For your consideration is a spectacular civilian Colt Model 1889 .41 Cal. double action Navy revolver from 1907 San Francisco Police Chief William J. Biggy. William J. Biggy was San Francisco’s Chief of Police during 1907 and 1908. Biggy served as an Officer of the Court during the Ruef graft trials and guarded the political boss of California while he was held prisoner at the St. Francis Hotel. The judge had ordered Ruef held there because the jails were under the control of then Police Chief Jeremiah Dinan, who was a suspect in the graft cases. Chief Dinan was later forced to resign under a charge of perjury and Biggy was selected to replace the corrupt Dinan. Biggy later became caught up in allegations surrounding the Ruef case when a few local newspapers charged that Biggy was being paid by the Ruef gang after a convict was found dead in his jail cell with a .22 caliber bullet in his head and a derringer in his shoe. At sundown on the night of November 30, 1908 Biggy crossed the Bay on the police boat “Patrol”, to talk to Police Commissioner Hugo Keil at his Belvedere home. The two men discussed a current case until 11pm that night. Shortly after midnight, Biggy boarded the “Patrol” to return to San Fransico, manned only by it’s pilot an officer name William Murphy. When the boat docked, Biggy was not aboard. Officer Murphy told waiting policemen that he had last seen Chief Biggy leaning against the railing as the boat passed Alcatraz. A search party set out immediately, but the night fog was thick, and the search was postponed until the next morning. They searched for three days before they gave up and it wasn’t until December 15th that his body was found floating in the Bay, off the rocks of Angel Island. The coroner found no marks on Biggy’s body that would have indicated a struggle exonerating Officer Murphy. The Coroner’s Jury returned a verdict of accidental death which newspapers had a field day with. They speculated that Biggy knew too much about the Ruef gang and had been killed to keep him from talking. This Colt Model 1889 features an engraved WB (the initials of William J. Biggy) on the right side of the frame. This Model 1889 Navy double action revolver is chambered in .41 caliber. The revolver features a blued steel 4 ½” barrel, frame and six-shot cylinder with hard rubber grips with the prancing pony emblem. The top of the barrel is marked "Colt's Pt. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, CT Pat. Aug. 5. 84. Nov. 6.88. Mar. 5. 95.". The left side of the barrel is marked "Colt D.A. 41". The Colt Navy revolver is in good condition showing a dark gray patina. This firearm was manufactured in 1907. Serial Number: 275863. This firearm qualifies as a Curio & Relic, and requires FFL Transfer or NICS Background Check. This firearm comes from the private collection of Harry Allen.