These stories first appeared in Hunt's Book of Weapons, an in-game collection of found documents curated by an unknown researcher. They are replicated here in their original format. This means that many of the stories are not presented chronologically, or in one grouping, and it is left to the reader to put together the puzzle pieces and determine to what extent they contain fact, fiction, or fable.
Prior to the launch of Hunt: Showdown 1896, the Conversion was named the Caldwell Conversion Pistol. The Uppercut was formerly named the Caldwell Conversion Uppercut. Our Variant terminology was also simplified. We have updated the names where relevant, but you may still see the more period accurate names within the lore texts.
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Conversion
CALDWELL CONVERSION PISTOL. (See also HENRY SAMUEL CALDWELL,
PISTOL) The Caldwell Conversion Pistol is distinguished as the first of the
popular Caldwell breech-loading pistols that brought fame to Henry Samuel
Caldwell and his arms company. Though slow to re-load, it contains a powerful
.44-caliber shot. The frame, seven-sided barrel, and cylinder are of unique
stability as the design was created for and tested by the US Army, where it was
issued to all field soldiers until a further-improved single-action model took
its place. Known for power rather than speed.
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Records, Louisiana State Asylum at Jackson
Handwritten notes, two pages
Author: Handwriting match for Dr. LeMonnier
Patient name: William Salter
Date: November 23, 1894
Entry: Male, white, 32 yrs old, native of N.O., La., unmarried. Recommending
his commitment, finding him insane, suffering from chronic mania. Admitted by
his grandfather. (Patient's grandfather has requested he have no further
contact with the patient.) He is dangerous to himself and others and attempts
to harm anyone who nears. Tears his clothing and bites his chair, when strapped
down to it. Has to be kept constantly under surveillance. Shows no signs of
intelligence and is not capable of speech. Utters moaning barks when agitated;
otherwise silent. Pupils constantly dilated, though we have found no symptoms
of a corresponding ailment.
Patient name: William Salter
Date: January 1, 1895
Entry: Patient has regained capacity for speech. Though but a week ago he did
nothing but bark and growl, this morning he greeted his nurse with festive
words befitting the season. Docile, polite, and intelligent.
Patient name: William Salter
Date: February 18, 1895
Entry: Patient has been discharged. Evidence of a full recovery of his mental
capacities confirmed by both myself and Superintendent Huff, who has taken a
special interest in his case.
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Records, Louisiana State Asylum at Jackson
Handwritten notes
Author: Handwriting match for Dr. LeMonnier, additional handwriting match for
Philip Huff Jones (italics)
Patient name: William Salter
Date: May 7, 1895
Entry: Recommending the patient's (second) commitment to the S-I-A, having been
brought in by the police after attacking a woman on the street, leaving ragged
bite marks on her shoulders and neck. Judging by the date of his last
confinement, he is suffering from an illness of at least six month's duration,
punctuated by periods of respite, and characterized by dysphoric mood,
grandiose ability, grandiose associations, grandiose identity, poor self-care,
wandering, abusiveness, violent outbursts, black outs, temporary losses of
speech, and aggressive behavior.
Infection has not reached final stage, despite six-month
incubation period. Will observe.
Patient name: William Salter
Date: May 9, 1895
Entry: Upon examination of Mr. Salter, I must note his worsened condition and
increased aggression. His temperament has, sadly, changed little since his
admission, despite the intensity of his treatment. His body is now covered with
festering sores, the largest the size of an apple, and unrelated to the
restraints on his chair and bed. The patient cowers and moans when any person
enters the room, though, it appears, more in repulsion than in fear. Nurse
Baird reports that he is peaceful and still when left alone, staring blankly at
the wall for hours at a time, as if in a trance. Yet the next day, he suddenly
begins to speak fluidly and intelligently. His intellectual abilities give me
new hope for his recuperation, and I have scheduled him for a joint examination
with Dr. Huff next week.
Conversion Chain Pistol
CALDWELL CONVERSION CHAIN PISTOL. (See also, PISTOL, VICTOR
CALDWELL) The sluggish reload time of the original Caldwell Conversion Pistol
inspired Victor Caldwell—son of company namesake Henry Samuel Caldwell—to
experiment with variations that would add both speed and grace to the original
design. The result was the innovative if unusual Conversion Chain Pistol, the
only of Victor's designs to see production, though of a limited scope. Caldwell
family friends have speculated that the design was an attempt by the younger
Caldwell to repair the decade-long estrangement between his father and himself.
The failure of this attempt has been linked to Victor Caldwell's disappearance
in 1895, when his design was eclipsed by a simpler and more popular single
action revolver.
The Caldwell Conversion Chain Pistol was innovative in that
it uses a ribbon of 17 cartridges. Cocking the hammer propels the loop through
the chamber, readying a new cartridge for a quick and immediate release.
According to company memorandum from the time, there was great doubt
surrounding the concept, but it was not prone to jamming or misfiring as
feared. However, once the cartridge chain is spent, the chain pistol is slower
to reload than its predecessor, and what it gains in cartridge capacity, it loses
in accuracy, range, and power.
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Correspondence, Philip Huff Jones
Typewritten, carbon copy
May 21, 1895
Victor,
I write in haste. Last night we were surrounded by what I
can only call a pack. Previously, they wandered alone, barely taking notice of
their own kind. Perhaps it was coincidence; perhaps this marks a new
development. I pray it is the former, for if they are growing more intelligent,
we will need more men.
Your latest shipment had just arrived. The chain pistols. Finch had begun the training, but I was wary, and they were still unpracticed. Seven trainees were forced to use them immediately, as they were close at hand when the pack arrived. Most were unprepared for such a trial and handled the weapons clumsily, though that does not explain what happened next: the ammunition bundles began to explode in a chain reaction that took out many.
