Fox Collectors

To me there is a difference between the words "stolen" and "found". It is one thing if someone breaks into your home or car and steal your gun. It is quite another if someone finds a gun lying in the road, perhaps with the stock broken and very dirty. True, the names "Nash Buckingham" and "Burt Becker" were stamped on the barrels, but it is not impossible that the finder did not recognize those names or read of them in the newspapers. Perhaps he asked around the area where the gun was found and came up empty. All of this both pro & con is mere conjecture. The truth may never be fully known but I am sure that Jim Julia is fully aware of the controversay and has or will take appropriate measure to insure a clear title to the buyer.

Just My Humble Opinion.......George

George how about if the supposed "finder" ignored the extensive advertisement for the gun and offers of a substantial reward for the return of said item that follwed the loss of Bo Woop?

Extensive advertisements!!!! How often do you go down the classifieds and read all the ads in your local paper. Nobody I know does. There is probably a very good chance that the original rural Arkansas finder couldn't read, and never even saw the newspaper(s) the ad was in. The Israelis aren't giving back the West Bank and East Jeruselem to Jordan, and they stole that and get billions in aid from us. This rightful ownership of BoWhoop has been beaten to death by folks who aren't lawyers.

How about the police? I thought thats what you are suppose to do with found valuables. And wait the alotted time and then its yours if no one claimed it. for gods sake it had the mans name on it thats why it never went to the SHERIFF because they knew they would not get to keep it. I have a winchester 94 i found in a old ass corral sometime ago out here in AZ. while Quail hunting with my old fox. I took it in to the police know one claimed it so now its mine free and clear with a letter from the police saying so. Again unless the guy had maybe a four day ride to get to the police lived in a cave and never went into town then maybe but if no legitimate attempt was made ITS STOLEN!!!!!! and no i am not a lawyer but i did stay at a holiday inn express last night.

Gentlemen- let's not be at loggerheads about what happened in December 1948, or try to guess the area, education, number of newspaper ads and the literacy rate. If Nash had it insured, and after a reasonable period of time it was not recovered, then if he signed the forms to obtain his settlement check, he then assigned the right of ownership to his insurance company. We can't really say it was stolen, as if it had been locked in the car while they were at a cafe, and someone broke into and entered and took the shotgun. Nash or someone forgot to make sure that it went back into the car when they left, I daresay not the first time that unfortunate incident has happened.

It's all about he said, she said. Nash is not here to state under oath that he did not later find the gun and sell it to a local gunsmith because it had a broken stock and a full coat of rust. Without Nash to testify about the original story, no amount of he said she said is going to take title away from the present holder of the gun. Who is going to Julia's to take proper pictures of all markings etc.?

Researcher, Germantown and Bill are all on target. Sixty years ago things were a bit different than they are today, even in Arkansas. Even this lost gun, which would be so highly prized and valuable today, may not have been of a great consquence to the person who found it then. He may have been hunting with his old $10.00 Stevens single barrel and when he found Bo-Whoop thought more about putting meat on the table than ownership. He may have even thought that it was thrown away with a broken stock. While we take literacy for granted today, it perhaps was the exception rather than the rule in rural Arkansas in 1949. In any event it's history is probably lost. It will be interesting to see it's progress from here on out. It would be nice to see it end up in the Cody Museum with it's sibling for the enjoyment of all sportsmen.

Just My Humble Opinion..........George

You folks sure don't know how or if you did know don't remember how rural socitey in the 40's and even continuing on to today works. Word is not spread through adds in the newspaper it is communicated at the Barber Shop, Feed Store, Post Office, over back fences and yes the Tavern. Believe me if there was a reward of hard cash involved everyone in the county would have known someone from the City by the name of Buckingham was looking for a shotgun.

I also find it highly implasable that the gun was returned to Mr. Buckingham and later sold. Someone would know.

Fear not Bill. We have the best of the best scheduled to view and photograph the gun at Julias. Also, several of the east coast board members plan to make the trip. Hopefully Julias will bring the gun to Las Vegas so I can get my fingerprints on it as well.

I am looking forward to the Las Vegas education.

Loggy, thanks for reminding me about the Andrews article in the DGJ Index, but the gun pictured in that article is not the gun being discussed here. Thanks again. Murphy

By the way, I just read that, in 1915, Nash was elected to the office of Secretary Treasurer of the Tennessee Golf Association. With all the recent interest in golf, this should add a few bucks to the price of Bo Whoop.

Murphy, I understand the gun in the DGJ is Bo Whoop II. There was some discussion about how Mr. Becker marked his guns. This is one example. I have seen another engraved gun with all of the verbage on one barrel. The engraving itself was similar. I am looking forward to meeting those of you that will be in Vegas. John

Yup, I'd like to see the old girl. I wonder if Julia may bring it to Greenwich. I wonder if "we" are going to be in Greenwich? Haven't heard much about that on these forums.

66fordking wrote:Again unless the guy had maybe a four day ride to get to the police lived in a cave and never went into town...

Ever BEEN to Arkansas ? That assessment may not be too far off (no offense to our Arkansas friends on the board). I can't imagine what the area was like in the 1940's. Also, I rather imagine folks in that part of the world, especially in those times, had a "lost is lost, found is found" attitude, right or wrong