In some Westerns, characters hang a dead man’s gun and holster on a crudely made cross marking his grave. Did they really do that in the old days?

In some Westerns, characters hang a dead man’s gun and holster on a crudely made cross marking his grave. Did they really do that in the old days?

Annette Brackin

Rutledge, Georgia

That was 1930s and 1940s Hollywood melodrama. A Colt revolver might cost less than $25, but I guarantee the deceased’s friends wouldn’t leave prized guns out there to be stolen or to rust in the elements.

I grew up watching the same movies, and I fantasized about going out to where they filmed those shoot ’em ups and finding pistols laying scattered on the ground. It didn’t occur to me at the time that the crew picked up the area after the actors called it a day.