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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Murder in the Gunroom, by Henry Beam Piper This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: Murder in the Gunroom
Author: Henry Beam Piper
Release Date: February 26, 2006 [EBook #17866]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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MURDER IN THE GUNROOM
By H. BEAM PIPER
NEW YORK Alfred A. Knopf 1953 FIRST EDITION
TO Colonel Henry W. Shoemaker an old and valued friend, who was promised this dedication, with an entirely different novel in mind, twenty-two years ago.
PREFACE
_The Lane Fleming collection of early pistols and revolvers was one of the best in the country. When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his locked gunroom, a Confederate-made Colt-type percussion .36 revolver in his hand, the coroner's verdict was "death by accident." But Gladys Fleming had her doubts. Enough at any rate to engage Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand--better known just as Jeff--private detective and a pistol-collector himself, to catalogue, appraise, and negotiate the sale of her late husband's collection.
There were a number of people who had wanted the collection.