THE BOOBY TRAP

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's time for the legendary law and order stories of
the wild West. This podcast features a forensic psychologists then
looks of the history of the most infamous and famous
outlaws and cowboys of the wild West. So sit back,
harder and take a listen.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
In the lawless and often unpredictable days of the American frontier,
survival frequently depended on a person's ability to protect their
property and sometimes by any means necessary. One of the
more interesting innovations of frontier defense was the use of
trap guns, a rudimentary but deadly device designed to discharge
a firearm automatically when a door or window was disturbed.

(01:31):
You can think of these as the booby traps as
we used to know them, as typically involving a shotgun
or rifle rigged with a greased trigger mechanism, exemplify both
the ingenuity and desperation of those seeking to guard their
territory from thieves, bandits, or even unwonted visitors. Trap guns
were not limited to the back rooms of outlaws or

(01:51):
the hideouts of bushwhackers. Surprisingly, even ordinary citizens, especially shopkeepers
or remote hemps homesteaders, resorted to such extreme deterrence. The
setup was often deceptively simple. A firearm would be fixed
in place, connected by a string or a wire to
a door a window latch. When someone opened the entry point,
the tension released the trigger, firing the gun directly at

(02:12):
the intruder. In some cases, multiple firearms were used to
maximize the lethal potential. The grease trigger was a term
used to describe the lubricated firing mechanism ensuring a swift,
reliable discharge once activated. The verifying effectiveness of these devices
meant they served not only as practical security systems, but
also as psychological warfare. The mere rumor of a trap

(02:34):
gun could deter would be robberies. However, the lack of
regulation and warning often meant to these lethal traps did
not distinguish between friend or foe. Tails from the Frontier
recount tragic ast accidents innocent travelers or curious neighbors fatally
shot simply for walking into the wrong cabin or shop
without knowing the safe way to enter. Despite the lethality,

(02:57):
trap guns fell into a legal gray area and an
area were law enforcement with sparse and justice often meeted
out by vigilantes. But as the frontier gave way to
more structured towns and legal systems. The use of the
devices became controversial. Eventually, territories and states enact the laws
banning or restricting such contraptions. Still, the grease triggers and
trap guns remain a haunting symbol of the self reliant

(03:19):
and often ruthless wild wild West