Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 This photo of the Booth's Philadelphia Deringer used to assassinate President Lincoln was taken by a friend of mine, Carol Highsmith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.C. Bell, SASS #15217 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Nicely decorated pistol and apparently been used some prior to its use to kill the president. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 Another Carol Highsmith photo of the Booth Deringer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 VERY cool, BQ~! Back in my early 20's (1975?) for my boss and long-time friend Dona ("Doxna") Johnson's birthday I gave her this sorta-copy. I put the pistol, a small flask of powder, some balls and patches and a tin of caps in a hollowed out Early American History book. A bunch of folk from work were on a weekend campout... she asked me to show her how to load it, then promptly shot herself in the foot (ricochet!). She limped for days, but was so tickled she carried it in her pocket the entire weekend. Just before she passed a few years ago she gave it to my son. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixgun Sheridan Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 I saw that pistol in person once, when I visited Ford's Theater Museum 20 or so years ago. Lincoln's top hat and coat were also there on display. Pretty sobering when you realize that pistol changed our nation's, and possibly world history with just one shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Ron Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 Howdy, And seeing the limo Kennedy was shot in. Brrrrr. Best CR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixgun Sheridan Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Chili Ron said: Howdy, And seeing the limo Kennedy was shot in. Brrrrr. Best CR I actually saw that too during the same vacation trip. I started in Detroit with the Henry Ford Museum, which not only had Kennedy's car but also the chair Lincoln had been sitting in when he was shot. For some reason though Kennedy's car didn't give me the same shivers... possibly because it had been cleaned up and the hardtop roof on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Bullweed Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 Good post. I have wondered more than once why an assassin would opt for a single-shot pistol with limited power over a small repeater like a Colt 1862, a Remington 1863 or a Smith-Wesson Model 1-1/2 .32 RF. Booth had to know that bp guns can have misfires and that the guards would be after him after he had done his evil task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watab kid Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 in those days i think folks went with what was available , in the end it worked and history was changed , if squeaky from had picked better things might not be the same today , who would pick a carcano for kennedy ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozark Huckleberry Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 7 hours ago, Tom Bullweed said: Good post. I have wondered more than once why an assassin would opt for a single-shot pistol with limited power over a small repeater like a Colt 1862, a Remington 1863 or a Smith-Wesson Model 1-1/2 .32 RF. Booth had to know that bp guns can have misfires and that the guards would be after him after he had done his evil task. 3 hours ago, watab kid said: in those days i think folks went with what was available , in the end it worked and history was changed , if squeaky from had picked better things might not be the same today , who would pick a carcano for kennedy ? The plot to assassinate Lincoln, Johnson, Seward, and Grant was cooked up on the fly. At noon Booth found out that Lincoln was going to be at Ford's Theater, called the 'team' together, put together the plan, adjusted to emerging circumstances -- it was very much a 'bring what you got' event. I can see an actor such as Booth preferring the derringer over a revolver. The attempt on Seward's life failed because Powell's BP revolver misfired, and a neck brace kept Powell from slashing Seward's neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Harley, #14153 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 14 hours ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said: VERY cool, BQ~! Back in my early 20's (1975?) for my boss and long-time friend Dona ("Doxna") Johnson's birthday I gave her this sorta-copy. I put the pistol, a small flask of powder, some balls and patches and a tin of caps in a hollowed out Early American History book. A bunch of folk from work were on a weekend campout... she asked me to show her how to load it, then promptly shot herself in the foot (ricochet!). She limped for days, but was so tickled she carried it in her pocket the entire weekend. Just before she passed a few years ago she gave it to my son. That looks like a CVA derringer kit like the one I built in the 70s. Fun little gun for sure. Sent me down the road of burning charcoal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 12 hours ago, Tom Bullweed said: Good post. I have wondered more than once why an assassin would opt for a single-shot pistol with limited power over a small repeater like a Colt 1862, a Remington 1863 or a Smith-Wesson Model 1-1/2 .32 RF. Booth had to know that bp guns can have misfires and that the guards would be after him after he had done his evil task. Deringers (Yeah, with one R in the middle, total of two. The second R was added by people trying to take advantage of the name...and it worked for some of them.) were usually sold in pairs. I wonder what became of the second pistol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Four-Eyed Buck,SASS #14795 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 I saw the Kennedy car at the Henry Ford as well, '89 IIRC. Think the Lincoln chair was there as well. What impressed me most was the locomotive they had in there. Can't remember if it was a Big Boy or not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Creek,5759 Posted February 13, 2021 Share Posted February 13, 2021 I wayched a program on him getting shot . They thought he mite of survived the shooting, if people quite putting there fingers in the hole in his head . It said infection more than anything killed him . They used spider webs to stop the Bleeding . That doesn't sound too clean . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Birdgun Quail, SASS #63663 Posted February 13, 2021 Author Share Posted February 13, 2021 Bailey Creek, I'd doubt Mr. Lincoln surviving. Here is a photo of the bullet removed from the President's head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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