Colonel Sam's Baby Trapper
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COLONEL SAMUEL A. ROBERTSON, SHERIFF OF CAMERON COUNTY TEXAS and his Baby Trapper Carbine
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| Colonel Sam's Baby Trapper |
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Baby Trapper
The Winchester Model 1873 Carbine is known world wide as “The Gun that Won the West”.[1] Colonel Sam A Robertson's 1892 model was known as "Baby Trapper". "Special Short Carbines" was the term most often used by Winchester. [2]The light weight of the rifle and the fact that shooters could carry one cartridge belt for both the rifle and a .38 six-shooter, made the carbine version the most popular Winchester model for cowboys, lawmen and of course, outlaws. Col. Sam's Winchester Model #1892 "Baby Carbine", a short-barreled rifle, was custom ordered in February 1926 at the beginning of his second term as Sheriff of Cameron County Texas. It has an original Winchester 15 inch barrel. More than likely, the agility of this firearm was a consideration in it's purchase. George Madis, an authority on Winchester's has said, "Those who ordered these special guns probably intended to use them a great deal every day, in all weather and in any possible situation."[3] That would certainly apply to Col. Sam's considerations when ordering "Baby Trapper".
Background
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| Robertson's Home, San Benito, still standing. |
March the 1st of 1917 Citizen Sam Robertson, railroad man and pioneer, found himself a scout for Pershing down in Guadalajara, Mexico, in pursuit of Poncho Villa. Pershing organized and commanded the Mexican Punitive Expedition also known as the Pancho Villa Expedition
- “Returning to Guadalajara, he met Jones on March the 1st 1917. They started immediately to the mountains of Jalisco, Mexico outfitting at a place called Ameca, which was the end of the railroad. They second day out from the railroad they were attacked by a group of eleven bandits, who first killed Jones then attempted to drag Robertson to death attached to a lariat attached to the saddle-horn of the bandit leader. Sam was captured, dragged behind a horse, beaten, and left for dead."[4]
World War I
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| Major Samual A. Robertson, 1917. |
As a lieutenant colonel in 1918, he commanded the Twenty-second Engineers and was promoted to full colonel before his discharge in 1919. He was repeatedly cited for competence in building light rail lines to the front trenches under shell fire. After receiving the Distinguished Service Medal he remained in Europe to rebuild Germany's railway system.[5]
Sheriff of Cameron County, Texas
He returned to San Benito in 1919 and he was employed by his old acquaintance, Mr. F. Yoakum and Associates of New York as Chief Engineer in oil refinery construction.
In 1920 Col. Sam was making frequent trips to Old Mexico scouting mining interest for American, Canadian and British clients. Álvaro Obregón had been elected president, he chose not to implement articles of the 1917 constitution which restricted ownership of land by foreigners because he feared that to do so would interfere with needed exports.
By 1921 the influence of the Ku Klux Klan in Texas was fueled by a growing nativist movement based on mistrust of Catholics, Jews, African Americans, and other "foreign" elements. Col. Sam knew this could be detrimental to the cultural unity of the Texas borderlands. After the Ku Klux Klan, in full regalia, paraded in San Benito Col. Sam decided to run for Sheriff.
He was elected sheriff of Cameron County in 1922, on the strength of his opposition to the upsurge of Ku Klux Klan activity and lawlessness.
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| Sheriff Robertson, Baby Trapper, and Friends |
A local paper reported:
- “Colonel Robertson served the people when he had an uphill fight to build a city in the midst of a wilderness. He served the people when he pushed railroad tracks up to the front line in France. He will serve the people as sheriff.”
Before taking office he took a "oceanic joy ride" to Europe and met and married Maria Seidler in Vienna, Austria, (or Paris?) on December 3, 1922.
The Ku Klux Klan was crushed in Cameron County and Col. Sam was kept busy enforcing the Prohibition laws. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union had been among his major supporters in his run for sheriff. In order to enforce Prohibition without prejudice friend and foe alike ended up in the Brownsville calaboose. With the Rio Grande on the south and the Gulf of Mexico on the east Cameron County had a history of smuggling.
Sheriff Sam custom ordered the agile "Baby Trapper" at the beginning of his second term as sheriff.
"Baby Trapper" became his constant companion. He took the precaution of having his name stamped using a Punch Set For Stamping Metal 1/8 Inch. The font appears to be the very same font used in WWI dog tags. Prior to WWII all military dog tags were imprinted by hand with steel stamps.[6].
During his tenure he improved jail conditions, took an interest in rehabilitating habitual offenders and drug rehabilitation, he also pursued an interest in Texas prison reform . But, all in all, Col. Sam felt his mission had been accomplished and Cameron County, on the lawless border, had been "tamed".
