Every established community
has produced or nurtured men of exceptional energy and ability, who
by their activity, local pride and steadfast devotion have made a
worthy record for themselves which should be preserved for the
instruction and inspiration of future generations.
Darke county is no exception and should enroll on her
scroll of fame and names of her citizens, who have blazed the way in
husbandry, business, education, medicine, law, politics and the
active affairs of men. Among the pioneers we have especially
mentioned the names of Azor Scribner and Linus Bascom,
the frontier merchants; Abraham Scribner, the politician;
John Devor, the surveyor; Abraham Studebaker, the
stalwart farmer, besides many others of less prominence. To
this notable list should be added the name of
Major George Adams*
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Abraham Studabaker
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Dr. Isaac Newton Gard.
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Edward B. Taylor
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Ind. Mrs. Blanch Hughes, wife of Attorney Thomas J.
Hughes, of Greenville, is a daughter of Mrs. Arnold.
Enoch Beery Seitz and Family
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Barnabas Collins and Family
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For if the chaste, the learned, would
have to act,
We must be critics, not in name - in fact!
The modern state, of modern life the school,
Paints nature true, nor varies in the rule!
All follies, vices, shams and things "too thin,"
With manners, fashions, worldly ways and din;
Before our eyes, on colors strong and bright,
She spreads, that we may see and choose the right.
The Stage explodes the vile imposter's claims,
And fraud and falsehood boldly drags to shame.
The ants, letters, Eloquence, Culture, Lore,
Rose with the Stage in Greece, nor rose before!
The hero's - patriot's - cause in every age
Has found a friend and ally in the Stage!
This neight behold the scene where Emmett Stood,
Who gave to Erin and Liberty his blood.
|
"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 any one 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 the international fame, as a
rifle and pistol shot. Along in the '50'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
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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.
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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 kinds, 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 miutes 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.
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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 1000; 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 shot a
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 Oct. 30, 1901, the Wild West show suffered a
disastrous wreck in which Annie Oakley was severely wounded,
having ot 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 plain-
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tiff, 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, 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 most prominent
newspapers in the United States representing a capital of several
million of 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 be loved little mother and the homes of her
sisters, Mrs. Hulda Haines and Mrs. Emily Patterson.
Henry Black.
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Other Notables.
These are the
names of only a few of the residents of Darke county who have
wrought out exceptional careers at home or attained wide fame for
their accomplishments. The legal profession has furnished
several men of note whose names and accomplishments are recorded in
the chapter on the “Bench and Bar” in this volume. Others
appear among the family biographical sketches in volume two,
including John T. Lecklider, the poet; Jacob T. Martz,
the educator; Frank Conklin, the financier; Harvey C.
Garber, the politician; L. C. Anderson, the physician;
Howard W. Swope, Frank and Carl Wilson,
the musical composers; Judge James I. Allread,
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the jurist; Orla Harrison and Clement Brumbaugh, the
legislators; Guy C. Baker, the writer of short stories,
bsides Lohmann brothers, the telescope makers and Frances
Katzenberger Ratliff, the author of "He Would Have Me Be Brave"
and "The Three Verdicts." Besides all these might be mentioned
a host of painters, readers, educators and musicians, who have
helped to place Darke county in the front rank for native talent and
worthy accomplishments.
- END OF CHAPTER XIV. |
