Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-12-03
ROMANCE Of THE F|REARN
Origin and Development of the
American Revolver.
THE FRONTIER FIREARM
The story Of Col. "Jaok" Hays and
Col. Colt--TheIr First Meeting In
a New York Gunshop, Where the
Texas Ranger Placed an Order
for the New Invention.

There Is romantic slde 10 weapons
of war that is as interesting as any
in our national history. The origin
Of our purely American arm, the
Colts revolver, furnishes an instance
that will illustrate this.
In the '80s we were enlarging our
national boundaries In the southwest
A handful Of daring young Americans
had wrested from Mexico a region
five times the size Of any state in the
Union. 1t was then called the Re-
public of Texas. The State of Ten
nessee was primarily responsible for
this daring step.
To guard their frontier thoroughly
and effectively they organized bands
of companies of Rangers, under Off
GERS who could not only fight Indians
and Mexlcans but control and disci-
pline their own army. Among the
ablest Of these commanders, Col. Hays
was incontestably the ablest. He
was a born leader Of men-just such
men as were then peopling the great
southwestern frontier. In stature he
was about feet 8 inches and never
weighed over $50 pounds. His hair
was of a darkish brown, inclined to
be red, and his eyes were Of several
oolors, according to his moods. In
his hours of relaxation and among
his friends they were Of dark gray,
with a hue Of hazel.
Some time in the middle thirties,
about 1885 or 1886, Col. Hays was d.
rected by the Governor Of Texas to
20 to New York and purchase suita-
BILE arms to equip his troop. He had
then about $50 men, but they were
not uniformly armed, and lacked
equipment suitable for a mounted
command They, about all, carried
rife and 4 pair Of pistols Of various
patterns. They needed to be equip
ped alike, and with the very best
weapons that were available at that
time
HAYS MEETS COLT.
So, in obedience to his orders, and
with letter of credit on the treas
urer of the Texan republic, Hays took
passage in a schooner that was bound
for New York. He was a month in
making the trip, for he started in
September, when the gulf Is usually
stormy, and the prevailing winds are
from the southwest-and everywhere
else. They were blown into nearly
every port from Galveston northward
before they got in sight Of the Island
of Manhattan. Col. Hays went the
rounds Of the firearms realm in New
York. 1t was not difficult undertake
ing, for there were but four or five OF
them. But he did not find anything
that he had not seen before in the
way OF firearms. One day, however,
gun dealer said: There Is a man
living over in New Jersey at present
that has just invented a pistol which |
l would like to have you see." What |
is there about 1t that makes it differ
ent from other pistols?" asked Col.
Hays. "Well, this, for one thing: 1t
shoots six times without reloading."
Col. Hayes interest was Immediately |
aroused Indeed, I'd like very much |
to see It," said he. Every well, then,
I'll have him in here with it to-mor-
row about this time" responded the |
dealer. SO the next day the man
came in. He was about thirty years
old and a gunsmith chiefly by trade,
though he did all sorts Of work in fine
steel. He said he had just concluded
an order for sabres Of officers for the
regiment of dragons just then being
raised.
"This is my pistol, colonel" said
he, opening a case and handing the
weapon to the Texas colonel. "The
instant 1 looked at it 1 said it was
just what I wanted" said Hays to
his brother, Gen. Harry Hays, Of New
Orleans. There was a sixty-foot gal
lery in the rear of the store for {the
testing of arms. They took the model
pistol, which was about like the Colts
pocket arm Of to-day in size, calibre
and weight, and the expert fired all
six barrels in less than a minute. The
penetration was good, as was the &C
curacy. Now, 1 want a pistol of this
pattern, but with a larger cylinder, an
S-inch long BARREL taking a bullet Of
about fifty grains weight, made as
soon as you can make it. l will ad-
vance you $50 on it now to enable you
to purchase the material and have the
barrel rifed. II the pistol shoots as
well as 1 believe it will will talk to
you about a contract for 100 of them,
and also about q rifle on the same
principle" In two weeks the pistol
was ready to be tested. 1t shot very
well, with sufficient force to kill if it
hit a man at from 100 to $50 yards
distance. At the same time a rifle
was constructed on the same princi-
pie. 1t was about "A calibre, with a
cylinder that would contain eighty
grains of powder and carried round
or an oblong bullet. The arm came
up to Hays's expectations in all re-
spects. He took the model to Texas
with him and submitted it to his >
Rangers. When 1t had been thorough
ly tested, they ordered 100 Of the pis- +
tolls and fifty of the rifles. The latter q
were so constructed that when the
cylinder was fred 1t could be slipped +
out and another cylinder, already
loaded, put into the arm in one time c
and two motions-that is, in thirty
Shortly after the troop had s
been armed with these new weapons
they were tried in a sharp fight that n
settled the question of their superior n
Ity over those Of their Indian and 81
Mexican antagonists once and for all a
EXCHANGING CHILDREN. :.
N Agency Where These Exchanges o