Van Gogh ... or a gun without DNA tests ...

fernando · 23rd June 2019, 05:41 PM

It is true that Naifeh & Smith, in their biographic work, refute the suicide as being a plausible argument. However, after reading a couple synopsis about their work versus a (more) plausible story, some discrepancies claim pertinence.
It is consensual that brother René was the diabolic type (in opposition to friendly Gaston). He had a taste for harassing the weak ones, and he was a leader of a local trouble making gang. Besides his current occupations, like squirrel hunting and target shooting, he enjoyed to 'gift' Van Gogh, despite also showing some admiration proximity with the artist, with salt in his coffee, snakes in his paint box and pepper in his brushes. He also used (quote) to run up and down wearing a complete cowboy outfit, including a .38 caliber, which he got through the Inn owner, Gustave Ravoux.. Here to consider that, to whom Ravoux actually sold, or loan, or which gun, remains somehow obscure. Thinking that the (one) has belonged or was in possession of Van Gogh seems rather unlikely ... but possible, based for one, in one version that René loan it to him to scare off the crows that harassed him in the fields.
On the other hand, i don't how in hell a .38 caliber comes in the picture, an if Ravoux had more than one gun in his chest, but in such case, René had a proper gun to twirl, as if this added some sense to the true story.
Concerning the doctor's report in that the wound was made by a small caliber gun, penetrating in his superior abdomen, in an obliquous angle, that went to lodge near his vertebral column, is not consensually accepted as being result of homicide; known different opinions explain how such was feasible, in case of suicide.
Also noteworthy that Van Gogh didn't receive the shot, as it was believed, in the wheat field near a cemitery as, according to two witnesses, such happened in the so called Vila Chaponval, some 900 yards from the Inn, in an alley (Rue Boucher), precisely a spot that René often frequented. This brings the question: have they eventually met there and their differences resulted in a fatal struggle ?. Notwithstanding Madame Liberge (one of the witnesse's daughter), while attesting that the incident did not take place in front of the cemetery, stated that he truly entered a small yard in the said street, hiding behind a dunghill, having then commited the act that took him to die hours later.
Other inconsistencies in the homicide version are advanced, namely through a more analytic reading of the famous last letter, and his previous symbolic suicide act by swallowing his paint.
So it seems as both the biographers book and the auctioned pistol fall into the Caveat Emptor category

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On a different note, to conclude that the gun in discussion, being a Liege product is an irrelevant factor, as also typically unmarked, is something i am not able to digest.
Being made in Liege is not irrelevant ... at all, as i fail to agree that Liege products were not marked, even humble outputs (as per own witnessing), when we consider that Napoleon having stepped in, in the period concerned, imposed hard rules in the matter. Indeed in such period a boom of production took place, in quality of all grades, and not only unreliable cheap versions. Actually the Lefaucheux 7 m/m caliber was a secondary version. The actual model, as it first came out, was a large 12 m/m, which reached a huge success, being exported to multiple countries, namely to the USA for their Civil War, being issued to cavalry soldiers, especially in the states of Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Remember that by then, as even since 1854, this pistol was notable as being the first revolver to use self-contained metallic cartridges rather than loose powder, pistol ball, and percussion caps. It was only in after the said war (circa 1870's) that the Colt manufacturer came in the scene with the cartridge ammunition, long after father Samuel has died; in fact we can read that he was reluctant to change his pistol ignition system, on grounds that out in the prairie, the common men were able to depend only only themselves to fabricate their own ammo using self obtained lead & powder raw materials.
Concerning the (forbidden) wearing of two pistols, one must first ponder on these inventions time line. While at a later period cartridge ammo pistol reloading was so fast as in rather less than one minute, cap & ball reloading was a saga, an unfeasible procedure to take place in battle, not to say in a eventual gun fight. One can read chronicles in that the wearing of more than one (or two) pistols also happened, as inevitably what a man could do each time he spent out his 5 or 6 rounds, was to to get rid of that gun and immediately go for the next one. Although it is right that Mr. Wyatt Earp, by the time the Tombstone fight took place, equipped with a 'modern' cartridge Smith & Wesson, it is not surprising that he carried it in his coat pocket as, in fact, he was not the central (law) figure, but his brother Virgil, who was the patent local authority, one who certainly carried his gun in a belt holster. Notwithstanding that Wyatt, while in his youth, must have carried the then available cap & ball version .. maybe even a couple of them.
Exception made to the less charismatic but, by far, more effective Remington; apart from its more solid and resistant solid-frame (topstrap) feature, it had the huge advantage of being possible to remove its cylinder, in order to quickly replace it with a pre-loaded spare unit, an operation that could be repeated, depending on the number of spare cylinders one had in one's bag. But justice be made to Samuel Colt, who possessed excellent dealer abilities, always ending up wining army contracts, like also the one in Britain, against the equally solid frame Adams.
On the issue of Hollywood westerns, where it is all about exuberant gunfights where quick draw and fancy twirling of the gun are a vending factor to attract public fascination, i remember once, in a moment of candidness, John Wayne telling his young admirer: this is not about how fast you draw ... but how accurately you take your aim.