The initial three survivors were badly burned, and did not survive the night.
What cruel satire of the holiday so recently celebrated! My hand is injured,
and one of the staff was bitten and is under observation. I must end here; I
will write again as soon as I am able.
As ever in high regard,
Philip
Conversion Dumdum Ammo
RN: The Victor Caldwell episode remains, to me, one of the
stranger resolutions of Huff's brief tenure. Was there a subtext in the urgency
of their correspondence which belied something greater going on? What was it
that triggered Victor's turn in allegiance?
Conversion FMJ Ammo
RN: No doubt, VC was just one of many recruited to the
cause, though perhaps evidence of others was lost in the asylum fires.
Fortunate that evidence of him remains, as it seems that his attack of the army
was significant in itself.
Conversion Uppercut
CALDWELL CONVERSION UPPERCUT. (See also, CALDWELL CONVERSION
PISTOL, PISTOL) Based on the design of the Caldwell Conversion Pistol, the
Caldwell Conversion Uppercut differs predominantly from the original in that,
being designed for use with rifle bullets, the drum is elongated in order to
maintain the velocity of the shot. The Uppercut is also known to have a more
powerful recoil than the original Conversion. It is, however, quite rare, as
its production was cut short by a fire in the Caldwell factory.
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Correspondence, Philip Huff Jones
Typewritten, carbon copy
March 20, 1895
My Dear Sir,
Thank you for your swift response. I feel that we are of one
mind on this subject, and I am deeply moved that you would take on so much
expense to aid our cause. Any additional firearms are a boon to us. For my
part, I will provide the souls to wield them, as well as training in their use.
I'm eager to introduce you to our compatriots. A fine group,
prominent and powerful men, who's connection will serve you well once we
resolve this issue. I would be honored if you would write more of the ideas you
alluded to in your last letter, for I believe we share one and the same
philosophy, and I am anxious to discuss these points further. I find few with
whom I am able to discuss these subjects as an equal, for few know what we know—the
newspapers report only that an infection is spreading across the city. But the
truth is the situation here is deteriorating, and we must act while the numbers
are still in our favor. That I am in a position to move against this evil tide
is an honor I hope I can live up to. I look forward to your answer.
With high regard,
Philip Huff Jones, M.D.
Superintendent of the Louisiana State Asylum
Conversion Explosive Ammo
RN: Huff's meticulous records have been scrubbed clean of
references to Henry Monroe. Mostly. Whoever did this was committed, but they'll
have failed, somewhere. He must have met Salter, must have met all of them. To
have an insight, that would be groundbreaking.
Uppercut Precision
CALDWELL CONVERSION UPPERCUT PRECISION (See also, CALDWELL
CONVERSION PISTOL, PISTOL) The few surviving Caldwell Conversion Uppercut
Pistols proved exceedingly popular to a certain niche, whose primary need was a
way to stabilize the weapon's recoil. Though not enough demand existed for the
Caldwell company to manufacture variants, some independent gunsmiths began to
craft stock attachments for the weapon.
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Letter to Unknown
Author: Elliot Schneider
Single loose sheet, 8.5 x 11 in.
1/2
Dearest husband,
I desperately hope our time apart is coming to an end. It is
with utmost gravity that I must ask you to refrain from sharing these letters
with our child. These tales may strike you as daring and fanciful, but they are
all of them true. Every sun sets against the cries from the dead, and every sun
rises against the bellows of the deathless.
My hands and arms are still bloodied from last night's
hunting. Please believe your spouse when I say that the hellspawn are real,
they are violent, and they are worthy of your fear. All of my heavenly rewards
are long spent, but I am near to achieving the funds I require—only two more
successful forays into the bayou before we can be reunited. This city belongs
to Abaddon now, and my heart will be relieved to be free of it.
Henry Monroe and I will have our quarry soon. His Romero and
my Uppercut are a formidable duo, more so now that I have found a smith to
affix a stock, but I fear for his sanity. It seems he recognizes more of these
demons every day, whispering their names under his breath as he raises the
glass shard over his head to strike.
For the first time, I saw his hand falter yesterday. I
surely owe him my life a few times over, but mark my words that there would
have been no salvation for him without me. That beast wouldn't have lost its
nerve, though it seemed curiously docile for but a moment when Henry whispered
a name. I didn't hear what it was over my gunshot. I've seen these things maim
and kill and devour, so I take no risks out in the swamp. Heard the bastard's
name later though, as Monroe muttered it all through the night. William, it
was.
All my love and pain,
Elliot
Conversion FMJ Ammo
RN: Huff's letter would have been just before newspapers
stopped acknowledging any infection. It appears when an infestation becomes
rampant enough, it stops being newsworthy.
Uppercut Deadeye
CALDWELL CONVERSION UPPERCUT DEADEYE (See also,
CALDWELL CONVERSION PISTOL, PISTOL) With a stock providing some amount of
stability, a telescopic sight became a viable modification to the Caldwell
Uppercut. It allowed skilled hands and eyes to make full use of the
Conversion's mix of power and reliability, though it typically came at the cost
of mockery for using what is, nominally, a pistol.
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Letter to Unknown
Author: Elliot Schneider
Single loose sheet, 8.5 x 11 in.
2/2
I demand you reveal your last letter to be in jest. Dearest,
if you do not believe my stories then I beg of you to at least trust this:
there is no home for us in Louisiana and we will not last the summer. A plague
sweeps the city from all sides, and I can barely survive this grave frontier.
I plead with God that you receive this and that you believe
it. On my mother's grave, you must not journey to Louisiana.
It is truly painful to be apart, but to have you or Gerald
taken from me would be a test of faith I would not win.
All my love, Elliot
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