NOT SOLD (BIDDING OVER)
0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
This item WAS NOT SOLD. Auction date was 2015 Jun 06 @ 17:00UTC-5 : EST/CDT
Contact Brian Lebel's High Noon Auction prior to bidding if you have a lot inquiry.
Frank Stilwell's Colt Single Action. The revolver taken off Frank Stilwell’s body after he was killed, believed to be the gun Stilwell used to shoot Morgan Earp. Circa 1873, .45 caliber U.S. Cavalry Colt SAA, barrel shortened to 5 1/16”, sight dovetailed at muzzle. Serial number puts the revolver in a group issued to the 6th Cavalry at Leavenworth Arsenal in 1873. The 6th Cavalry served in Arizona Territory from 1875 through the mid-1880s. CONDITION: bore is strong, metal is a dull silver gray over all, matching serial numbers, script barrel address, clear US and patent dates, no inspector’s marks visible, trace of number on grips is unreadable, grips are undersized with old chip at the toe of the left side, mechanically excellent.
Accompanying the revolver is a file of research and documentation chronicling the revolver’s history, including a letter from Stuart Lake, Wyatt Earp’s biographer; a written assessment by Richard Rattenbury; and correspondence with historians and other researchers.
Provenance: From the Pima County Sheriff’s Office; to Matthew F. Shaw, Pima County Deputy Sheriff (later Sheriff); to Stuart N. Lake; to Current Owner.
Frank Stilwell and the Earp Vendetta Ride.
Frank Stilwell was a member of the outlaw Cowboys, and figured prominently in the events leading up to and including the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Well known to the Earp brothers, Stilwell had a knack for being acquitted of crimes, including two murders. Stilwell and the Cowboys were suspected in the ambush that maimed Virgil Earp in December of 1881, thought to be retaliation for the events at the O.K. Corral. The feud between the Cowboys and the Earps took a final historical turn when, late at night on March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp was shot by an unknown gunman through the door of a Tombstone pool hall. Wyatt Earp was there as well, and stood by to watch his brother die of his wound very shortly thereafter. Witnesses claim to have seen Frank Stilwell running from the scene.
Wyatt Earp, convinced that Stilwell would escape justice yet again, set out to avenge the attack on his brother Virgil and the murder of his brother Morgan. This began what ultimately became known as the “Earp Vendetta Ride.”
On the night of March 20, 1882, on the tracks of the Tucson rail yard, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Warren Earp, Sherman McMasters and John Johnson encountered Frank Stilwell on the railroad tracks. There are different accounts of exactly what transpired, but the fact is that Wyatt and friends filled Stilwell full of holes. A witness stated he was “the worst shot up man I ever saw.” The coroner’s report listed that Stilwell had been shot by at least five different weapons. According to the “Tombstone Epitaph” of March 27, 1882, “Stilwell had a pistol on his person which was not discharged.” The Vendetta Posse would eventually kill four men, beginning with Stilwell and ending with Curly Bill Brocius not quite a month later.
Pictured in the book, “Under Cover for Wells Fargo: The Unvarnished Recollections of Fred Dodge” with the caption:
“Colt’s revolver #1381, .45 caliber, single-action, Frontier Model believed to be the gun with which Frank Stilwell killed Morgan Earp. While impossible to state the foregoing as absolute fact, it is known that Stilwell carried that gun at that time and that it was the weapon taken from Stilwell’s body after Wyatt Earp shot him near the Tucson railroad station. The barely visible notch in the handle was there when the gun was taken off Stilwell and may have been cut to record Morgan’s murder. Though men who thought anything of themselves did not follow this practice, it is not unreasonable to surmise Stilwell may well have been the kind to notch his gun."
Auction Location:
3401 W Lancaster Ave, Fort Worth, Texas, 76107, United States
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| TX |
8.25% |
Fort Worth |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
21% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
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