Original U.S. Peabody M1868 Romanian Contract Falling Block Military Rifle Converted To 32 Gauge Sporting Gun Cannons commonly called the Blackshirts (Italian:

commonly called the Blackshirts (Italian: camicie nere

The fact this is painted on a shovel itself is reference to the line “diggin’ in”

metal knuckle guard

two of them mortally

It is also marked with lot number 1935 on the underside of the rear skirt

Original U.S. Peabody M1868 Romanian Contract Falling Block Military Rifle Converted To 32 Gauge Sporting Gun Cannons commonly called the Blackshirts (Italian:Original Item: Only One Available. This is a very interesting example of a U. S. manufactured Peabody Patent Foreign Contract Rifle, one of an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 made for Romania. At that time, the country was still a province of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and would not receive its independence until 1878, after which it adopted the M1879 Peabody Martini Rifle. The Peabody action was developed by Henry O. Peabody from Boston, Massachusetts,