Posted by Ken Descovich on November 26, 2016, 1:52 pm
I do not want to stress how important it can be to get a letter on you new or old acquisition of a L. C. Smith (thanks Dr. Jim). My new purchase is a grade 5E L. C. Smith that was advertised in a recent auction, I contacted Dr. Jim Stubbendieck (which you are able to do if you are a member) to see if the gun letters out, he gave me pertinent information and stressed the I should order a letter, Dr. Jim also stated that the original purchaser is listed. Well knowing the anyone purchasing a $245.00 gun in 1897 has to have been fairly wealthy, I could not wait for the letter to arrive. Well it arrived yesterday and I am pleased to say the original purchaser was a M. L. Lindsley, first off I had no clue who he might be but after a search on the internet it was pretty clear who he was and also who his wife was. Mr. Milton L. Lindsley was a superintendent of the Kings Powder Company and had previously been associated with other powder companies. He and his wife Etta Butts Lindsley (known as Wanda) shot competitively in live bird, glass ball and clay targets. Etta would compete against Annie Oakley on occasion and would sometime win. I do not want to stress how I would not know this information if I had not ordered a letter.