Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-09-05
STORY OF annie OAKLEY
Worlds Most Famous Woman Rifle
a.. Shot.
WAS WITH BUFFALO BILL SHOW
There Were Few Men Marksmen Who
Were Anywhere Near Her Equal
Has Exhibited Her Skill In All Parts
or The Country.
BY Margaret c. Getchell.

BY Margaret c.. Getchell
She could have shot the kaiser as II
by accident and escaped unpunished.
But she didn't do 1t.
Fact is, It was in those days or long
ago before tho kaiser became hated Oh
mankind. He was then crown prince
md was much interested in watching
the American woman shoot. Standing
at distance OF thirty feet from a row
OF men, each with q cigarette In MS
mouth. she would shoot the aohes OIL
each cigarette.
Prince William asked her to try u
on him, but she hesitated. She never
had missed. but It was taking risks
with royalty, for a slight deviation
rnisht have meant the wounding OF the
rrown prince. SO she had him hold
The cigarette. in his hand and then she
shot the ashes off. "a
Day OF Wild West Past. ~
saaWhat chance missed" she has
thought many a time during the last
four yea,s. "for'I could easily have shot,
the kaiser, apparently doing it by aeci-
dent"
The American woman who had this,
UNIQUE chance was Annie Oakley, one
of the worlds champion shooters,
whose name brings up memories OF
the Wild West show to the many
thousands Of people. in this country
and abroad who saw her during the
seventeen years when she was costur
with Buffalo Bill himself in his great
show. &
Eighteen years ago she left the cir
Gus arena, having made enough money
to retire build home and live COM
fortably the rest of her life. But she
has never been able to settle down to
q simple round of domestic duties and
pleasures.
"You can't. cage a gypsy" she says
with a playful smile that lights
up her face 1t is only after being with
her some time that one begins to feel
the gypsy nature Of which she speaks.
At first she seems to be just gentle,
sweet, white haired little woman. with
a soft voice and charming manners.
But gradually one comes to have
sense of the restlessness underlying
her vivacity which keeps her on the
alert every moment. @ t
She is far from inactive at present
for she teaches shooting at Pinehurst,
N. c., for an hour every morning dur
ing the season, and rides horseback
each afternoon. Ten thousand women
have come under her instruction there
in the last four years. and many are
the friendships which have resulted
from her new line of activities.
I IT was while visiting one of her
friends whom she met at Pinehurst,
Mrs. Louis J. Kolb. Of Germantown,
Pa, that she went to Ringland Bros,
and Barnus G. Bailey's circus, where
she watched from the grandstand the
little wild west show following the cir
Gus proper.
"But the day OF the big wild west
show is past" she. said somewhat re-
gretfully, "and will not return again.
The old performers are falling away
from the ranks and there are no new
ones in the west to take their place"
Z TO speak of Ohio as the wild west"
is today absurd, yet when Annie Oak
ley was born in Woodland, Drake coun-
ty. Ohio, in 1856. the little log cabin
which was her home was IN wild
country Of mostly virgin forest. With
the building up of the west it is plain
to zee what happens to the stuff that
wild west shows are made Of.
my parents were OF Pennsylvania
stock, members Of the Society OF
Friends. and went west to settle in q
little Ohio village, eighteen miles from
, q railroad" she said, in telling the in
teresting. story of her early life. II
lived much outdoors and loved to play
in the woods near our home.
Learned to Shoot as Child.
'I was eight years old when made
my first shot, and / still consider 1t one
of the best shots ever made. / saw a
squirrel run down over the grass in
front of the house. through the orchard
and stop on a fence to get a hickory
nut. / decided to shoot it, and ran
into the house to get a gun which was
hanging on the wall and which knew
TO be loaded. / was so little ] had 10
jump up on q chair and slide it down |
ITO the mantel and then to the ground.
q laid the gun on the railing OF the
5porch and then recalled what 1 hhd I
sheard my brother say about shooting |
Zone remark which came to no was: |
SIt is q disgrace to shoot n squirrel |
anywhere but in the head. because
it spoils the meat to hit him else |
where With the confidence of a |
younger sister, took the remark |
literally and decided, in fash, that ] |
must hit that squirrel in the head, or
be disgraced. 1t was 4 wonderful shot,
going right through the head from side
10 side.
: MY mother was so frightened when
she learned that I had taken down the
loaded gun and shot it that l was for
hidden TO touch il again for eight
months. Then j was allowed 10 shoot
fl,Dt Il