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Jim McDougall · 24th June 2019, 07:43 AM

Very thorough Fernando, and its great to keep our discussion going. It is a fascinating topic and actually, I had never known there was any question about Van Gogh's death. As many people, I had known only of his medical issues and the 'ear incident', so presumed that suicide was pretty expectable situation.

In searching further I found another book "Morgue:A Life in Death" by Ron Fransell, along with Dr. Vincent DiMaio, an expert in gunshot forensics. In some of the text reviewing this book, the .380 caliber gun which Mssr. Ravoux sold Rene Secretan, he claimed was 'faulty' and used just for hunting squirrels and rabbits.
Rene claimed Van Gogh stole it from his rucksack, presumably for the tricks and taunting he had endured from him. When he was interviewed many years later, he claimed that he and his brother had gone to Paris the day of the shooting, and had not heard of it until they saw it in a Paris newspaper.
There has never been evidence of such a report ever found in any paper, and the suggestion begs he question, why would the accidental shooting of an unknown and pretty much raggedy painter in a rural area bring the attention of a Paris newspaper?

Going to the gun sold at auction, described as a 7mm Lefaucheaux a broche revolver, found in 1965 in the field where Van Gogh was shot, and the bullet found in his body MATCHED?

When Van Gogh was examined after returning apparently in pain to the Inn, it was said there was very little if any blood. The discoloration around the wound was claimed to be from point blank discharge of a weapon, but forensically this is normal for any penetration wound. As mentioned, no powder evidence.
The reason Van Gogh died is that the wound became septic, as no surgeon was available, and the bullet was NOT removed. With his death, there was no reason to remove the bullet. As far as known ,it is still in the remains.

So how is the auction gun matched to the caliber that killed Van Gogh, and if the gun he allegedly stole from Rene was a .380 cal, how can the 7mm gun be the one?

That discrepancy is the issue I meant when noting the Liege mfg. relevance. If the 'death gun' was a .380, it does not matter if it was made in Liege, and of course if the auction gun is Lefaucheax, it would not be made in Liege.
Not ALL Liege guns are marked, there are cases of unmarked, despite the regulation being carried out. I have had the impression that there are many makers and shops there, and with cheap products in volume, such protocol was not necessarily faithfully observed. Rather like the blade 'blanks' produced in Solingen and stamped elsewhere.

The John Wayne quote was paraphrased from Wyatt Earp , perhaps mentioned in the largely fictional Stuart Lake 'biography' (1931) where he expresses his disdain for theatrics and speed in gun fighting. He claimed 'fast is fine, but accuracy is everything......in a gunfight you need to take your time...in a hurry!'. Earp was of course an advisor in Hollywood in the 20s for 'western' movies, and young Marion Morrison (John Wayne) me him, and was spellbound by the aged legends tales. Chances are the quote was actually from the man himself.

At the OK Corral in 1881, Wyatt, Morgan and Holliday all had pocketed guns, while Virgil had his in waistband. The 'cowboys' were wearing holstered guns...the root of the issue, among other problems between the factions.

But again we digress

still fun talking about these things. As we are soon to roll the bookmobile westward, one of our first stops will be in Hico. Texas, where 'Brushy Bill' is buried. He died claiming he was the real William Bonney (aka Billy the Kid) . We also hit Ft. Sumner New Mexico where Bonney's grave is. Problem is, it is a cenotaph, his remains (?) were lost when the PecosRiver looded in 1904.
Another mystery!!!

PS, in your #4, the image showing a 'Lefaucheaux' being thrown into the river is surely one of the'big' ones of earlier you spoke of.

fernando · 24th June 2019, 12:35 PM

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