Lawmen of Rockabye County (Rockabye County Book Two)

by Edson, J. T.

  xxxix Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog—whose sobriquet came into being when he was promoted as the youngest man to become a captain in the Texas Rangers—is the grandson of Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog, C.S.A., an amigo of Mark Counter, q.v., details of whose career and special qualifications can be found in the Civil War and Floating Outfit series.

  xl For those interested in combat pistol shooting, we can wholeheartedly recommend the following titles by Colonel Jeff Cooper as being very informative: FIGHTING HANDGUNS, COOPER ON HANDGUNS and THE COMPLETE BOOK OF MODERN HANDGUN-NING.

  xli The ‘accurizing’ performed by the Pachmyr Gun Works of Los Angeles, California, was carried out to increase the already considerable potential as a weapon of the rugged and dependable Colt Government Model of 1911 .45 caliber automatic pistol. No other military arm, not even the gladius of the legionaries of Ancient Rome, existed longer without any development to the original design. The ‘accurizing’ comprised of the following. The fit between the cocking slide and the receiver was tightened, and enlarged bushing was installed and the slackness of the barrel was decreased, all of which increased the potential for accuracy. The internal mechanism was worked over to encourage a smoother functioning of the operation. Having the feed ramp polished to an ice-like slickness and trimming the mouth of the barrel each helped ensure a quicker and more certain transfer of the uppermost bullet from the magazine to the chamber and reduced the chances of a jam. Externally, the pistol was fitted with ‘combat stocks’ which were shaped to make certain the hand of the shooter always closed upon them in the same manner. The ‘grip safety’ of the mechanism in the butt—an innovation of John Moses Browning, arguably the world’s finest and certainly most prolific designer of firearms, who makes a ‘guest’ appearance in CALAMITY SPELLS TROUBLE—was welded into the closed position and the spur of the manual safety catch was enlarged to facilitate changing it to a state of readiness. A ‘trigger shoe’ spread the firing pressure of four pounds to give the impression of a lighter pull being required from the forefinger without reducing the safety margin. Finally, the pistol was fitted with an adjustable rear sight which permitted remarkable accuracy in skilled hands, even when firing at ranges generally considered to be beyond the reach of a handgun.

  xlii During the early 1970s the management of the Remington Arms Company considered the term ‘riot gun’ was inaccurate and had an undesirable connotation as the use of such weapons was not confined merely to coping with civic disorders. The correct purpose, they claimed with complete justification, was to supplant the basically defensive handguns of peace officers in all types of law enforcement combat situations. Therefore, the Company designated such weapons of the kind they manufactured as ‘Police Guns’. The Winchester Model of 1897 twelve gauge, five shot, pump action, tubular magazine shotgun was modified for use in the trench warfare of World War 1. The length of the barrel was reduced to twenty inches, given a radiating cooling sleeve to permit sustained rapid fire and equipped to take a bayonet. The improved Winchester Model of 1912—one of which is occasionally used by Brad—which has a concealed hammer, was modified in a similar fashion and other firearms companies produced weapons in the same category. The ‘trench gun’ proved to be an exceptionally effective device for use at close, or in confined, quarters, particularly when charged with nine .32 buckshot balls. One purpose to which it was put was to deflect ‘stick’ hand grenades thrown towards the trenches by the enemy. After ‘trench guns’ had been employed and played a major part in breaking up a mass infantry attack, the German High Command—who had already delivered assaults with poison gas, including the virulent and vicious ‘mustard’ variety—complained that their use was ‘an inhumane and barbaric way of waging war’. The threat of the Germans to execute any member of the American Expeditionary Force found with a ‘trench gun’ in his possession was countered by the U.S.A. issuing a reminder that they were holding numerous German prisoners of war and would know what to do by way of reprisals. The threat was never put into effect. One example of how well Brad Counter could handle a riot gun, a Winchester Model of 1912 in this instance, is given in: Part Two, ‘Cop Killer’, THE SIXTEEN DOLLAR SHOOTER.

  xliii As is the case with members of the Gusher City Police Department, other than detectives serving in the various specialist Details—such as Narcotics, Vice & Gambling, Missing Persons, Robbery, etc.—the deputy sheriffs at the five Sub-Offices work a four-watch rota. i.e. Morning, seven o’clock until three (0700-1500); Afternoon, three to eleven (1500-2300); Night, eleven until seven the following morning (2300-0700); off duty watch.

  xliv Such an arrangement has long been accepted practice in the United States of America. In the days of the ‘Old West’, municipal officers such as constables, town marshals and their deputies, etc., only had jurisdictional authority within the limits of the village, town, or city, which employed them. Members of the sheriff’s office were similarly restricted to operating within the boundaries of the county (parish in Louisiana). As is the case with present day State Police and the Highway Patrol, the Texas and Arizona Rangers could cover the whole of the State by whom they were formed. U.S. Marshals and members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation have jurisdiction everywhere in the United States of America, but their investigations are generally restricted to major, or ‘Federal’ offenses such as kidnapping, hijacking of aircraft, or robberies of U. S. post offices or mail.

  xlv How the change in the association came about is told in: THE ¼-SECOND DRAW.

  xlvi Four occasions on which Woman Deputy Alice Fayde needed to make use of her knowledge of unarmed combat when in contention against other women are described in: THE SHERIFF OF ROCKABYE COUNTY; THE PROFESSIONAL KILLERS—which also covers the investigation into the murder of Deputy Sheriff Thomas Cord—THE DEPUTIES and BAD HOMBRE.

  xlvii One occasion when Woman Deputy Alice Fayde was compelled to put her ability with a handgun to serious use is described in: Part Three, ‘A Contract For Alice Fayde’, J.T.’S LADIES.

  xlviii The incident which led to the change of armament for Woman Deputy Alice Fayde is to be found in the volume to which we refer in Footnote One above.