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We found the rifle discussed in the Omaha Daily Bee on November 28, 1883, in the article titled “A SPLENDID
GUN: Made by the Winchester Arms Company for a North Platte Man.” The paper states: “When Mr. A. G.
McAusland, the agent of the Winchester Repeating Arms company was in Omaha about a month ago, he
received from Collins & Petty, the agents in this part of the west for that company, an order for a fine 32 calibre
Winchester rifle, patent of 1873, for W. H. Tucker, of North Platte, Nebraska. Mr. McAusland Monday arrived
in Omaha with the gun and turned it over to Collins & Petty. It is certainly one of the handsomest rifles ever
made in this country. It is silver-plated, with gold trimmings, is handsomely engraved, and has all the late
improvements. The cost was $100.” The same day, the paper also reported Tucker shooting 99 our of 100 clay
pigeons with Mayor Buck, John Hancock, Dell Huntington, and other friends as witnesses. In 1883, Andrew
McAusland also notably sent one of John Browning’s single shot rifles back to the company ultimately leading to
the purchase of the design and Browning’s influence on Winchester’s lever action rifles.
Other newspaper reports from 1883 when the rifle was shipped gave other news concerning Tucker, including
that he received another inscribed rifle. The Columbus Telegram on December 22, 1883, wrote: “On Thursday of
this week W.H. Tucker received a new and beautiful Colt’s patent repeating rifle as a present from Dr. C. H. Bullock
of Hartford, Conn., who was the Guest of Hon. and Mrs. William Cody this fall, and is recognized as one of the
leading sportsman [sic] of the east. The rifle bears the following inscription: ‘To William H. Tucker, from Dr. C. H.
Bullock, in remembrance of our hunt on the plains.’ It is needless to say that Tucker is very proud of his beautiful
present.” He must have been very proud of his flashy nickel and gold Winchester as well. Given it shipped in the
fall of 1883, perhaps it was a gift of Buffalo Bill to Tucker for the hunt with Bullock.
The rifle is accompanied by consignor research on William H. Tucker (1843-1886). This research along with our
own paints the picture of quite the western character. He was born in Iowa and served in the 6th Iowa Infantry
and the 4th Iowa Cavalry during the Civil War. After the war, he headed west to Nebraska. There he became
a noted gambler and gunman and purchased the OK Saloon in Ogallala in the late 1870s and renamed it the
Cowboy’s Rest Saloon. He was noted as a tall, attractive man who adopted a similar style as Buffalo Bill Cody.
Buffalo Bill established the Scout’s Rest Ranch nearby in the 1880s.
Tucker was also a rambunctious and quarrelsome man known for his pride, shooting
abilities, and willingness to fight. Bill Thompson, the younger brother of notorious gunman
Ben Thompson, and Tucker got into it on June 21, 1880, after Thompson apparently insulted Big
Alice who ran Tucker’s saloon. Thompson returned and fired at Tucker from across the saloon hitting him in
the hand and taking off at least one of Tucker’s fingers and damaging multiple others. Tucker fell to the floor.
Thompson left thinking he had fatally wounded Tucker, but Tucker got back to his feet, retrieved a shotgun, and
ran after him and shot Thompson in the back. Thompson was severely wounded and was arrested. Naturally,
there were concerns he would die from his wounds, be lynched if he survived, and/or that his brother would
ride into town seeking revenge. Instead, Bat Masterson came on Ben Thompson’s behalf to get his brother out of
town before more trouble and with the help of Buffalo Bill kept him safe until they could get him back to Dodge
City. Tucker also owned a saloon in North Platte and found himself in trouble again in 1883 when he was accused
of assaulting a fourteen year old girl and trying to buy the family’s silence per the newspapers, but ultimately
no charges were made. The Hamilton County News in covering the situation noted him as “William H. Tucker,
a notorious rowdy of North Platte, who is engaged in the saloon business” and also called him a scoundrel. He
met his demise with the help of booze a few years later when he fell twenty-five feet into the Blue River while
crossing a railroad bridge on foot on December 19, 1886. His son dove into the icy water after him but was
unable to save him, and William H. Tucker drowned. The coroner determined the case to be an “accidental death
brought about while under the influence of liquor.”
CONDITION: Very good with 50% of the original nickel plating remaining and heavily concentrated on the barrel,
loading gate, lever, and lever latch; gray and brown patina on the balance, light pitting, mostly crisp engraving,
replaced front sight blade, absent rear sight elevator, and general moderate wear. The wood is good with worn
checkering, some attractive figure, loss at the edges, cracks at the toe, and general scrapes and dings. The rifle
mechanically functions, but the hammer drops occasionally when the action is cycled. Overall, an attractive and
very historic special order Winchester Model 1873 rifle factory inscribed for a “notorious rowdy” in the American
West in the late 19th century.
Provenance: The Ralph Cindrich Collection; The Charles Marx Collection.
Estimate: 40,000 - 60,000 31