SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1879 TRAPDOOR SADDLE RING CARBINE CAPTURED BY IRON-TAIL (DEWEY BEARD) AT THE BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE.

SN 138980. Cal. 45-50. Standard carbine with 22″ bbl, rectangular base front sight and 1200 yard ski jump rear sight marked on left side “R L”. Breech block & lockplate have standard markings. Mounted in a 1-pc walnut stock with one band and sling bar & ring on left side. It has 2-pc trigger guard and carbine buttplate with trap. Consignor is a retired bridge and highway construction company owner from South Dakota who employed many local Native Americans over the years and became extremely friendly with them. He states that one of the primary Sioux Indians he became friendly with was Benjamin Black Elk who introduced him to Orville Francis Salway whose Sioux name was White Hills. Orville was a street artist in Keystone, South Dakota where consignor was introduced to him and where they had many conversations. One of the stories Mr. Salway related was about a Minneconjou Sioux whose Sioux name was Iron-Tail but went by the name Dewey Beard who reportedly had a Winchester that he had gotten at the Wounded Knee Massacre. Consignor states he verified this story in the book Voices of the American West: The Indian Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903-1909, Volume 1, pp. 208-226. The story goes that after the Little Big Horn Iron-Tail fought again with Crazy Horse at Slim Buttes and then went into Canada with Sitting Bull. He surrendered in 1880 and was eventually sent to the Standing Rock Reservation with the other Sioux. On Dec. 15, 1890 when Sitting Bull was killed, the Indians did not know what to do, thinking they would all be rounded up and killed, joined Chief Big Foot to go join the Oglala Sioux at Pine Ridge Reservation under the protection of Chief Red Cloud. When they got to Porcupine Creek on Dec. 28th, the soldiers caught up with them and said they would have to follow the soldiers to Wounded Knee Creek where they camped for the night. The Indians were completely surrounded by soldiers with cannon. That evening they were told they had to turn in all their weapons, which they did but the soldiers weren’t satisfied and began tearing the camp apart looking for more weapons. The Indians became angry and someone fired a shot. The soldiers retaliated and Chief Big Foot was the first killed. Iron-Tail, in the confusion couldn’t find his family and the only weapon he had was his knife. He used the knife to kill a soldier and take his rifle, a Springfield carbine, along with a few cartridges. He slid down into a ravine after being wounded twice and came upon a badly wounded warrior who gave him a Winchester rifle and belt of cartridges. Shortly thereafter he found his mother, who was shooting at soldiers with a pistol but she was badly wounded and soon died. Iron-tail kept looking for his wife who he found dead, but his young son was still alive. He was shot again which broke his right arm so he grabbed the two rifles and began walking out of the ravine where his two brothers found him. He was treated by five Oglala Sioux but his son soon died. Iron-Tail went on to live on the Pine Ridge Reservation and gave the two rifles to Benjamin Black Elk for the Sioux weapons cache which the Indians thought they would need to recover their land. Consignor states that it is his belief that this is the carbine captured by Iron-Tail at Wounded Knee. He states that the SN falls within the range of those issued to the 7th Cavalry. See Springfield Research Center Serial Number of U.S. Martial Arms, Vol. 3, page 12. PROVENANCE: Wendell Grangaard Collection. CONDITION: Fair to good. No orig finish remains with the metal being an overall very dark brown patina with fine surface pitting and rust. Stock has a gouge on the left side, otherwise is sound with a very dark hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good rifling and moderate pitting. 4-49331 JR538 (10,000-15,000) – Lot 2249

Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014

Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

Image	Lot	Price	Description
	2249	$8,625.00	SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1879 TRAPDOOR SADDLE RING CARBINE CAPTURED BY IRON-TAIL (DEWEY BEARD) AT THE BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE. SN 138980. Cal. 45-50. Standard carbine with 22″ bbl, rectangular base front sight and 1200 yard ski jump rear sight marked on left side “R L”. Breech block & lockplate have standard markings. Mounted in a 1-pc walnut stock with one band and sling bar & ring on left side. It has 2-pc trigger guard and carbine buttplate with trap. Consignor is a retired bridge and highway construction company owner from South Dakota who employed many local Native Americans over the years and became extremely friendly with them. He states that one of the primary Sioux Indians he became friendly with was Benjamin Black Elk who introduced him to Orville Francis Salway whose Sioux name was White Hills. Orville was a street artist in Keystone, South Dakota where consignor was introduced to him and where they had many conversations. One of the stories Mr. Salway related was about a Minneconjou Sioux whose Sioux name was Iron-Tail but went by the name Dewey Beard who reportedly had a Winchester that he had gotten at the Wounded Knee Massacre. Consignor states he verified this story in the book Voices of the American West: The Indian Interviews of Eli S. Ricker, 1903-1909, Volume 1, pp. 208-226. The story goes that after the Little Big Horn Iron-Tail fought again with Crazy Horse at Slim Buttes and then went into Canada with Sitting Bull. He surrendered in 1880 and was eventually sent to the Standing Rock Reservation with the other Sioux. On Dec. 15, 1890 when Sitting Bull was killed, the Indians did not know what to do, thinking they would all be rounded up and killed, joined Chief Big Foot to go join the Oglala Sioux at Pine Ridge Reservation under the protection of Chief Red Cloud. When they got to Porcupine Creek on Dec. 28th, the soldiers caught up with them and said they would have to follow the soldiers to Wounded Knee Creek where they camped for the night. The Indians were completely surrounded by soldiers with cannon. That evening they were told they had to turn in all their weapons, which they did but the soldiers weren’t satisfied and began tearing the camp apart looking for more weapons. The Indians became angry and someone fired a shot. The soldiers retaliated and Chief Big Foot was the first killed. Iron-Tail, in the confusion couldn’t find his family and the only weapon he had was his knife. He used the knife to kill a soldier and take his rifle, a Springfield carbine, along with a few cartridges. He slid down into a ravine after being wounded twice and came upon a badly wounded warrior who gave him a Winchester rifle and belt of cartridges. Shortly thereafter he found his mother, who was shooting at soldiers with a pistol but she was badly wounded and soon died. Iron-tail kept looking for his wife who he found dead, but his young son was still alive. He was shot again which broke his right arm so he grabbed the two rifles and began walking out of the ravine where his two brothers found him. He was treated by five Oglala Sioux but his son soon died. Iron-Tail went on to live on the Pine Ridge Reservation and gave the two rifles to Benjamin Black Elk for the Sioux weapons cache which the Indians thought they would need to recover their land. Consignor states that it is his belief that this is the carbine captured by Iron-Tail at Wounded Knee. He states that the SN falls within the range of those issued to the 7th Cavalry. See Springfield Research Center Serial Number of U.S. Martial Arms, Vol. 3, page 12. PROVENANCE: Wendell Grangaard Collection. CONDITION: Fair to good. No orig finish remains with the metal being an overall very dark brown patina with fine surface pitting and rust. Stock has a gouge on the left side, otherwise is sound with a very dark hand worn patina. Mechanics are fine, strong bore with good rifling and moderate pitting. 4-49331 JR538 (10,000-15,000) – Lot 2249 Auction: Firearms - Spring 2014 Please Note: All prices include the hammer price plus the buyer’s premium, which is paid by the buyer as part of the purchase price. The prices noted here after the auction are considered unofficial and do not become official until after the 46th day.

.red{fill:#B50938;} .white{fill:#FFFFFF;} .blue{fill:#005596;}

SPRINGFIELD MODEL 1879 TRAPDOOR SADDLE RING CARBINE CAPTURED BY IRON-TAIL (DEWEY BEARD) AT THE BATTLE OF WOUNDED KNEE.