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On November 27, 1888, Lyman Smith is listed as one of the recipients of “Military and Fireman’s Prizes.” During the fair, The Hartford Daily Courant recorded the votes for various prizes and showed Lyman Smith in the lead for a special prize: a “Police Revolver.” On the 10th, the Courant reported that “The elegant police revolver received 1,380 votes and went to Officer Lyman Smith, who has the good fortune to belong to the Phalanx. He had 750 votes to 448 for George Heise.”The Putnam Phalanx was a ceremonial honor guard formed in Hartford and also a social club. The local newspapers also reported on Smith’s police work in 1888, including the arrest of multiple thieves. A full binder of information compiled by the consignor is included on Smith and the Foot Guard Fair.
Lyman Smith Jr. (1830-1900) was born in Hartford but grew up in New
York City where his father was a police officer until he was killed on duty during
a riot in 1844. As his mother had died two years earlier, he became an orphan.
He returned to Hartford where he served as a volunteer firefighter in Neptune Engine Co. No. 2 in the 1850s and 1860s and became first assistant engineer and then foreman and captain. He was the chairman of Neptune Engine Co. No. 2’s
8th annual ball at City Hall in 1860. He was elected as messenger for the city in 1861. When Hartford formed its police department in the 1860s, Smith became
an officer on September 22, 1862, and was issued badge no. 1. He also served in the provost marshal’s office, arresting deserters during the Civil War and became a full-time police officer. In 1865, the local papers reported he pursued a burglar that had escaped police custody, fought him during which the burglar stabbed him in the hand with a pitchfork, and then helped arrest the man. Other articles discuss him tracking down suspects and making noteworthy arrests. By the 1880s, Smith was a police detective, and he was promoted to sergeant in 1894. He remained with the department until retiring due to ill-health in March 1900 and died that December from cirrhosis of the liver. He was very popular with his fellow officers as well as with the residents of Hartford. Not surprisingly, the Hartford Police used Colt firearms during the period, including serial number 1 Colt Model 1893 Gatling Gun. While officer Smith likely carried a Colt on duty, it is evident from the outstanding condition of this revolver that he kept this one carefully tucked away and that it has been extremely well cared for ever since.