
I've never met a real live reporter
before i suppose though they're
no worse than millions of other geese
I've met But then | had a gum"
Her father anne in at this juncture
and hearing the last remark. laughed.
Several other people also laughed.
Fearing that she might get a gun.
Miss Mollie was quickly asked:
Ibid you say millionsP
Exactly. was the answer. ..Don't
be alarmed at that I'm inside the
limit because | have it down to a
mathematical certainty. have seen
over 5. 900 acres covered with them.
and. estimating /. 900 birds to the
acre. there would be 8 600 900 and
am putting it low. because do not
want to be accused OF exaggerating.
You don't" was the only response
that her questioner could summon up.
as her large black eyes sparkled with
merriment at the amaZement she had
produ ed.
That's right" chimed in the proud
father. Now Mollie tell him what
you did last year"
Yes sir but it nlny not be be-
lieved You see | now shoot a rifle
altogether-a Winchester. Formerly
used a shotgun. but soon learned by
experience that could not get within
range. The OBJ OF course. was
SIMPLY to keep the geese o i the grow
ing grain.
My father hired four men to do
this. paying them $50 for their SER
vices They used OLD army muskets
loaded with shot 1t was seldom that
any OF them ever killed "a goose All
they wanted to do was to frighten
them. When the bounty was offered
by the county for the head OF each
goose. / adopted the Winchester
Father paid me so month and /
sold my heads to the county at the
rate of two cents per head.
Last year was my largest record.
The season began in November and.
as usual lasted three and half
months or thereabouts During that
time herded every dav and | killed
9. S55 geese. / wanted 20 make even
5000 in bounty money bat could not
quite reach that sum. This year 1
expected to do better. but now | have,
lost three DAYS because had to come
down here and help father do some
business.
With this last remark Miss Mollie.
or Mary Elizabeth Morgan as she
writes 1t on the back OF her photo
graphs heaved sigh. But l will
be up there tomorrow
THAT is a large-sizcd story. Miss
Mollie" was suggested. lit would
be awful to ask you how many you
ever killed at one shot"
Il really could not tell " was the
reply. Il have crept up through a
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-soven. You know some
times one shot went through half
dozen of them. That Is the largest
work / ever did without reloading.
When there Is small flock DO some
fancy shooting by taking their heads
of. ! can do that forty-ni times
out OF fifty at the range OF 100 yards
III you don't believe IL come up
there this winter and we'll show you.