Ol' Drover
Member
This Oliver Ball holster for a 3.5" M-27 came with the name "Foots" carved down the side and the story that it was made by Lt. Ball for his "protégé" Ezekiel F. "EZ" Foots.
The vendor is an honest broker who wasn't trying to sell the story, just passing on what had been told him when he bought the holster. I'm a bit skeptical because in 50 years of owning and trading O. Ball holsters, I've never heard that he had an apprentice. Also, Ancestry.com shows no one of that name in Texas during the 20th century.
I think it is more likely that it was made for a Dallas P.D. Captain named Thomas D. Tolleson who was universally known as "Foots." He served from 1955 to 1987, a period during which Oliver Ball was a popular source for holsters for DPD officers.
However, before I write it off as a made up story, I wanted to check to see if anyone else has heard of the mysterious "EZ Foots."
The vendor is an honest broker who wasn't trying to sell the story, just passing on what had been told him when he bought the holster. I'm a bit skeptical because in 50 years of owning and trading O. Ball holsters, I've never heard that he had an apprentice. Also, Ancestry.com shows no one of that name in Texas during the 20th century.
I think it is more likely that it was made for a Dallas P.D. Captain named Thomas D. Tolleson who was universally known as "Foots." He served from 1955 to 1987, a period during which Oliver Ball was a popular source for holsters for DPD officers.
However, before I write it off as a made up story, I wanted to check to see if anyone else has heard of the mysterious "EZ Foots."
