7-8-2015
Edited to add:
This was an ad that I ran in the Vendor's Forum on this board in Dec, 2011. Since the ad had run in the Vendor Forum, discussion posts were allowed in the thread.

Once the collection had been sold, I moved the ad to storage. A poster in another thread found an old link from 2011 on another forum to the ad thread and was asking about the pics.

It does have a lot of good data in it, so I dug it up, "sanitized" the ad aspects, and moved it to here.
Enjoy it.

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It is a pleasure and an honor to present the guns of Special Agent Charles G. (Jerry) Campbell.
Campbell's career spanned 1934-1965.

Prior to mid 1934, FBI agents did not have the power of arrest and were not really authorised to carry guns.

From the 1929 training manual:
Section 11, Firearms: Employees are instructed:

a - That they are legally entitled to carry firearms for defensive purposes.

b - That, however, as a matter of policy, they are not to carry the same unless such action is authorized by their Special Agent In Charge.

c - That they are never to use such firearms except for strictly defensive purposes.

d - That a supply of firearms is kept in each field office to be issued, when necessary, to the employees by the Special Agent In Charge.

This was soon to change.

The Depression era spawned some outlaw gangs that required some serious attention. The more powerful and comfortable cars of the 30's provided rapid mobility that allowed them to rob banks in a city and be hundreds of miles away in a matter of hours, probably in another state. With the addition of portable automatic weapons like the Thompson and BAR, the police departments of mid sized cities were unable to prevent the escape of a well armed and well mounted gang after a robbery.

Look at this 1933 disaster- The Kansas City Massacre in which two KCPD officers, an FBI agent, a Police Chief, and their prisoner were killed, and two other FBI agents wounded. It is theorized by some that two of the LEO's, as well as the prisoner in custody, were killed by shotgun fire from one of the surviving FBI agents who was not trained in firearms usage!

This event changed the FBI. One agent's son is quoted as saying- "It wasn't until months after the Kansas City Massacre in 1933 that my father had to learn how to shoot a gun and drive a car."

By mid 34, they were authorised to carry guns and given the power of arrest. Hoover was authorised to use the means necessary to deal with the ruthless outlaws that travelled rapidly in their own form of "interstate commerce".

The G-Man was born.

Desperate times breed desperate measures. These increases in authority were great, but Hoover needed men proven under fire NOW. An active recruitment began among LEO's who had proven they could stand and deliver. Authors have referred to these recruits as "Hoover's Gunslingers".
Three men were recruited from the Oklahoma City P.D. at the same time who became legends-
Delf A. "Jelly" Bryce, Clarence O. Hurt, and Charles G. (Jerry) Campbell. All 3 were shooters, all 3 had killed.

If you don't know much history of the outlaws and desperados and FBI of the 1930's, check out Larry Wack's website- Faded Glory: Dusty Roads Of An FBI Era

Campbell was on the "Flying Squad" assigned to the gangsters of the day. He was on the Dillinger squad and was present at the shooting. Had Dillinger crossed the street, he would have faced Campbell. He was involved in the arrest of Doc Barker. He was involved in the shootout with Fred and Ma Barker.

Campbell and the other shooters formed the nucleus of the FBI firearms training program.
After the gangster problem was settled, these early shooters received preferential treatment by Hoover. They were definitely in the "favorite son" category. Campbell opened the office of the FBI in Palo Alto, California, in 1946 and spent the remaining years of his career there, retiring in 1965.


The Collection consists of:
4 Firearms-
S&W Model 1926 in 44 Special
An early 38 M&P- 2 inch shipped in 1934
.357 Registered Magnum
.357 Non-Registered Magnum

Factory Letters for all 4 guns.
Holsters and other gun leather used by Campbell.
Handcuffs with keys- the only pair he ever owned.
Copies of S&W Order forms and correspondence with Campbell.
Campbell's signed pic of J. Edgar Hoover.
A large amount of photos, personal case notes and some mug shots, the FBI account of dillinger's shooting with Campbell's notations.
Affadavits from the Campbell estate proving his ownership of these items.

