Missing / Stolen Reward 1910 Mauser 1910 handgun - 25 caliber - do you buy or collect or where given one of these guns did you check its back round if not there are serious consequences for being in possession of this stolen gun

A man my wife knew Jeff  who who did some  wood  work on our house about 20 years ago and did gun smithing as a hobby and lived on School Street in Penn Hills Pa and is now deceased . He  either lost ,sold or was otherwise stolen from him a Mauser 1910  25 caliber 6.25 mm  hand gun which I had given him to repair . aprox. 20 years ago . It was Reported Stolen  to Penn Hills Police  and not seen since.
  Serial number # 213979

Not a particularly expensive  or historic gun  war and millions where made and many Germans carried them for personnel protection.

Though the gun was well made it had one fatal flaw and that was the flat springs in the gun which would frequently break and which Jeff was going to fix for me. Well he never did and kept putting me off finally admitted to me lost it in his house.   I immediately called Penn Hills  Police who took a report .

You can still buy these guns at any gun show for around $150-$500 depending on condition and certain models could go much higher if you had case etc.  mine was closer to the $150.00 dollar  more of a family heirloom than a practical gun to carry and I would like to get it back so I can pass it down .

This is a problem with these old guns  they are still applicable to all state and federal firearms laws Just like a brand new gun and if you bought , found or where given  one and did not run a back round check on it and  if are found in possession of one of the many stolen guns like mine you will be charged with a felony and can face 5-10 years in prison  weather you knew it was stolen or not  If you inherent or buy or other wise find an old gun and decide to keep it run it thru the local police and or gun shop and make sure it is not stolen or prepare to face the consequences. Better to turn in a gun with no consequences than face legal and jail time .

One of those Strange Tragic Coincidences in life it has happened to me

Back in December of 1992 I feel 12 feet  from an attic and crushed my heal in a horrific way when a pair of  portable steps gave way while working at a customers home.

What happened a pair of pull down steps gave way  at the joint where they connected to the attic now this unlike modern pull down folding stairs was a regular pair of steps attached on one end and chains on other with weights which allowed it to be pulled up and down

I was permanently crippled at the age of 33 with a permanent limp to make matters worse the home owners insurance company never paid one cent  to me for what I went thru . My working career ruined I had to completely change what work I did and what jobs I took on.

So here I am trapped in a room my helper 12 ft above can do nothing the door opens into the room blocked by the collapsed steps and chains laying on me . My friend wife Bev heard the noise and called 911 when I told here what happened she could not get door open in the mean time one of the nicest guys you would ever meet Known as Pete the painter had come running up the massive staircase and started  slowly to help me move the staircase and debris and he was able to wiggled in as he was short and skinny and get the door open he had Bev run and get ice and packed my foot in it .
 We wait and wait 20 plus minutes a medic unit shows up  911 screwed the call up  seems with 911 in Allegheny County  you either get excellent service or total complete screw ups for operators the horror storys I can tell.

Once medics realize I did not fall down steps it was a steps collapse they called for extra units and carefully and skillfully got me down out of there and to the hospital they medics where great they told me how lucky I was to even be alive  and how many they had found dead or later died from similar accidents .

Well it would be many painful days and eventually operation plates and screws and a life time of pain  and almost 3 years till I was able to put a full days work in. When I went into surgery they where not sure they could save my foot but thru grace of god and skilled surgeons hands they where. Dr Gruen  and UPMC did a fantastic job.   Come to find out I had NASCAR drivers to thank for the surgery he performed because the type of break I had they see a lot with drivers when they would break a heal  driving into wall and foot is on brake pedal.

So I get my life and business back on track and  almost 10 years to day I had my accident I would later find out from a co worker that Pete had tragically died when he fell down a set of steps and struck his head.  The best guy you ever wanted to meet on the job who saved my life when steps almost took my life  had his taken by a pair of steps in his own house.
Ironic absolutely and  absolutely spooky.

I know Pete is in a better place and hope to join him some day and the drinks will be on me Pete

A steel worker shot in an ambush during the Race Riots in Pittsburgh in 60's - Another Cold Case of history lost and a Gunmen goes unpunished

I was a young child of 8  years old when the riots broke out in Pittsburgh in the 1960's after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and it was a scary time when the riots broke out I was attending St. Basil's Grade School in Carrick  29th ward section of city of Pittsburgh. they came over the intercom speaker and advised us all  to get ready to go home there was an emergency and go straight home do not stop any where .
It was when I got home and mom had the TV on that I saw the news had broken in and was showing the rioting going on in the Hill District .
My Mom was worried my dad was at the mill  and he called to say he was staying over a shift till it was safer to come home .
It was a couple days later when they came over the TV news that a J&L steelworker on his way home from evening shift when he was shot by an unknown assailant.

Brady street bridge where sniper layed in wait

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1129&dat=19680406&id=uNhaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=emwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5770,1021678

Luckily it was not my dad he was home but it was one of the guys he knew  who while driving home went up Brady street from 2nd ave and was shot  at the intersection of Brady and 5th ave.  he miraculously survived the shooting  

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19680508&id=ORwcAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D1AEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3550,3370078

The whole area where this happened has completely changed  to ride thru there today you would never know what happened in that intersection or even have any idea there was a different bridge . The Brady Street Bridge was replaced by the modern Birmingham Bridge and has its own tragic story of when it was just shortly opened and old bridge  demolished a worker would loose his leg . J&L Steel which Became LTV Steel in 70's  is gone is well as is the  extremely steep  section of Brady Street which ran between 5th ave and Forbes Ave.  across from Brady.  No gunmen was ever found and its a forgotten piece of riot history  and how people in the neighborhood came to his rescue.

Needless to say even to this day when I ride thru that intersection on occasion I still get that twinge of dread at what happened and constant worry as a kid during those times when we would take my dad to work. 

Ironically while working in the south side across the river  from where the riot took place in the Soho section while working on some flat roofs of buildings my self and others have found bullets laying on the roofs of buildings  which may have been from that time the ones I found I turned into the police  for ballistics investigation and hopefully will help solve any open cases from then.