Annie Oakley (Phoebe Anne Mozee) *PIC*

Posted By: Wally Garchow
Date: 25 January 2003

transcribed from Frazer Wilson's History of Darke County, v. 1, 1914, pp 348-352.

ANNIE OAKLEY

At this time when much is being said and written concerning "woman's sphere" of activity in the various enterprises of the world, it is refreshing to study the career and note the opinions of one who has achieved distinction in a unique profession. The use of firearms is not usually associated with the gentler sex, yet who will question the right of developing talent or skill nowadays wherever found? In fact, is not ideal success that which allows the freest and fullest realization of personality consistent with the welfare of the individual and the greatest good of society? As civilization advances a wider scope is given to the cultivation of special talent, and a keener appreciation of merit is developed. The man or woman who can do one thing better than anyone else is the person in demand at this hour, and the question of age and sex is given less consideration than formerly.

With these reflections we study the life of "Annie Oakley" (Mozee) , who has attained international fame, as a rifle and pistol shot. Along in the '5O's her parents left the mountains of Pennsylvania and settled in the northeastern part of Darke county. Here in a wild tract of land known as the "fallen timbers" Annie was born in the early "sixties." Her mother was a Quaker and exhibited some talent for art, which was expressed in pencil sketches and a few paintings, but limited by circumstances of poverty and hard work. Her father was a natural athlete, fond of shooting wild game, but not an expert shot. From one she probably inherited skill and a generous disposition; from the other agility and a love of out-door sports.

It is said that when but a small child she would secretly follow her brother on his hunting expeditions, and when discovered and reprimanded, would plead to remain with him and help shoot. One day, when a little over eight years of age, while her brother was away from the house, she caught sight of a fox squirrel frisking along the fence, and taking his muzzle loading rifle, she rested it on the rail of the porch, fired and cut the animal's throat. When the brother returned he was surprised, and in order to wreak vengeance on his offending sister he secretly put a double load in his shotgun, and giving her the weapon, threw up his hat as a target. To his surprise this, too, was quickly pierced, and the sister, undaunted, won the day. From this time on she progressed in marksmanship, and at twelve years of age was given a light muzzle loading shotgun and a breech-loading rifle as a tribute to her skill.

Anna's early education was limited, and before her ninth birthday she commenced to work for a living. The father died, leaving a family of small children, and a small, heavily mortgaged farm. By hunting and trapping quail and pheasants and other game and doing manual labor she saved enough to pay off the mortgage before her fourteenth year. Being variously employed at housework for a couple more years she finally went to live with a sister at Cincinnati, Ohio, where she married Mr. Frank E. Butler, a frank, genial gentleman and an expert shot, whom she met at a shooting contest, and with whom she later visited professionally nearly all civilized countries. Mr. Butler was at that time about $1,500 in debt. Many interesting anecdotes might be told of their early trials and struggles.

During the first year of her public life she played with vaudeville companies, probably doing feats of fancy marksmanship. The two years following she exhibited with Sells Brothers circus, shooting from horseback. Then followed a long engagement with Buffalo Bill's Wild West, beginning in the early spring of 1885, during which she shot at the London and Paris expositions, and the world's fair at Chicago, and exhibited before nearly all the crowned heads and the aristocracy of Europe. She remained with this world famed show seventeen years, seven of which were spent abroad, during which she visited fourteen countries.

She gave five exhibitions before the Prince of Wales and shot game on his estate at Sandringham, for which she was richly paid. At Earl's Court, London, she exhibited before three kings, two princes and five other titled people. Probably no American lady, except Mary Anderson, ever received as generous and enthusiastic reception in high European circles and her impression is that the educated classes of Europe are lavish in the recognition of talent when shown, while Americans, though more ready to hail aspiring genius, are less enthusiastic in applause.