The guns and other items were purchased en masse at auction years ago by the current owner. There is a very large amount of paper from the auction lot that is yet unexamined and remains uncataloged. There is even some old 8 mm and 16mm movie film that has yet to be viewed!


Pics and Descriptions:

A group pic of the major items. The FBI badge is a REPLICA because agents were not allowed to keep their badge. The OK City badge may be real.




Just the guns-


Model 1926
Campbell's first duty weapon, a 4 inch S&W Model 1926 in 44 Special with A.W. Brill holster and belt slide. The 4 inch is far less common than the 5 inch. This was Campbell's choice as a detective in Oklahoma City. It is likely the gun showed wear, and possible blood damage to the finish during a shootout he had with a criminal INSIDE a car! He was also wounded in that shootout. The perp was killed. So, later in life, he had it gold plated and put the pearls on it. It could have been engraved then, or it could have been engraved by Wolf & Klar or another dealer when sold new. In effect, he turned it into his Barbecue Gun.










The 44 is "open on the books"-


BUT, we have pics of Campbell with it. These pics are from an interview he did at the time of his retirement. He seems to be reminiscing about this old friend saving his life-



38 M&P
His 2 inch 38 M&P in pristine condition, holster, ammo slide-






The gun was shipped 11 days after he applied to the FBI. His application was really just a formality since he had been recruited, so it is certain he bought this gun as a 'hideout' till the FBI could get approved for carrying. It appears unused, so he likely carried his trusty 44 once an agent. By the time Hoover recruited the Gunslingers, enough agents had been killed to make it very likely they were all carrying "for defensive purposes", knowing they would soon be officially authorized.





The Magnums, Myres holster and slide-





The Reg Mag-









The Non-Reg-
We can only assume Jerry needed a better Barbecue Gun! Note that the config exactly matches his Reg Mag. When attending Posse Association meetings, all he had to do was swap guns in the same holster.











A few of the interesting pics in the collection-

May, 1934, Ok City PD Detective Division:
1. "Smoky" Hilburt
2. Det. Jerry Campbell
3. SA George H. Franklin, FBI OKC, who was instrumental in convincing Bryce & others to join the FBI
4. Legendary Mickey Ryan
7. Chief Brannin
8. "Chick" Farris



3. SA George H. Franklin, FBI OKC, who was instrumental in convincing Bryce & others to join the FBI
5. Det. Clarence Hurt
6. Det. D. A. "Jelly" Bryce
7. Chief Brannin


Jerry well armed for bears, zombies, giant snakes, and Bigfoots
Note the Reg Mag and Myres-




An article in the collection-



Manville 26.5mm gas and flare guns holding 18 rounds.



Pic of Dillinger's gun-

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Lee, thanks for the mention of our website, and if anyone is interested, we have Campbell's application for the Special Agent position posted at the site along with some others.

Unless you have info otherwise, I'm not sure I'd chalk off that FBI badge as a duplicate. In my research of the 30's agents, I have come across the badge of SA Buck Buchanan of that era who passed his badge down to his son. If the Campbell badge is numbered, an FOIA check of his property card (which might still exist) would reveal the number issued.

For FBI and historical issues, I'd love to see what exists on those old films.

You or anyone else can reach me direct at: rypublish@verizon.net

By the way, SA George Franklin who you mention has a son who is still alive in resides in Albuquerque, NM and who holds a lot of his dad's memorabilia.

cheers
Larry Wack
Retired FBI

__________________
Larry Wack
historicalgmen.squarespace.com

Larry,
The badge is definitely a replica, added by the current owner. Campbell's badge number is currently issued to an agent on duty.
Kudos on your website. I find it fascinating. What a shame when history is lost.
Keep it up!

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Thanks Lee, that answers that one about the badge. I've been in touch with the owner of the Campbell items multiple times.
Regards
Larry Wack

__________________
Larry Wack
historicalgmen.squarespace.com

Those are Manvilles... Nasty things, 25mm if I remember right

__________________
Ray Parga

Just amazing...

Thank you for sharing.

__________________
Jorge

I found this on YOuTube-Yep a Manville it is.........

