Colt Model M serial number 143661 - A single gun shipment January 28, 1913 to Honeyman Hardware Co., Portland, Oregon.  

This pistol features a factory inscription on the left side of the frame that was so long, it required the serial number to be relocated just above the front of the left grip.  It is also fitted with special order smooth factory walnut grips:

Presented to Tom Word, Jr. Portland, Or.
By H.W.H. M.D. 1913

This pistol is actually related to the June 2001 Gun of the Month as the initials "H.W.H. M.D." belong to Herbert W. Hegele, M.D. of Portland Oregon.  Presumably this Colt pistol was presented to Tom Word upon his election for a second term to the office of Sheriff of Multnomah County, by Dr. Hegele who at the time was a Deputy Sheriff.

Tom Word, Jr. served as Sheriff of Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon for two non-successive terms.  He was elected to a two-year term as Sheriff of Multnomah County from 1904 to 1906.  He came back later and was elected to another two-year term from 1913 to 1915. The beginning of his second term corresponds with the the year of presentation in the inscription.  After leaving the Multnomah County Sheriff s Office, Word went on to become a United States Special Agent.

"A History Of The Oregon Sheriffs 1841-1991" by Linda McCarthy
Published by the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association
Copyright 1992 by The Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association

Historical information on Herbert W. Hegele M.D. is contained in the description of the June 2001 Gun of the Month.  Dr. Hegele was the personal physician to the President of the Union Pacific Railroad during this period and a prominent local businessman.  He was also a practicing attorney and a deputy sheriff for Multnomah County, Portland, Oregon.

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