Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-11-29
ST. JACOBS OIL
IS THE MASTER CURE FOR
PAINS AND ACHES.
A VERY OLD GUN
Repeating Rifle In st. LOUIS
Nearly Two Hundred Years Hs"'

,a,,,, Rifle In st. Louis Maes
Nearly Two Hundred Years ago.
Dr T w. Moore, OF the HoleKamP
Grady g. Moore Instrument Compa
is the possessor of rare Ola ieiI.'
which he has on exhibition III us VI,
Ace on Olive street, between Nlnon
and Tenth. 1t is a fiint-lock rlhe
made in 17lO. The rifle is ccrlous-
IookIng contriyance. Its smooth-bore
barrel is nearly three feet long, ana Is
encjrcled with rings which have Deeh
dipped in gold, and the goid p1aUo "a,
still clings to the iron in scraps; ih
oldest mart of the gun is the cylinder
This is composed of six chambers,
each about half an inch deep. But
the cylinder does not reVol'e duOo
matically when the trigger IS pulleu
In order TO move it around Ihe manu-
Ter has to raise sharp piece VI lioii
that holds the stock to the barrei
through the rings previously described
apd then with his hand twist the
cylinder into the desired position. II
is nerhaps the first Chambered gun
ever made, and is probably the orist
nal flom which has evolved the SolU
revolver and Winchester rife 4hefe
is no woodwork about the gun except
the butt. 1t is made entirely oil coarse
primitiye-Iooking iron. Its welghtls'
| therefore, something sUupehuoue
when compared to modern guns
The loads were evidently placed I'D
the chambers without shells, and the
loading must have been done with an
irnproYiScd ramrod, as no groove MARKS
| the location Of the ramrod, as IS a.
! wavs the case with old guns. Dr.
! Moore purchased the rifle some time
| ago from a Texan who had started 70
! Chicago with it to sell it to curlo
dealer collecting material for an eX-
( hihit at the Worlds Fair. The Texan
said he had excaVdted it from the
ruins of an old Spanish fort on Red
River near Clarksville, Texas. Inc
figures "I7I0" are sunk in the barTei
Just above the hammer, and these
figures are presumed to indicate the
year in which the gun was made. Dr.
; Moore prizes it very highly, as he
, thinks il is the only one in existence,
unless Others be buried in the ruined
. Spanish fort where this was found,
| though extensive excavation mas
| failed to reveal them. 1t must nave
! been considered an exceptionally val
I liable weapon in its day and far in
advance of the guns Of that time, as
ii was evidently the first repeating
rife ever made. The butt is roughly
hewn out of black walnut and Is
/ strongly riveted to the frame with
| iron bolts. 1t requires the entire
strength of one hanl to cock the
/ hammer, and it take, strong finger
to pull the trig GER. tEoHgh perhaps
q the hardy pioneer who used it 70 ki !
marauding Indians could handle the
/ hammer and the trigger as easily as
| can the modern amateur sportsman
| his deliCatcly constructed breech-
| loader. Ii the gun shot a ball il
must have been larger than amy bull
| let now made, ana if the NJ .ssle Of
y death which was forced through the
! long barrel was Il load Of shot or slugS
/ it must have swept 4 broad territory,
/ for the bore of the barrel is so large
! as to cause a great scattering OF the
contents of the load. The rebound
OF the gun must have been something
terrific, and would have dOubtlcs-
Knocked the shoulder out of place OF
any but the most experienced marks
man of the pioneer days. st Loui:
Globe Democrat