Manville Machine Gun Flare Gun - YouTube

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Jim
SWCA #2246

Thanks. You nailed it.
Eakle Firearms Inc. - Manville 25mm gas lancher - ellicott city, MD

Manville gun - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Thank you very much for sharing this with us! Extremely interesting!

The holster with the S&W M&P 2" is a Lewis Police Special. IMHO the best plainclothes holster ever. I still use one. I have wondered why current holster manufactors have not copied this holster.

Hi jimmyj,


When did this style Holster first make it's appearance?

Were they available in 1934?

Hi:
I first used a "Lewis" when I entered L.E. in 1962.
I observed them in the 1950s in my home town used by the city P.D.
Later I found the "Lewis was very popular with LAPD in the 1940s and 1950s.
Now with this post the Lewis (with the FBI Agent M&P 2")was around in the 1930s.
Great holster.
Jimmy

As a side note, A.W. Brill's daughter, later became Mrs. Nellie Connally, John Connally's wife. Texas Governor, Secretary of the Treasury, etc. Both were in the car when JFK was shot, as was John Connally.

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NRA Life Member and Instructor

Thank you for sharing this bit of history of an American hero. The FBI and Police Officers involved in the era of Dillinger and his ilk had an extremely dangerous job on their hands. Hollywood tends to portray the criminals of that time in a "Robin Hood" type light. They were anything but. They were cold blooded scum who would rather murder and steal from people who worked for a living than work themselves. Men like Special Agent Campbell were the real hero's of his day.

WOW !! THat is great, and quite the collection. THANK YOU so much for sharng.

__________________
Semper Fi
God Bless America

I hate to be the stick in the mud but that gold one with the bull head grips is ugly as homemade sin. A mexican gangster would be ashamed to be seen with that abomination.

I have seen several pictures from gun writers including Skeeter Skelton who have described a "Bulls-head ivory grips with ruby eyes" mostly on Colt SAAs.

I agree.
Look at "Bonnie & Clyde" with Dunaway and Beatty.
Just nice, carefree lovers that occasionally had to shoot someone in self defense.
Yeah, right.
Clyde killed over a dozen people, the majority of them LEO's.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Excellent! There's just something special about those old black & white photos of a era gone by.
Thanks for sharing.

Cool history!

The plastic makers still haven't been able to make fake leather, (be it cow or pig) to duplicate the feel, smell leather!!

Very much enjoyed learning about this man, his path and the pistols he carried. Thanks for a great history lesson.

Great stuff. Thanks for the history lessons.

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Cool thread, very interesting. I enjoyed watching the youtube video of the manville and reading the funny comments people posted about the "professional"

Cool pictures

__________________
Veni, Vedi, Vici

Envy what you have collected.

Regards,

John Lynch

Thats quite a collection and they seem pretty well kept

Thanks for bring it back Handejector!

And thanks from me, as well. I got a kick out of seeing the Myers cartridge slide pictured upside down in several of the pics; unlike other makers of the era, Myers' slides had the fold at the bottom edge of the belt, and the sewn edge at the top. This from Myers' 1931 catalogue:

Scan 2a.jpg

Another post wonders about the Lewis holster; indeed it was produced, in improved form, by Bucheimer-Clark. The improvement consisted of the spring extending to the top of the revolver cylinder vs the bottom. From a forum member's picture album:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/members...k-cat-p-9.html

At one time all three companies were separate contemporaries -- Clark, J.M. Bucheimer, and Lewis -- and also made the more familiar crossdraw with the vertical clamp "spring" with the screw through it at the muzzle. B-C was out of business by the late 1970s and autos had taken over the marketplace by the mid-80s.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/members...-cat-p-12.html

Safariland made a version of the Lewis, which is to say that their design borrowed the method of assembly that inserted the spring from the "fold" and then to the open edges of the holster; in Safari's case, the fold was formed by a stitched-in Sight Track:

http://propsummit.com/viewtopic.php?p=4554

__________________
Red Nichols The Holstorian

Lee, thanks for resurrecting the info on this thread. I am a new guy here, although I have periodically dropped in before joining. I am an old retired law enforcement officer, currently teaching criminal justice at the collegiate level.

