Frank James Gun

From the Southwest Times, Fort Smith, Arkansas:

Frank James’ Gun Presented To Museum

By Mary L. Crider

Times Record • mcrider@swtimes.com

U.S. Marshals Service historian and Marshals Museum Board member David Turk presented the board with the planned museum’s first “draw piece” donation Tuesday — a .22-caliber gun that once belonged to Frank James, brother of Jesse James.

Turk said he wanted to do something meaningful for the national museum.

Museum Executive Director Jim Dunn said the gun would be a prize piece in the museum’s collections.

Turk said he bought the gun at an auction in 2005, before he knew about Fort Smith. It was part of a collection of artifacts discovered in an old wooden trunk in a barn in Scott County, Ky., on land that belonged to James’ ancestors for centuries.

The gun grip is marked with an “F” for Frank James and is notched, Turk pointed out. It is intact although not functioning. Turk said he thinks the gun is one of many James used in his criminal career.