Ray - I wish I did know the serial # of the Thompson, but suspect it wasn't his personal gun. I believe he was probably demonstrating it's use with a weapon out of the armoury.
Lyle - nice offer, but no thanks!
Chuck - thanks for confirming the Quantico question. He must have been demonstrating how to fire the Thompson to recruits. Training FBI recruits to use firearms in actual combat situations was one of the things he and the other 'Tri-State' peace officers were hired to do. That's why all of those recruited via this route had to have been responsible for at least one fatal shooting as an LEO - apparently that was a pre-requisite insisted on by Hoover.
Jared - same gun but the condition doesn't come across clearly in the photo. In actual fact (as you'll see when you visit me later this week) it's only 75% with lots of holster wear. Good honest use (definitely no abuse!) just as you'd expect from a man who really new his guns.
SigP220 - he spent the first part of his career as a member of the 'Major Crimes Unit' that sped around the country trying to apprehend (kill?) the highly mobile gangsters of that era. He spent some time in Washington DC as his Registered Magnum was delivered to FBI HQ in DC "care of Jerry Baughman and marked for the attention of Jerry Campbell" - how cool is that? This is probably the period when the picture was taken at Quantico. At the very end of the 30's (I have the exact date somewhere) he settled in Palo Alto, just outside San Francisco. He stayed there until his retirement 30 years later. I believe it was a one man office? Perhaps put out to grass by a grateful Hoover...? Lots of unanswered questions about things that happened during that era, and this guy was often there when they happened
Tony - would you believe I have several of the actual press cuttings of that 1932 case in my acquired files. Apparently the wreck happened after Campbell killed the driver Ogglesby, a fugitive wanted for murder and several bank robberies. Campbell and his partner were detectives on the 'stolen car squad'. They spotted a stolen car and approached. As they did so one of the occupants took off running. George Baker went after him and arrested E.A.Perry after a chase. Baker and Perry then made their way to headquarters separately. Meanwhile Campbell arrested the driver, Ogglesby and made him drive them both to OCPD HQ. One the way Ogglesby picked up a Colt handgun that had been lying under his seat on the left side and shot Campbell, but only slightly wounded him. Campbell knocked the gun away with his left arm and drew his own revolver (4 inch 3rd Model 44 HE) with his right and emptied the gun into Ogglesby at point blank range. Bullet wounds are typical of point blank 'stress' shooting - they start with a bullet in the waist and move up to the neck and head. Needless to say Ogglesby died immediately and the car then crashed - thus your picture. The .44 HE he used that day is the gold plated one in my picture above. I even have press articles and actual photos of him holding the gun 30 years later showing it as the gun the killed murderer and bank robber Ogglesby. I believe this is the incident that later got him Hoover's nod of approval. Both he and Jelly Bryce (plus another OCPD officer) were recruited into the FBI by their previous OCPD supervisor Clarence Hurt. Hurt was a senior detective in the Oklahoma City PD and was himself recruited by Hoover. He then went on to take personal roles in the apprehension (and deaths) of Dillinger, Ma Barker and Baby Face Nelson, to name just a few. It's a great story.
The guns Ogglesby was carrying that day (the 2nd gun Campbell had in his hand, which was a Colt revolver, plus a Remington Pump) were also in the auction that I picked up 4 of the above guns from. I didn't bid on them and they are still for sale as they didn't reach their reserves (roughly 4,000 and 5,000 respectively - higher than the Smiths!! - go figure). The 5th gun, the Registered Magnum service weapon, I picked up from Gary Garbrechts auction earlier this year. It's great to re-unite them.
Kevin - thank you for the award. I shall treasure it!
