Case of wrongful death ? CSA Capt. Minor Winn Havis

This thread is too good to stay buried in the archives. Here is the tale of another

" accidental " shooting with a S&W.

On the 27th of November 1888 some friends gathered in the local saddle shop ( needing a new holster ?) In a small county seat town in the Arkansas river valley.

A couple of the fellows there were in law enforcement. Brothers in fact. One was the City Marshal and the other a Deputy Sheriff. The Deputy had just recieved a new S&W revolver and wanted to show it to his Brother. Unfortunately as he was showing it to him it accidentally fired............................5 times striking and killing the Marshal.

Strange tale, sure is but that's because it was based in Arkansas Politics and that can get pretty strange.

As our late friend Paul Harvey ( Son of a Tulsa Okla. PD Officer killed in the line of duty) said for the rest of the story read the book "Who shot John Clayton " by Kenneth C. Barnes.

A truly fascinating story, one a fiction writer could never invent.
 
Sal,
This story did not mention that this "accident" occurred during normal business hours. Maybe this was a possibility (no offense or dishonor to the Captain / Doctor).
Dave
S&WCA LM #836
 

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I was thinking the same thing. I wonder if there was a grassy knoll nearby.

This case reminds me of the murder case one of my friends defended where the estranged wife shot her cheating husband while cleaning her gun. 5 times. In the back.

I tend to believe in 99% of unintended discharges the trigger was simply pulled on a loaded chamber. Here I bet someone simply shot the good doctor in the back “testing” the safety measures in horseplay.
 
To think that today some politicians want people to be able to sue the gun manufacturers, because those manufacturers are most certainly solely responsible for gun injuries and deaths.

That's a lot like blaming spoons for obesity.

Thank God that keeping and bearing arms is a right enumerated in the Constitution. Unfortunately, that doesn't deter hoplophobes...foaming at the mouth wild-eyed gun-banners. Methinks that clear thinking is an uncommon virtue among our lawmakers. Ron White was quite astute when he observed that you can't fix stupid.

John
 
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"the bullet entered the person of Dr. Havis, about an inch to the left of the spine, passing through the bone near the hip bone."

It would be almost impossible for a person to shoot themselves with the result of such an entry wound.

Safety Hammerless New Departure, we may recall, was "DA" only, and has a fairly stout Spring.

Dropping it will not occasion a discharge, and even if it could, the trajectory of the entry would would not have been horizontal.

Who knows what actually happened?!

Other than, what ever it was, it was not as described in the Newspaper report.


The story makes no sense whatever.
 
Negligent discharge!

It is purely my guess based on my 78 years of observing human behavior that the other person in the store did the deed. Probably stupidly accidental. If intentional, surely the miscreant would have aimed higher. For whatever reason, the Doc determined to cover for the shooter.
 
Vintage Pocket Watches or Repros ?

Sal,
This story did not mention that this "accident" occurred during normal business hours. Maybe this was a possibility (no offense or dishonor to the Captain / Doctor).
Dave
S&WCA LM #836

Hi, Dave.

Are these pocket watches you show, are they reproductions or originals to the period ?

Best Regards, Sal Raimondi
 
Sal,
The pocket watch movement & case is original, being manufactured by The E. Ingraham Company in April 1940. These are called "dollar watches."
The dial is a metal dial they used beginning in the late 30's. Most dollar watch dials are paper dials. The advertisement is painted on the dial and not an overlay decal, but I'm not sure it is original or added later by someone other than the manufacture. I collect dollar watches and have never seen another one with a S&W advertisement. The S&W logo etched on the back cover (again not a decal) is one I'm not sure of when S&W introduced this logo. I'm thinking this was added at a later date.
Dave
 
Sal,
The pocket watch movement & case is original, being manufactured by The E. Ingraham Company in April 1940. These are called "dollar watches."
The dial is a metal dial they used beginning in the late 30's. Most dollar watch dials are paper dials. The advertisement is painted on the dial and not an overlay decal, but I'm not sure it is original or added later by someone other than the manufacture. I collect dollar watches and have never seen another one with a S&W advertisement. The S&W logo etched on the back cover (again not a decal) is one I'm not sure of when S&W introduced this logo. I'm thinking this was added at a later date.
Dave

Dave, Very unique, both of them. How many dollar watches to do you have in your collection ? Any others and tyeps ?

i've been collecting pocket watches, mostly higher end movements, solid gold cases and Railroad watches for over 40 years. There are others mixed in with them too, probably a few dollar watches and 7j Last count was 140 +/-watches. For the past 30 years the values have gone up and down, year to year, like a roller coaster ride except for the extremely odd and rare models.

I'm a purist. I believe, if sold, they should be sold / transferred as they were manufactured but the dilemma of whether or not to just sell off the gold cases gnaws at me. But seems there aren't many pocket watch collectors anymore. The gold cases alone, for scrap, would bring about 4x my total investment in all of them over the years.

But I must decide, because time is getting the better of us all. Sal
 
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Sal,
That is one watch. A photo with the bezel off & one with it on. The dollar watches have a plastic crystal & sometimes turn a yellow color.
I also collect higher grade pocket watches, railroad, key wind & set, but nothing in the complicated or solid gold cases. They are out of my pay grade. I probably have well over 150 watches. Haven't counted in years.
Dave
 
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