Charles A. Siringo -- An Archive Of Letters, Photographs, And Various Promotional Items From Siringo.

CHARLES A SIRINGO

Publication: 1921,

A nice collection of 6 letters, all handwritten and signed Chas. A. Siringo. They are all correspondence that Siringo had with a Mr. S., an officer of the Paradise Brook Trout Company of Henryville, Pennsylvania, spanning the period of February 16 and August 12, 1921. Much of the content is in reference to his recent or upcoming publications, though he does briefly make reference to Billy The Kid. A couple of letters speak of Siringo's plans for prospecting for gold. Four of the letters have been retained in the original envelope; the left end printed with an illustration of Siringo's hand, holding a revolver, "Author of Pinkerton's Cowboy Detective," each with a line drawn through Pinkerton with the letter "A" written above Pinkerton, with a brief promotional text, then his address in Santa Fe. A photograph of Siringo, on horseback (3.5" x 5.625"), signed and inscribed by Siringo, and dated March 11, 1921; a great photograph with a slight degree of fading. The other photograph did not come from Siringo, it came later in separate communication between Mr. S. and E. A. Brininstool. The photograph was taken by Brininstool on top of the Alexandria Hotel in June, 1927, and is a photograph of Siringo standing next to Charles Smith (3.375" x 4.5"), who was a Pinkerton Detective with Siringo years before. Description is hand written by Brininstool on the back of the photograph. The collection includes a disbound, 6-page magazine article from American Magazine, January, 1929. Brininstool's photograph was used as the lead illustration in the magazine article entitled "Close Calls, An Interview With Charles A. Siringo, Daring Adventurer In The Old Wild West," by Neil M. Clark. The various ephemeral items include Siringo's business card; the folding pictorial postcard that he created to promote his book A Cowboy Detective, with several endorsements of the book inside by Gifford Pinchot and others; and a postcard that Siringo created to promote his book, A Lone Star Cowboy (this postcard was inscribed and signed by Siringo and mailed to Mr. S. In two letters Siringo describes at length his plans to create "Siringo's Gold Prospecting Association," sell shares of the venture, and lead a prospecting venture in western New Mexico. A small (3.75" x 5.5") 12-page Prospectus was created and Siringo includes a copy with one of the letters. Some details regarding each letter is as follows: Letter 1-February 16, 1921: 2-page, handwritten, signed, on letterhead of Hotel Gilder in Roswell, NM, plain envelope. References Mr. S's payment of $1.25 for a copy of A Lone Star Cowboy, as Siringo is out of the first printing and waiting on the 2nd edition, due soon. Brief mention of Gifford Pinchot. Letter 2-February 28, 1921: 1-page, handwritten, signed, on lined paper, Siringo printed envelope, mailed from Roswell, NM. Siringo is confused regarding whether he has shipped a copy of A Lone Star Cowboy, as he is still waiting for the 2nd edition. Says that he's going to send Mr. S a copy of A Cowboy Detective, "it's a larger book and has more Photograph illustrations." Letter 3-March 11, 1921: 1-page, handwritten on verso of a letter that Mr. S sent Siringo on February 25, 1921, signed, no envelope. Again Siringo tells Mr. S that he's still waiting for the 2nd edition of "my Lone Star Cowboy." He notes that he has included a photograph of himself and his "pet horse, Patsy." 3.5" x 5.625." A great photograph of Siringo...Hat, gloves, boots, jacket, bandana, no gun seen. Letter 4-March 26, 1921: 1-page, handwritten, both sides, signed, lined paper, Siringo's printed envelope, mailed from Roswell, NM. 2nd edition still hasn't arrived. References to E. A. Brininstool and Bill Hart, "the noted actor." Siringo states that he's sending an "autographed copy of my Cow-camp Song booklet." (Unfortunately, if sent, that Siringo rarity wasn't with the letters). This letter is split 3/4's of the way across a horizontal fold and very fragile. Letter 5-May 26, 1921: 1-page, handwritten, signed, in Siringo's printed envelope. Letter simply states, "Do you ever gamble? If so, read the enclosed related matter." This letter is written on the back of a badly worn, 1-page printed, letter from Siringo dated May 12, 1921 and addressed to no one. It references Siringo having issued "the Prospectus of Siringo's Gold Prospecting Association." He describes "rich gold diggings" located in the Zuni Mountains. With information "secured from Mr. George Spence, a prominent lawyer of Lincoln County, NM." Siringo's familiarity with that is "Over twenty years ago I trailed train robbers through the Zuni and Datil Mountains of western New Mexico. Therefore I am familiar with the ground." Another, unworn copy of this same printed letter is also included. Letter 6-August 12,1921: 5-pages, handwritten, signed, fragile lined paper, Siringo's printed envelope, sent from Santa Fe. Siringo states that he's leaving on his prospecting trip on September 15. He hopes to sell the remaining 35 shares, but he's going to go then, sold or not. He tells of spending a month at a ranch owned by Clarence Spence waiting for his horse to recover from getting cut on barbed wire. Siringo says that Clarence is the brother of Bill Spence, who in 1880 fed Billy The Kid. Shortly after, the posse arrived and burned Bill's buildings, then "bruised" his neck "by stringing him up to a tree..., but Bill survived." Siringo encloses a copy of "Prospectus of Siringo's Gold Prospecting Association." Though much of letters 5 & 6 refer to Siringo's Gold Prospecting Association and his plans for related activity, we can find no reference to this in the biography of Charles A. Siringo entitled SIRINGO by Ben E. Pingenot(1989); leading us to believe that this information about Siringo is, at least, relatively unknown and quite interesting. Unless noted, letters are in very good condition, all were handwritten in pencil by Siringo and signed Chas. A. Siringo, and all are highly legible. Charles a. Siringo, born in Texas in 1855, worked as a cowboy from age of 11 until 26, when he became a detective for the Pinkerton Detective Agency, a position he held for 22 years, during which he pursued Billy The Kid, members of the Wild Bunch, and other wanted outlaws and criminals. His book, A Texas Cowboy, is a classic: of it, J. Frank Dobie said, "the first authentic cowboy to publish an autobiography...no record of cowboy life has supplanted his rollicky, restless realistic chronicle." Some of his books drew immediate objections from the Pinkerton Agency, resulting in their withdrawal and subsequent rarity. Siringo wrote several books about his life as a cowboy and his years chasing criminals throughout the west and spent many years in legal battles with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. A rare collection of Siringo correspondence and photographs!

Inventory Number: 53151