Did Belle Starr use a Smith & Wesson???

[PALADIN85020]

I was browsing through some old photos of famous characters from the 19th Century today, and came across this one of Belle Starr, the notorious outlaw gal from the latter part of that century. One must think that most folks used to handling revolvers then would favor the Colt Single Action, but I noticed the grip of the gun in her holster. Sure looks like S&W to me!

Here's an enlargement of the gun she wears:

Belle died of a gunshot wound in 1889. She was just shy of her 41st birthday. At any rate, she appeared to be an S&W fan! Any educated guesses as to the model of this one?

John

 

[jimmyj]

S&W #3 .44 caliber ?

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I agree with jimmyj. I have a set of modern Mother-of-pearl grips for my pair of N0. 3, 44 Russians. The outline looks just like that!

Ivan

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Looks like she rode Side Saddle like a Lady.
Apparently that's one of the her only Lady Like behaviors.

 

[Jack Flash]

Looks like she rode Side Saddle like a Lady.
Apparently that's one of the her only Lady Like behaviors.

Pretty hard to blame her. It's not like she was surrounded with refined gentlemen.

 

[mg357]

It is a Smith and Wesson model 3 Given to her by Cole younger. who was a member of the Jesse James gang.

Mrs. Starr & Mr. Younger had a son and as a gift Mr. Younger gave her the S&W model 3 American that is in that picture.

My source an old Documentary series titled tales of the gun episode the guns of Smith & Wesson.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

It is a Smith and Wesson model 3 Given to her by Cole younger. who was a member of the Jesse James gang.

Mrs. Starr & Mr. Younger had a son and as a gift Mr. Younger gave her the S&W model 3 American that is in that picture.

My source an old Documentary series titled tales of the gun episode the guns of Smith & Wesson.

She's up on a pretty nice horse.
Does the doc series tell us where she got it?

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Mr. Younger might have rewarded Belle with a S&W No.3 American, But the pistol butt in the photo is a Russian. I am sure the household had a number of revolvers!

Ivan

 

[walkinghorse]

She's up on a pretty nice horse.
Does the doc series tell us where she got it?

Certainly resembles a Tennessee Walking Horse, but I am biased in that regard!

 

[tops]

She might have preferred the S&W over the Colt because it was faster to reload. Larry

 

[BMur]

That could also be a Frontier 44 WCF Ivan! Equivalent to the .357 Mag of that era.

 

[Texas Star]

The round butt says it wasn't an American. Probably too long for a DA model. But the trigger guard does suggest a DA gun.

Was the New Model No. 3 like Walter Winans favored made yet?

 

[6518John]

Here is an interesting write up about her with a couple of more good photo's.

Belle Starr (1848–1889) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

 

[Bakebfr480]

Who's the man in the picture?

 

[THE PILGRIM]

Who's the man in the picture?

Maybe Jim Reed.
You do know she was accused of being a horse and cattle rustler?
If you steal horses, you probably want to keep a really good one to ride.
Jim Reed (outlaw - Wikipedia)

 

[turnerriver]

Rumor has it that she was ambushed by Edgar Watson who went on to become an infamous outlaw in the Ten Thousand Islands of Southwest Florida. He was shot down by a group of locals after numerous disappearances and murders were attributed to him. His place at Chatham Bend was not far from where Turner River empties into Chokoloskee Bay.
Regards,
turnerriver

 

[S&WIowegan]

Rumor has it that she was ambushed by Edgar Watson who went on to become an infamous outlaw in the Ten Thousand Islands of Southwest Florida. He was shot down by a group of locals after numerous disappearances and murders were attributed to him. His place at Chatham Bend was not far from where Turner River empties into Chokoloskee Bay.
Regards,
turnerriver

But tell us the Holstory!

 

[Texas Star]

I wonder if the producers of, Adam 12 had heard of that Jim Reed.

 

[TLflag]

Belle Starr

The man in the picture is Deputy U.S. Marshal Tyner Hughes. The picture was taken 23 May 1886 at Fort Smith, Arkansas

 

[Old TexMex]

Certainly looks like a Russian frame knuckle to me. And the model 3 russian 1st model did come available with 8" bbl....(but I wouldnt judge a book by it's cover, or a barrel by the holster length) Supica and Nahas offer that a number of the Russians had the trigger guard altered to remove that spur it came with.

 

[Richochet]

Strange but true. I am related to Belle Starr on my Mother's side of the family. When I was a kid, my grand mother kept a nickeled and engraved S & W .32 cal. Model 1 (I think) that was handed down from her mother who related to Belle Starr's daughter.

The revolver disappeared when my grand mother passed away.

Wish I had inherited it!

Dang!

 

[Kurusu]

If you look closely at the trigger guard, you will find out the revolver in the picture is neither a #3 American nor a #3 Russian. It is a Smith & Wesson 44 fdouble action first model. Belle Starr was known to have owned one of those, and that ix what's in the photo.

Saddly I don't have one to show. So I'll just show a representative picture of one found online.

 

[filipows]

I would say it looks like a Morgan horse.

The real horse of the west

 

[Texas Star]

If you look closely at the trigger guard, you will find out the revolver in the picture is neither a #3 American nor a #3 Russian. It is a Smith & Wesson 44 fdouble action first model. Belle Starr was known to have owned one of those, and that ix what's in the photo.

Saddly I don't have one to show. So I'll just show a representative picture of one found online.

Mario-

I think you're right. The trigger guard is distinctive.

I think what looks like a Russian frame knuckle is something in the background, not part of the gun.

But the holster does seem contoured for a Russian or a Schofield.

There's a picture of Sasha Siemel with a cross draw flap holster that looks as if he may be wearing a top - break gun, not a hand ejector, based on holster shape. But by the 1920's, he more likely had a Second or Third Model .44. He didn't even arrive in Brazil from Latvia until 1917.

He never ID'd the model; just said he wore S&W .44's. Probably had several. He became a friend of Doug Wesson, so might have known about the Third Model, not catalogued then.

It's interesting to determine which guns famous people carried.

 

[panther]

I live near Carthage, Mo. where Belle was born. There's a plaque in the sidewalk on the square that marks where her home was.