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-
