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LISTED BY SERIAL NUMBER IN THE BOOK COLT THOMPSON SUBMACHINE GUN SERIAL NUMBERS & HISTORIES, VOL. 1 BY HERIGSTAD
From a start of relatively simple fraud in government, Looney’s criminal activity in the Quad Cities area
can be best described with the words “diverse” and “endemic”; precious little crime was below his notice, and if it happened along this particular section of the Mississippi River he had a finger in it. His eventual downfall began in 1912, when a conflict with the
mayor escalated from words to a violent beating in City Hall, and clear up to a multiple day riot and 30 days of martial law in Rock Island. Skipping town for a few years, Looney came back and tried to reassert himself
in Rock Island, and, while he was able to carve out his territory again, conflict with rival crime groups (many former Looney associates who struck out on their own when the boss bailed out) resulted in the death of his son. The final nail would be the murder of a local saloonkeeper who tried to go to the feds when he became upset with increases in
the amount of protection money he was paying. While no evidence put Looney at the scene, his henchmen who actually did the deed named him as the leader, resulting in his arrest in 1925 and a 14 year sentence (about 8 1/2 served) in Stateville Prison. On release, he headed to the Southwest, passing on in Texas in 1942. Looney would become part of the legend of the Quad Cities, and later gain wider notoriety via the graphic novel Road to Perdition, later made into a 2002 feature film with Tom Hanks portraying a fictional prohibition-era triggerman and Paul Newman as the boss (renamed “John Rooney” in the adaptation).
Reports indicate that the Sheriff’s Department only purchased the two Thompsons, one being liquidated in the 1970s to pay for equipment upgrades and the other released in 2006 through our auction house
to raise funds for a local animal shelter. Blade front sight on the unmarked Cutts compensator and folding Lyman rear sights, standard 1921 nomenclature and markings on the receiver, with the matching numbered trigger housing fitted with knurled control surfaces and proper “FULL/AUTO”/”SINGLE” and “FIRE”/”SAFE” switch configuration. Internals are proper 1921 pattern, with Blish Lock mechanism, heavyweight recoil spring, and spring steel oiler. With dual pistol grips and a quick detach buttstock with a small “anchor” stamp on the front, “RI CO” scratched into the left side, and a metal tag marked “PROPERTY OF/COUNTY OF ROCK ISLAND/No.08959” on the left near the buttplate. Included with the lot is one Auto-Ordnance 50-round
Type “L” drum magazine.
CONDITION: Excellent, with 95% of the original blue finish overall, showing minor spotting and handling marks overall. The wood is very fine, with some minor handling marks and dings. Mechanically excellent. NOTE: This weapon is a National Firearms Act (NFA), fully transferable Class 3, which is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, (BATFE) that is classified as a “Curios or Relic” as defined in 27 CFR, 478.11. These weapons are still subject to the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44 and 27 CFR part 479.
Estimate: 45,000 - 70,000
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