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Dec 3, 2023 13:06:22 #

Robert J Samples wrote:

As country boys often took to the woods on Sunday afternoons, we were busy going through an abandoned farmhouse.

We had no plans on how to proceed, just killing time. Now, don’t think we were going through residences where the occupants were away at church or gone to town, these were abandoned for months, if not years.
It was obvious the previous owners had left for good, and there were no plans for them, or anyone else to return and take up residence.

These houses would eventually be falling, or burned if a grass fire got close, or destroyed for the good lumber that remained so they would be used in another house to be constructed.

If you asked why the house was abandoned, I suppose it would be attributed to economic conditions. Farming had been primarily cotton crops and both due to the land being finally exhausted and infestation due to the boll weevils, it made farming a losing proposition.

We had entered an abandoned farmhouse that had been empty for several years. The doors were open and many of the windows broken, so it was obviously not going to be occupied again.
There were a few scattered items, some broken and scattered on the floor of this residence.

For some reason, one of my cousins had looked in the closet. In there, wedged in the corner, out of sight was a .22 rifle.
Now, let me try to describe this weapon.
It had a very small or short barrel, maybe 18 inches at most. What was even more interesting was the breech, or where the shell would be located for firing. There was a small wedge item that the person who would be willing to fire the rifle would push down, exposing the end of the barrel. The shooter would insert a .22 cartridge, raise the block back into the top position, cock the hammer and then be ready to fire.
I had never seen such a rifle before. I doubt that this rifle had been left on purpose, but by mistake. Seems it was called ‘sure shot’ or something like that.

Since none of us had any .22 ammunition, we could not test the accuracy of this weapon. It was certainly a suitable beginner’s rifle, and the owners could have been anxious for its return, unless of course it had been stolen.
All of which might have been possible because of its being so cleverly hidden in the closet.
I wasn’t the one who found it, so had little say in what should be done with it. The others felt that if we kept it, and the original owners came back, we might be accused of theft.
So, the one who found it decided to drop it in a nearby water well.
As a bystander and youngest of the group, what I thought made little difference in the final decision. Just Sayin…RJS

As country boys often took to the woods on Sunday ... (show quote)

Thanks for the story,mr. samples, as I was about 14 yrs. a few of us curious boys went into an abandoned hotel from the 1940,s called the beau reve hotel in Bedford N H . It’ was kind of Creepy at night but with 5 of us it was a good time. We just looked around. Can’t remember all the details except an old cash register there. It’s good to recall them adventures as youngsters.