Pancho's Pistol

[Drm50]

I dug this out, it's from 1960 article. This is the Colt Panco Villa
was carrying when killed by opposing gang in 1923. Grips inset
with Rubies and Gold. I have another article from later, early 70s
I think, that has the mate to this gun found in wall of hotel bath
room in El Paso. Where he is thought to have stashed it to avoid
arrest with weapon by the Feds who were after him at the time
for smuggling and bootlegging on the Tex/ Mex border.
I will post the other article when I find it.

 

[Absalom]

There are a ton of guns attributed to Pancho, many sold by enterprising family members as such after his death, of questionable provenance.

The most often referenced and apparently photographically supported gun is not a Colt SAA like in the 1960 photo, but a longer-barreled Colt Bisley he reportedly carried when ambushed. Of course, that may have been debunked by now, too

 

[italiansport]

After Bat Masterson retired as a gunfighter he was approached all the time by those wanting to buy his gun. He'd make periodic trips to the local pawn shops and buy up inexpensive colt 45's then turn around and sell them at a handsome profit.
As a firearms appraiser you ought to hear some of the stories I do when brought firearms for appraisal.
Jim

 

[Drm50]

I think most of the famous gunmen had family members and
Other opportunists dealing in fakes. Bat was one guy that ordered
Colts from factory. So there is docs on the real ones on record.
Hardin, Billy the Kid, Jesse James there are all kind of fakes on
the market. I always ask people how much do they want for the
gun without the story. Never bought a P38 that some ones
uncle hadn't taken off a German officer he had shot.

 

[DWalt]

Pancho had so many guns he had a special burro to carry all of them.

 

[Old TexMex]

We nearly bought a skull that was offered as Francisco Villas, except it was rather small. The seller allowed as how it was Panchos skull “when he was a leetle boy”.

 

[TomkinsSP]

Lefty's gun. Bought it from an old man in a Cleveland hotel many year's ago

 

[Drm50]

My buddies great grandfather was on the mission to get Villa
when Army went into Mexico after him. He was in a newly
formed machine gun platoon. They had the Colt Potatoe diggers.
They never fired a shot at bandits or Villa.

 

[eveled]

Pancho had so many guns he had a special burro to carry all of them.

I heard the mules name was Lefty.

 

[lawandorder]

No it was a mule but then he got so many handguns he had to get a box car to tote them in and most of them made their way to gun shows tables.

He had almost as many "wives" as he did pistolas.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

He had almost as many "wives" as he did pistolas.

Now that is a story I believe!

Ivan

 

[Stevie]

there was an article in 'Old West' magazine a few years back about Colt clones/look a likes on the frontier....it mentioned that Pancho Villa's widow made a fair living selling Pancho's 'favorite pistol' and she was constantly in the market for cheap handguns!!

 

[Tadeus67]

Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata had a lot of guns during the Mexican Revolution. And still today emerge revolvers or rifles with their names engraved.

A few years ago a friend of mine aproach with a rifle that belonged to a deceased friend of him, and the widow ask him if the rifle had any value. It was a Winchester Lever action with gold inlays that read "GENERAL EMILIANO ZAPATA" and the Mexican National crest.

By researching the serial number we found out that it was made in 1915.We took the rifle to a gunsmith friend of mine. After examination of the piece. He told us that it was a very common practice by jewelers and gunsmiths in Mexico during the 30's and 40's to engrave rifles, shotguns, revolvers, pistols, machetes, sables and any other thing that you can imagine with the names of Zapata, Pancho Villa and other famous characters of the revolutionary period.

This remind me of the faked LEICA cameras that appear in Rusia a few years ago with nazi simbols.......guess a sucker is born every minute

 

[Drm50]

There is also a brisk trade in steel stamps to alter guns to
Wells Fargo, USMC and anything that would pump the price due
to historical value. When there is money to be made there are
those that come out of the woodwork to cash in.

 

[Old TexMex]

Does anyone remember the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo? They had Pancho Villa’s saddle on display. (It was heavily worked with silver.)
I first saw it when I was about 7 years old... don’t know if it’s still there...(probably been replaced by some cartel jefe’s gold plated AK.)

There were a few of those saddles sold around the border, too.

Up in San Antonio,at the Briscoe museum, the one made by Joaquin Rodriguez and Alberto Tulancingo Marquez is on display still, I guess.

 

[Drm50]

It's been almost 50yrs since I was in El Paso or any of the border
towns. What was the name of the Hotel where Villa stayed when
he was in El Paso? It was still there when I was there. It seems
like it was close to the bridge to Wazoo. We went down there
almost every night but I racked my brain and can't remember it.
I even stayed there a couple times.

 

[Old TexMex]

It's been almost 50yrs since I was in El Paso or any of the border
towns. What was the name of the Hotel where Villa stayed when
he was in El Paso? It was still there when I was there. It seems
like it was close to the bridge to Wazoo. We went down there
almost every night but I racked my brain and can't remember it.
I even stayed there a couple times.

That would be the old Roma Hotel! Must be gone by now.

edit:
(Yeah, they tore it down and that’s where Burger King is. sigh.)

 

[DWalt]

My buddies great grandfather was on the mission to get Villa
when Army went into Mexico after him. He was in a newly
formed machine gun platoon. They had the Colt Potatoe diggers.
They never fired a shot at bandits or Villa.

Are you sure about that? At that time the U. S Army was using the Benet-Mercier (AKA the Daylight Gun), the Lewis Gun (in .303), and a few M1904 Maxim guns. I am not sure if any of the M1904s were used by the Punitive Expedition, but the other two were.

"Does anyone remember the Cadillac Bar in Nuevo Laredo? They had Pancho Villa’s saddle on display. (It was heavily worked with silver.)"
I spent lots of time at the NL Cadillac Bar in the late 80s and early 90s while I was living in Laredo, but I don't remember seeing any saddles there. But I do remember stories about Pancho riding his horse inside, true or not I don't know. I think the Cadillac has been closed for a long time due to the Narco violence in Nuevo Laredo, and also the fact that very few Gringos dare to visit NL these days. It used to be a good place to take a walk around the downtown area in the evenings, and I would cross over two or three times a week to do that. And also to watch the Border Patrol search cars at the U. S. side of the bridge. No way would I go to NL (or to any border town on the Mexico side) now. There was also a Cadillac Bar in San Antonio near the River Walk, but from one visit there some years ago it was nothing like the one in NL. I don't know if it is still open.

 

[RoninPhx]

there is a hotel in downtown douglas, arizona side of aqua prieta mexico. pauncho took aqua prieta at one time. in the hotel is a fine restaurant and a pretty well known bar. and a big sign pointing to the cracks/chips in a marble staircase leading to the second floor. Supposed pancho did it trying to ride his horse up to the second floor. A lot of famous gunmen use to drink in that bar. Little further along is naco arizona, on the arizona side is the remains of the troops quarters for that expedition into mexico. it's now fenced up, but prowling around in there you could find spent casings for 30government, and various handgun casings. I do believe patton shot a mexican on that expedition, and mounted him on the fender of a car.

 

[Mzuri]

Lefty's gun. Bought it from an old man in a Cleveland hotel many year's ago

You bought it out of kindness I suppose.