He was re-elected in 1926, but resigned after about a year, after a particularly life threatening event, more than likely at the behest of his spouse.
To supplement his coffers from 1928-1930 “He was engaged by a British group of investors as inspection engineer to investigate various properties, bonds, and securities in Mexico, Kansas, the Pacific and Mountain States, British Columbia and as far north as the Arctic Slopes.”[7]
Del Mar
In the late 1920's Col. Sam became "fired up" with the idea of resort development on Padre Island and his Padre Island project. W. E. Callahan and Col. Sam purchased a large tract of Spanish Land Grant property on Padre Island, a total of seventy nine thousand acres. By the end of 1927 he had completed a trough toll bridge to Brazos Island over Boca Chica Pass, established auto ferry service from Point Isabel to South Padre and North Brazos Islands, built a trough bridge between Padre and Mustang Island (now merged with North Padre), and constructed a two-way trough causeway across Laguna Madre from Flour Bluff, east of Corpus Christi, to Padre Island. A telephone line was strung the length of the island. Many of his laborer pool consisted of rehabilitated ex-convicts and drug addicts he was attempting to reform.
"Baby Trapper" became his constant companion on the barren Padre Island, over to Brazos Island, located adjacent to the Rio Grande and the Mexican border.
Hart Stilwell, a "scrub reporter" for the Brownsville Herald in the 1930's, reminisced in a 1975 article for the Houston Chronicle about a trip up the island with Col. Sam. "I remember that little telephone line because he drove me all the way to the northern end of it...Driving along with Col. Sam, in a Model T that wouldn't go over 40 miles an hour, was wilder than a trip to the moon.".[8]
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| Del Mar Resort |
He developed Brazos Island into the Valley's first seaside resort, Del Mar, which was destroyed by a hurricane in 1933, and promptly rebuilt. It was here that Col. Sam spent his final years with Maria. They still owned the Sam Robertson home in San Benito, but rented it out. T.R. Fehrenbach, the famous historian and columnist, another Texas legend, grew up there. They rented a home in Brownsville and spent most of their time at the resort, Del Mar.
Col. Sam died in 1938. Eventually Maria (Seidler) Robertson sold her interest in Del Mar and in 1945 the San Benito home was sold to John T. Lomax.
Maria (Seidler) Robertson then moved to the Texas Hill County in the company of "Baby Trapper". Her friends, Dr. and Mrs. Harry Drucker from Los Fresnos, Texas, moved to Kerr County also. Dr. Drucker, like Maria, was a native of Austria. He had been employed in San Benito for many years as an engineer for the irrigation company managed by Col. Sam's brother. Mrs. Edna Drucker passed away in 1956. Maria (Seidler) Robertson and Dr. Drucker were married January 11, 1958. In attendance were Maria’s sister Adi, from Desert Springs California, and her best friend Georgette Carels (1901 - 1981) of Hunt, Texas. Dr. A. Meyer, also of Hunt, was the best man.[9]
Dr. Harry Drucker died September 24, 1974 in Fredricksburg, Texas. Maria moved into an assisted living complex, the Edgewater Care Center, in Kerrville on the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Maria (Seidler) Robertson Drucker and Georgette Carels, were attending a function in Houston where she met R. C. Bryant in the mid 70's. Maria "Mitzi" Robertson Drucker was in her 70's.
Cocktail party conversation etiquette in Texas falls into the genre of "Tall Tales", an old and venerable Texas tradition. Guns, Lawmen, Outlaws and the Republic are staples of the genre.
R.C. Bryant recalls, "I was around 30 ish plus when we met at a social at the Spindletop in Houston." The Spindletop was/is an upscale revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt Hotel. Ben Johnson was a guest of honor. Ben Johnson was a ranch hand and rodeo performer when, in 1940, Howard Hughes hired him to take a load of horses to California. He stuck around and became a movie star because "the pay was good".
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| Tall Tales |
At some point the conversation turned to Lawmen and Outlaws. Mr. Bryant mentioned that he was related to a notorious member of the Dalton Gang, "Black Face Charley" Bryant.
You can imagine his surprise when this genteel little old lady with an Austrian accent out tall taled him! He wasn't aware that her husband, the legendary Colonel and Sheriff of Cameron County was a master of "Tall Tales"!
Mr. Bryant said, "She provided the story that Robert Fulton Watson was with the Daltons in Coffeyville, Ks. when they were killed. He and Jim Pew hightailed it back to Denton Texas to his dad's home. RFW left, went to the valley, met Col Sam, rode in his posse, was postman, and became Justice of Peace precinct 3 Los Fresnos. All of it checked out in 1900 and 1930 census. He was buried in Buena Vista according to his death certificate and died September 6,1942."
