Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1904-02-06
HISTORIC sMALL-ARMsEXHIB

Il
In tn, United States Government
building at the St. Louis Fair is to be a
special exhibit of curious and interesting
arms from the armory or arsenal at
Springfield, Mass, famousin history.
One of the weapons selected to be
brought to st. Louis is the old percus-
sion rifle carried by Jefferson Davis,
president of the Confederate States OF
America, when he was taken prisoner
by troops under Gen. Nelson A. Miles;
in Nav. 1865. This gun was presented
70 President Davis by a French iriend
and admirer P. Devisme, OF Paris' IL
Is q most interesting relic OF historic
parsonage and occasion: The rine was
taken to the Springfield arsenal some
time after the close of the war, and has
been carefully preserved.
In the selections made for the 81.
Louis exhibit are number OF foreign
Guns of curious make. Odd-looking
Moorish firearms of the flint-lock, match
lock and Wheel-lock types are particu-
larly interesting. These weapons have
long slender barrels and grotesque butt.
Other foreign guns to be seen are the
Austrian Werndi, with saber bayon,et
the Schulhoff rifle, of Austrian make
the Austrian Mannlicher, the Swiss
Rubin rife, the Spanish Mauser maya
zine rifle, the Henry magazine rifle, win
magazine tube and barrel Of the same
length, and others.
An the American rifles will be repre-
sented. The firearms now III use IN lhe
army will be exhibited in connection
with those of the past. a tag on eacn
weapon will show its make, style, age ano
history. The old-fashioned weapons car
ried by Washington men at Yorktown
Valley Forge and through"utthe reVolu
ton will be compared with the weapons
used by our soldiers in the war OF lolZ
the Mexican war, the civil war and TN
war against Spain.
There will be several boards upoIl
which will be placed models showing IN
evolution of the military small-arm
Component parts of the modern gun vii
be shown on one board. Other 0oar'
will show pistols, sabers, swords AM
other side-arms.
What the collection of American gun
will show in the war OF recent develop
nent is indicated by chart at the arsen
al museum in Springfield; "Progres
in military small-arms: lS5O-two shot
ner minute lS70-twenty-five shots pc
minute; l9O0--tbirty-six shots per min
ute, range 400 yards; gatling gun--SV
shots per minute" -
Two large racks full of guns whic
made history will be shown. Ines
comprise nearly 100 types of weapons
MANY of them are carbines. Here on
NAV see the Confederate muzzle-loadin
rife musketoon with short barrel, th
English rifle carbine with saber bayone'
the Springfield muzzle-loading carbln
rife, the Springfield smoothbofe mu'
ketoon carbine, percussion rifles an
muskets with long bayonets, Harper
. Ferry Springfield smoothebore tiintlock
English musketoons and many oth'
types. 1o.u.,
sen and other guns now used IN Il
limited States military service, late
models and the most deadly small-arn
made. will be included in the COLLECTION
The ordnance department, una
whose auspices this exhibit is to
made, believes that the public will tai
deep interest in these weapons oil wa
$ and every facility looking toward I
!. visitors complete understanding Oh al
!, or all of the guns will be provided