Gun of the Week: Hopkins & Allen XL3 Double Action Revolver

Hopkins & Allen XL3 Double Action Revolver, .32. Note: The inscription on the mother of pearl grips reads, “Every Inch a Lady.” What type of person would get an inscription like that? A Madame of course.

This .32 caliber Hopkins & Allen XL3 Double Action Revolver is tied to a local lady from Cody, Wyoming. If you’ve ever driven through the town, you hopefully didn’t miss the famous steakhouse on the West Strip. But Cassie’s was not always serving up steaks for cowboys and tourists. It used to specialize in a different kind of meat…sorry I couldn’t help myself.

Cassie Waters, a prominent local madam, was remembered not for the illicit nature of her trade, but as a respectable businesswoman, whose loyalty and good-heartedness charmed an entire town. In the early 1900s, Cassie Waters moved to Cody with her father. She quickly got married, but her husband died unexpectedly a few years after the nuptials. As a means to support herself, Waters changed her name to Cassie Lebeau and opened a brothel in 1912. This pistol was a gift from either a politician or her doctor. It was plated in gold with mother of pearl grips and inscribed, “To My Friend Cassie,” and “Every Inch a Lady.” 

Cassie’s is a successful restaurant in town and honors its former owner’s memory. I love this firearm because not only is it tied to a local personality; her character shines through in many oral histories that still circulate around Cody, Wyoming.

To see the previous Gun of the Week—a DuBiel Modern Classic Rifle—click here. Stay tuned for a new gun next week. For more information, check out the Cody Firearms Museum page here, or follow the Cody Firearms Museum on Facebook and Twitter.