| The Colt used by Clement Vallandigham | |
|---|---|
| |
|
Origin |
Unknown Owner/Clement Vallandigham |
|
Type |
Colt Pistol |
|
Effects |
When the colt is held, it will force the user to turn the gun on themselves and shoot themself in the head if it's loaded. |
|
Downsides |
Effects. |
|
Activation |
Holding the pistol |
|
Collected by |
Mr. Stall & Steve Jinks |
|
Section |
|
|
Aisle |
Podium 60 |
|
Date of Collection |
June 27, 2013 |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Clement Laird Vallandigham (pronounced velan´digham; July 29, 1820 – June 17, 1871) was an Ohio politician, and leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives.
Vallandigham died in 1871 in Lebanon, Ohio, at the age of 50, after accidentally shooting himself in the head with a pistol. He was representing a defendant in a murder case for killing a man in a barroom brawl. Vallandigham attempted to prove the victim had in fact killed himself while trying to draw his pistol from a pocket when rising from a kneeling position. As Vallandigham conferred with fellow defense attorneys in his hotel room, he showed them how he would demonstrate this to the jury. Grabbing a pistol he believed to be unloaded, he put it in his pocket and enacted the events as they might have happened, shooting himself in the process. Vallandigham proved his point, and the defendant, Thomas McGehan, was acquitted and released from custody. Clement Vallandigham, however, died of his wound.
Today[]
After Clement had used the Colt on himself by accident, it disappeared, as it had also killed another shortly after and since people have believed it to be cursed, they would get rid of it or someone else might take it not knowing its histroy. The Warehouse tried to track the Colt down with minimal success, until recently when a case appeared of a man shooting himself in the head, despite the fact he wasn't depressed and no weapon was found. Mr. Stall and Steve were sent to check it out, and found out that the man was having an affair with another man, but the boyfriend of the other man had found out, and caused the both of them to kill themselves by giving them the Colt. They were able to track the man down before he disposed of the artifact and had him arrested. When they figured out the history of the Colt, it was placed in the Dark Vault unloaded.
Storage and Handling[]
Stored in the Dark Vault on a cushion.
Neutralizer gloves are mandatory. Despite the gun being unloaded, agents have reported sharp headaches when handling the artifact, which get worse the longer it's held. Avoid handling the artifact directly for longer than one minute.