Maria mentioned she was still in possession of Col. Sam's Winchester, "Baby Trapper" and she was unable to keep it at her new abode nor could she sell it because she had promised her husband she never would.
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| The Tiffany Lamp and Scribner books |
Mr Bryant had a hunting lease in Kerr County and continued his communication with Maria. Somewhere along the way he caught "gun fever" . He decided to barter with Maria since she couldn't sell "Baby Trapper". Maria had no material needs. He decided to offer a trade- an antique Tiffany lamp and a set of beautifully bound Scribner books. To Mr. Bryant's surprise Maria accepted.
In 1978 Maria arranged to meet Mr. Bryant at a small post office at South Fork where she inspected the lamp and books. She and her companion, Georgette Carels, left for about 15 minutes and returned with "Baby Trapper"
Maria Siedler Robertson Drucker passed away in Kerrville, Texas at the Sid Peterson Hospital September the 2nd, 1985
The Rest of the Story
For approximately the last 40 years "Baby Trapper" has been in the paternal care of Mr. Bryant. He has allowed a number of Winchester aficionados to inspect "Baby Trapper".
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- George Madis, author of The Winchester Book, The Winchester Handbook and The Winchester Era wrote "I have personally examined this fine carbine and find that it is 100% original Winchester and is just as it left the factory.
- "Baby" Carbines such as this are rare and historically important Americana.
- One of the rare features of number 956803 is the caliber; it is a 38 W.C.F., while the majority of these baby carbines are caliber 44 W.C.F.*[10]
- Special short barrels are rare in all Winchesters; this carbine has a special fifteen (15) inch barrel.
- Number 956803 is a rare little Winchester, and will be a star in any museum or collection. The condition is much better than usually found with this gun; a fair degree of original blue on steel parts and much original finish is seen on the stock and forearm.
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| W. Warren Newman. |
In 2005 W. Warren Newman, Curatorial Assistant at the Cody Firearms Museum, a part of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming wrote after close inspection in the Cody gun room,
- "Winchester Model 1892 Lever Action Repeating Carbine. S/N 956803.38 W.C.F. a rare and authentic Winchester rifle. Often called "Baby" Carbines by collectors, this firearm, with an original 15" barrel, is in outstanding condition and has excellent provenance."
- "It was a privilege for me to examine it. I commend it as one of the finest Model 1892 I have seen in more than forty years of professional firearm experience."
Recently, in 2014 "Baby Trapper" took a "joy ride" back home to the Rio Grand eValley, stopping in San Antone to pay homage to Col. Sam. In San Benito "Baby Trapper" was the star attraction at a fund raiser for the Museums of San Benito. The following day many more folks viewed "Baby Trapper" at the Museums of San Benito during a "Windows on the Past" presentation on the life of Col. Sam at the Museums of San Benito and "had the privilege to see."
"Baby Trapper" has a place next to "Bughouse", "El Ricardo" and "Caballo Blanco" in the warp and weft of the fabric of Col. Sam's legend.
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| Colonel Sam's Baby Trapper |
Sources
- ↑ http://www.winchesterguns.com/products/rifles/model-1873.html
- ↑ http://www.rarewinchesters.com/articles/art_special_short.shtml
- ↑ http://www.rarewinchesters.com/articles/art_special_short.shtml
- ↑ Biographical sketch of Franklin Selden Robertson, written by his brother,Robert Emmett Robertson, Lewis-Robertson Family. Papers (1837-1955 (bulk 1837-1851; 1955).) State Historical Society of Missouri, St. Louis
- ↑ Space:WW1_Experience_Report
- ↑ http://www.graphotype.net/marking_outfit.htm
- ↑ Biographical sketch of Franklin Selden Robertson, written by his brother,Robert Emmett Robertson, in 1955 Lewis-Robertson Family. Papers (1837-1955 (bulk 1837-1851; 1955).) State Historical Society of Missouri, St. Louis
- ↑ By Hart Stilwell, The Legendary Col. Sam of old Padre Island, Houston Chronicle, Texas Magazine, Sunday, April ^, 1975
- ↑ Kerrville Mountain Sun › 1958 › January › 30 January 1958
- ↑ W.C.F. means "Winchester Center Fire".
- Special Short Winchesters By George Madis
- The Winchester Arms Collectors Association (WACA)
- http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/kit-carson-winchester-rifle-colt-single-action-revolver-and-other-memorabilia-mis845/
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