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Many have since repeated claims that he in fact drowned at sea, and there
were also rumors that he was murdered by jealous husband or completed
suicide. Regardless of the cause of his sudden demise, Elizabeth Colt had
lost her last child and was clearly crushed, and she incorporated his love
of the sea into his memorials. At his funeral, his commodore cap and the
flag of his ketch the Oriole were placed on his casket, and the Dauntless
was worked into the designs of the Caldwell Colt Memorial House in
recognition of his love of yachting. The house overall was designed to
resemble a ship.
The factory letter lists the revolver as returned to the factory by “G.W.
Cormack” in 1899, but it seems very likely that the middle initial is a
recording or transcription error given that George A. Cormack was one
of Commodore Colt’s close friends and the secretary of the Corinthian
Yacht Club. He was later the secretary of the New York Yacht Club starting
in 1901. The New York Times on January 23, 1894, noted that George A.
Cormack was one of the men selected to represent the New York Yacht
Club at the funeral. The following day, the Times recorded: “Mr. George
Cormack, the Secretary of the Corinthian Yacht Club and a great friend of
the deceased yachtsman, will attend to the reception of the body here. Mr
Cormack said: ‘Mr. Colt was one of the best-hearted men I ever knew. He
was always doing some kind act, and gave away, not in public charities,
enough money to make a man well off.’” Cormack is also listed among the
honorary pall bearers for Colt’s funeral. It is not clear when Cormack would
have come into possession of the revolver. He may have been the original
intended recipient given other gifts from Colt to his friends, but he may
have come to possess it later. Was this in fact the sidearm of Commodore
Colt and given to his friend? His New York Times obituary on June 29,
1938, reads: “George A. Cormack, secretary of the New York Yacht Club, of
which he had been a member for fifty-two years, died yesterday morning
in Doctors Hospital, Eighty-Seventh Street and East End Avenue, where he
underwent an operation on June 8. He was 81 years old.”
CONDITION: Excellent with 95% plus original finish, distinct markings, and
generally only light wear. The right grip has a repaired crack; otherwise,
the grips are very good with minor wear mainly at the lower edges.
Mechanically excellent. The book is fair with mild shelf wear, separation
at the spine, and some loose pages. The customized antique case is very
good with mild age and storage related wear, including some cracks in
the lid. This is a historically significant example the Model 1889 shipped
directly to Samuel Colt’s son Caldwell Hart Colt just a few years before
his death. The fact that this revolver is also serial number 3 is particularly
significant as that makes it one of the first double action revolvers with a
swing-out cylinder ever made. Overall, this is a highly desirable Colt.
Provenance: Caldwell Hart Colt; G.W. Cormack; The Colt Factory
Collection; The Mike Poulin Collection; The Tommy Rholes Collection;
The Tom Power Collection; The Brig & Louise Pemberton Collection.
Estimate: 15,000 - 25,000