FOREWORD

This booklet is not intended to be the last word onSouthern Derringers. I suspect that it is merely intendedto be a guide for someone who has more patience thanI to do the research work that is required on a completestory.

I am listing 29 different makers all of which areauthenticated. This story does not include pocket pistols,which are of a slightly different shape nor does it includeovercoat pistols or duelling pistols. I think theseare of an entirely different category even if these samemakers produced them.

You may debate the excluding of the following:

G. Erichson, Houston

E. Schmidt, Houston

Schmidt & Kosse, Houston

H. Trotter, Cameron, Texas

Joseph Labadie, Galveston

J. H. Happoldt, Charleston, South Carolina

M. Dickson, Louisville

Hodgkins & Son, Macon, Georgia

Wolff and Durringer, Louisville, Kentucky

Because I live in the Mississippi Valley, the guns thatI am describing are of special interest to me and theothers that can be called southern guns do not fit intomy scheme of things.

Thus I have narrowed down geographically this storyof the derringers of the Mississippi Valley to an exclusivegroup. It is sad that so little research work has beendone in this direction in the past. Careful study of otherbooks shows that only six or eight of these twenty-ninenames and authenticated guns are spoken of in limitedterms.

Since I got my first muzzleloading gun when I was12 years old, I guess you could say I have been collectingguns for 38 years. In that length of time I have metmany wonderful people and made numerous everlastingfriends. Among these people are Hume Parks, HalSwann, Cecil Godman, Dr. Bill Huckaba, Dr. D. R.Moore, Leon Jackson, Robin Hale, Harry G. King andCharles Elias all of which ably assisted me with thisbooklet and without those efforts, it would not havebeen possible.

During the 20 months in 1969 and 1970 that we havebeen displaying our derringers at gun shows we havewon 25 awards. Our derringers have been displayedfrom the East Coast to the West Coast and from theNorth to the South. Great acclaim was given them atthe National Rifle Association Convention. Consideringthe point that awards are won not only on quality orquantity but on the educational value, we believe thatour display is one of the best. Now that the ice has beenbroken towards listing and showing all of the differentsouthern makers, let us hope that our collector friendswill come up with more information and more detailsof when these little known gunsmiths and dealers operatedand perhaps new makers that are not now recognizedor known.

This chart shows the relative rarity of Southernderringers in the opinion of several knowledgeable collectors.Position #1 is the easiest to obtain and position #10 is thehardest to find. T

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