Her autograph album contains the names of a large number of noted persons, among which are noticed the following: Princess May of Teck, the Duchess of Cumberland, Hilde de Clifford, the famous English beauty; Lady Paget, Lord Windsor, Duc de Orleans, Seignor Crispi, Count Spaletti, the Chinese Embassy at London, Dinah Salifou, Sitting Bull, Rain in the Face and Curly, the Crow Indian Scout and sole surviving member of Custer's famous braves. The names of Lillian Lewis, Ellen Terry, Henry Irving, Chauncey Depew and Thomas A. Edison appear, not to mention a great host of others. One of the most prized is that of H. C. Bonner, deceased, the founder of Puck. It reads as follows :

"It was a pleasant day

As near the first of May

As days come in pleasant April weather,

That Miss Anna Oakley shot

Her hundred pigeon pot,

And the record on the clays broke together,

And may all the days she knows,

As through the world she goes,

Be as lucky for her all time through,

As that pleasant day in spring,

When she showed us she could wing,

One hundred birds in minutes six and seconds thirty-two!"


Besides being feted by Queen Victoria, she has received jewels and presents from nearly all the crowned heads of Europe, and her collection of trophies in the way of jewels, firearms and mementoes is quite elaborate. Her salary as early as 1900 when with the Wild West was $150 per week with expenses paid, and it is said she gave generously of this for charity, being mindful of her own early struggles. Strange as it may seem, she is not fond of public exhibition and social life, but prefers out of door sport, and yearns for the time when she can enjoy the seclusion of private life.

Some of her best records with the rifles are 945 tossed balls out of 1,000; 96 small clay pigeons out of 100; 50 straight double clays; 49 live birds out of 50.

With 5,000 balls she broke 4,772 in one day's shooting; and on the second thousand her best record of 984 was made. She is fond of swimming, walking, running and bicycle riding, and makes a point of getting plenty of outdoor exercise, to which custom may be attributed her remarkable vitality and sustained good health. Her guns weigh about seven pounds, and she sometimes shoots 150 shots in a day, thus lifting over 1,000 pounds. She has shot wild deer in America, wild boar in Germany, and roebuck in Austria.

In personal appearance she is slight, below average height, with black flowing hair, keen, blue-gray eyes, clear-cut expressive features, and a rather piquant face. One might expect that such a life as hers would produce coarseness and lack of refinement, but Miss Annie has certainly resisted such an effect, and possesses a rare modesty and a charming personality. Unaffected, simple and sincere, she exhibits a grace and tact rarely met. With a girlish voice, a genial vivacious disposition and winning ways she is a ready conversationalist and is, withal, charitable, thoughtful and refined. Caring naught for the privileges of suffrage she only asks a fair chance for her sex to develop such talents as nature and education gives.

In 1893 she built a handsome residence in Nutley, New Jersey, not far from New York City, where she spent several enjoyable vacation seasons.

On October 30, 1901, the Wild West show suffered a disastrous wreck in which Annie Oakley was severely wounded, having to undergo five operations in order to save her life. This ended her engagement with the big show and in the fall and winter of 1902 she starred in a play written especially for herself, and, if possible, made a greater artistic success than she had in the shooting field. Then came the great libel suit against her in which fifty-seven newspapers participated. Two of these made immediate apology, but the other fifty-five were sued with the result that fifty-five verdicts were rendered in favor of Annie Oakley. Most of these cases were settled soon in a manner satisfactory to the plaintiff, but one suit dragged on for nearly seven years. This closed probably the greatest chain of suits on record in the history of the world, costing the plaintiff about $90,000.00 and the defendants about half a million dollars. Thus one little frail woman with a few thousand dollars that she had earned by her skill put up a wonderful fight against several of the mostprominent newspapers in the United States representing a capital of several million dollars, and manned by some of the brainy men of the country, and won practically a unanimous
verdict in justification of her character.

Annie Oakley joined the "Young Buffalo Wild West" in April, 1910, continuing with them three years during the summer seasons, and spending the winters with her husband in central Florida, shooting game and riding after the hounds.

Having sold their former home at Nutley, N. J., they are now in Cambridge, Md., where they are erecting a new home on Hambrooks Bay, near the Great Choptauk river. They are planning to spend their summer fishing and boating over this beautiful river and the Chesapeake Bay -- going occasionally to Florida or returning to Annie's former home in Darke county, Ohio, where is the resting place of her beloved little mother and the homes of her sisters, Mrs. Hulda Haines and Mrs. Emily Patterson.

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