Today's story is about my great grandfather Robert Albin Abrahamsson.
Albin's Revolver
Albin's revolver with its handmade "tight" holster
"The farmers of Östra Frölunda now and then
had to go to Borås, about 30 miles away, to sell the produce of
their farms. The journey by horse wasn't safe. There were robbers in
the deep forests who well knew that the farmers who were heading
south often were bringing a reasonable amount of money back from town.
Thus it happened that
robbers, who jumped up on his wagon from behind, attacked Albin on
his way back to Östra Frölunda. But Albin managed, using the thick
end of his whip, to rid himself of the thieves. But this event made
him decide to buy a revolver the next time he would go to town.
So he did. As he was
skilled in leatherwork, he made the holster himself. And it wasn't
long before he got use for his revolver, on the way home from the
marketplace. A couple of robbers came up
on his wagon from behind. Albin tried to pull the revolver, but found
out that the he had made the holster too tight. Now time was sparse,
but he couldn't get it lose; it was stuck. Once again he had to use
his whip, and he managed to fight the robbers away.
On the rest of the way home
he had time to think. What if he had been able to use the revolver?
Then he might have left a person behind, dead. Slowly thankfulness for
a tight holster sprouted in the heart of this man of peace.
From what I understand this
was the last time he brought his revolver on a trip. He later gave it
to his son Gustaf, who gave it to his son, Seth, who's son Erik today
keeps the 'Revolver with the Tight Holster' in a safe-deposit box in
Bergslagens Sparbank, Nora."*
*taken in part from "A Family History - Albin and Anna Abrahamsson"
by Ingemar Majholm (with his permission)
*clicking on photos will enlarge them for easier viewing*