I am extremely interested in this sort of historical information, and thanks for sharing with a forum newbie. Started in law enforcement in 1975, and there were guys working then who had started in the 1940s. Learned a lot from them, and am still learning today. Great stuff on agent Campbell. Who knows? Some of this material may make it into one of my courses. One appropriate class deals with law enforcementment firearms. I'm always on the lookout for material for this class.

I also collect firearms which have law enforcement relevance, and this is interesting material in that realm as well

Thanks again!!'

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

Great thread. Always nice to reread.
I found out my non registered magnum #60264 is several hundred away from Jerry's and was shipped 12-15-1939.

Attached Images

non reg magnum 010.jpg (153.5 KB, 127 views)

Larry Wack... Just got to your info. What I told Lee in my above post goes for you also. I had visited your web site in the past, but never had the opportunity to personally thank you. Thanks!!! I see also that it seems to have grown since the last time that I visited. Kudos for making this valuble historical information available to modern day scholars, academics, and just ordinary folks as well. We all should appreciate your work.

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I owned a matching Orville Kuhl engraved Parker 16 Gauge to the .357 Magnum. I tried for years to find out who owned and had the Parker engraved with no success. Who ever it was had enough pull to be able to have Remington repair it twice during the height of WWII.

Kuhl did engraving for King Sight customers and others.



My Parker with Kuhl distinctive border work and gold Dogwood flowers.

__________________
Bill Bates

I was introduced to "Jerry" Campbell in the late 1940s, when I was five or six years old, by my uncle Ray Carpenter who was a Santa Cruz Ca Police Officer. The FBI used to provide firearms training for local police departments back in those days and Campbell was often assigned to provide the training for the SCPD. I have his autograph. I was later reacquainted with Jerry after his retirement when I became an officer for the SCPD in 1967. Campbell was working for the George Cake Company in Oakland CA selling police supplies. He remembered my uncle and the day when he signed my autograph book. It was a real treat for me to see his guns and photos in this thread.

"Who ever it was had enough pull to be able to have Remington repair it twice during the height of WWII."

S&W did the same thing. I have a 1926 .44 that was renickeled in February 1942. Roy Jinks said that the company did not neglect their civilian customers during the war.


"The FBI used to provide firearms training for local police departments back in those days..."

As a young deputy in 1977, a local FBI agent did the firearms qual for my sheriff's department. I shot a 6" M28 and reloaded from my pockets, using .38 special wadcutters!!

In the '80s and '90s, a FBI agent came to my PD to help with firearms training.

It didn't hurt that both of my departments had officers that had graduated from the FBI academy.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

G.Loddy mentions being taught how to shoot by some old gunslingers in his book "Will"!
Jim

This thread is awesome, the old revolver and holster photos especially, and the website link. For many years I have kicked myself in the butt for selling my stainless Model 60. They are incredibly expensive now. This past week I was able to buy a new S&W Model 637-2. It isn't a model 60, but damn close. I had sold off all of my revolvers except my stainless model 63 kit gun, which I will never sell.

Fine guns, and a wonderful collection. Also, those FBI instructors can shoot. My experience with FBI and DEA instructors in their Firearms Training Unit was a great experience. So was shooting so much top-notch factory ammo!

Les,

Many thanks for your kind words about our website. Campbell's application to the FBI back in the 30s is at our website if anyone is interested. Check the "Navigation" area for the various applications of him and others. Go to: Faded Glory; Dusty Roads Of An FBI Era at: historicalgmen.squarespace.com

Best
Larry Wack
FBI - (Ret.) '68-03

__________________
Larry Wack
historicalgmen.squarespace.com

With Mike Conti's new book coming out, I had to revisit this thread. Great information that is making my reading of Mike's Volume 1 come alive even more!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I like and respect this site and the posters. This is my favorite posting of all time. Thanks to all involved. Billy

A great and informative read with lots of eye candy. Many thanks.

Threads like this is why I cant stop looking through this forum

Lee, I tried to grasp what you were explaining to me about this incredible grouping.......seeing the pics and all that goes with it is just completely over the top . Beautiful and as cool as it comes. Hope your doing well.....blessings and thank you for showing us all this. Amazing and beautiful .