Publication Date:
Fri, 2011-01-21 22:17
Collections Manager Catherine Wright tells WTVR-TV that the .36-caliber Spiller
& Burr revolver was stolen in 1975 when the museum collection was moved to
a new building. A woman in Knoxville, Tenn., discovered the gun in December in
her late father's belongings.
She tried to sell it to an Ohio antique dealer
who traced the gun to the museum. WTVR reports that the woman's father
collected Civil War items. It's not known how he came into possession of the
gun. The woman will not face charges.
Wright says the Spiller & Burr
revolver was one of the first Confederate-manufactured handguns. This one has
an estimated value of $50,000.
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