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Slaughter later sold the set with that pair of steer head
grips on it, and then purchased it back around 20 years
later from the buyer’s widow and sold it to Les Quick.
Spraggins retained the grips. Pemberton was visiting
Lang when he found the grips in the drawer in his walk-
in safe. “I asked about them, and he said he had them
for over 20 years but never found a gun that was high
enough quality to support them. I asked if he would
sell them to me, and he said he would.” They planned to
finalize the deal the next morning.
When Pemberton returned to his hotel room, he had a
message from his friend Tom Powers of Utopia, Texas,
telling him about a gun, holster, and belt at the gun
show in Las Vegas that he thought Pemberton would
want for his collection and mentioned that Spraggins
had owned the set many years prior. The following day,
while talking with Spraggins about finalizing the sale of
the grips, he mentioned the revolver he was buying. “He
looked at me in shock, asked me to repeat the number,
he then went on to explain that the grips that were
sitting in front of me, that I selected yesterday were the
original grips that he had removed from the gun some
20 years ago when he sold it to Jack. These grips are
pearl, with a standing eagle on a shield, with crossed
cartridges, and with the date 1900 carved into the pearl.”
When Power brought the revolver to him, Pemberton
noted, “the ability to be able to reinstall the original grips
back on this magnificent Single Action, and have them
fit so perfectly was one of my most exciting moments in
collection.” That is quite a statement given the incredible
Colts in his collection. The document closes with a note
that Lang Spraggins had passed away in 2007, but he
had the remaining dealers who had owned the revolver
read through the document, and it was signed by
Pemberton, Jack Slaughter, Les Quick, and Tom Power
in February and March of 2008 in confirmation of the
accuracy of the account.
James R. Gregory:
James R. Gregory (1862-1930) was born in Illinois and
married Emma Jane Sams (1866-1951) of Missouri.
Together, they had two daughters, Vida Frances (1886-
1966) who later married Robert S. Ellison and Vera Marie
Gregory (1892-1968). An invitation from Gregory for
Vera’s wedding is included in the documentation along
with additional information and western photographs.
James Gregory worked as a rancher and detective in
Wyoming and Missouri before moving to Colorado.
The Weekly Gazette of Colorado Springs on August 13,
1903, states: “Sheriff W.R. Gilbert yesterday morning
appointed ex-Detective James R. Gregory to the position
as deputy in his office. His first assignment will be given
today, when he will be sent to Leadville to take charge
of young William Lang...Deputy Sheriff Gregory resigned
from the detective force of the police department last
Friday because, as he says, he was accused of having
furnished the Gazette with information concerning the
crookedness existing in the police department. Gregory
has been engaged in work of the character required at
the sheriff’s office for about eight years, having been a
detective in Wyoming and Missouri before coming here.
He was on the detective force for about three years
before he resigned.”
On May 19, 1904, the Weekly Gazette wrote that Gregory
“says he is the livest dead man in the state of Colorado
but he thinks hard luck is on his track. A former
Denver policeman was shot and
killed in that city Saturday night. He
bore the name of Gregory and the
impression got abroad that it was
‘Jim’ Gregory.” Gregory also “dropped
a roll of money amounting to $450
somewhere, he thinks at Seventh
street, and nobody has been so
good as to report finding it for him.”
In 1907, he was appointed Chief
of Police in neighboring Colorado
City. The Colorado City Iris on March
22, 1907, noted: “The Citizens’ Ticket
nominees pledge themselves, after
election, to the appointment of James
R. Gregory as chief of police of this city. This will mean
a clean administration in that
department, which will be an
innovation. Though this city has
saloons, there is no reason why it
should be a rendezvous for all classes
of undesirable characters. The police
department is responsible in large
measure for the presence of the
tough element... who is responsible
for their presence here? Why, the
police department, to be
sure, and the way to get
rid of them is to put a
man at the head of this
department who will see
to it that just as soon as
one of those fellows who
has no visible means of
support lights, just so
soon is he told to move
on, and if he does not
move, is thrown in jail.
That is the way to keep
them out of town,
and that is the way to
protect the good name
and property of our
city. Elect the Citizens’
Ticket and they will
appoint James R.
Gregory chief of police, and
these conditions will prevail.”
His tenure was short lived but
eventful. He reportedly worked
to shut down wine rooms
and banned women from the
saloons. In February, a drunken
barber attempted to slit his
throat. On April 10, 1908, it was announced that he
had tendered his resignation to attend to his business
interests and out of frustration with being accused of
“official derelictions” by his opponents after he was
accused of accepting money and liquor from a man to
help him secure a liquor license and protection.
Featured in the book
Theodore Roosevelt:
Hunter-Conservationist
by Wilson
68