OKLAHOMA CITY — A pistol and other possessions belonging to a one-time Old West outlaw who later ran for governor of Oklahoma and became an actor are going up for auction next month.
The .45-caliber Colt revolver owned by infamous outlaw Alphonzo “Al” J. Jennings could go for as much as $30,000 during an auction June 5 in Woodward, said Ira Smith, auctioneer with Smith & Co. Auction and Reality Inc.
Jennings was born in Virginia in 1863 and moved to El Reno, Okla., where he became the prosecuting attorney for Canadian County, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society.
In 1895, he joined his two brothers in a law practice in Woodward. Later that year, one brother was killed and another wounded in a shootout with a rival lawyer. Jennings later formed an outlaw band that attempted to rob trains and general stores before he was captured and sentenced to life in prison.
One of his brothers got his sentence reduced, and Jennings was released just a few years later. He ran unsuccessfully for Oklahoma governor in 1914 and then moved to California, where he appeared in at least two Westerns before dying in 1961.
After Jennings’ death, his possessions, including the pistol, trickled down through family members, who have now decided to put up the items at a public auction.
Other items for sale include a picture of Jennings attending Wyatt Earp’s funeral, a poster from his failed attempt to become governor and a book signed by President Harry Truman, said Karen Rampy, Jennings’ great-great niece.