Charlie had a shotgun, rather unsurprising as he did enjoy hunting game birds, but it was a special shotgun, and not because it was one of the Big Five shotguns of the period (late 1800s to early 1900s), which it was, but because of a family connection. He owned an "Elsie" shotgun manufactured by the Hunter Arms Co. of Fulton, New York.
So, what's the family connection, you ask. Well, John Hunter, one of the Hunter brothers who owned the company, was Charley's uncle, having married his aunt Mary Elizabeth Conrad in 1855 in Virginia.
The tale is told in a bit more detail on this page.
Oh, and that page also explains Charley's connection to typewriters, a somewhat tenuous one, to be sure, but still, a connection.
Ah! Lest I forget, for those of you who don't know what the other four of the Big Five shotguns were, they were Fox, Ithaca, Lefever and Parker.
For more information on the Elsie shotgun itself if you are so inclined, I suggest you read this article. It's pretty thorough.
©2024 Richard L. Hardesty. All rights reserved.
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