Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-12
TIE BOWIE KNIFE.

TsE BOWIE KNIFE.
A feud had existed for years between
two parties of the Parish of Rapides
Miss, on Red River. The principals were
DIR. Maddox, Maj. Wright, and the Blanch-
ards on the one part, the Curreys, the
Wellses and Bowles on the other. a chal-
lenge had passed between DR.. Maddox and
Samuel Wells. a meeting was arranged
to take place near Natchez, Miss, IN Sep
TENDER, 1927. Hither the parties repaired
with their friends. 1t was agreed that no
persons should be present but the combat
ants, their seconds and surgeons. The
place of meeting was large sand-bar, i'm
mediately below the upper bluff, near
Natchez The sand-bar, at low water, is
of considerable width, bordered above and
| below with forest growth. On the opposite
side of this bar were stationed the friends
of each party; one Of these parties was
something nearer the combatants than the
other. Col Crane was the second of Mad
dox. Between him and James Bowie and
Gen. Currey there had long existed a
deadly feud, and some months before this
affair Gen. Currey shot Col. Crane with a
shotgun, on Bayou Rapides, disabling one
of his arms.
The parties to the duel approached the
spot selected for the combat from different
directions. The preliminaries were soon
arranged. The combatants took their po-
sitions and exchanged two shots without
effect, and the difficulty was amicably
adjusted.
Bowie was just in the edge Of the woods
with Gems. Wells and Currey, armed with
pistols, Bowie carrying huge knife. As
the dueling party started to leave the
grounds Bowie and party started to meet
them. The friends of Maddox and Crane
on the opposite side OF the sand-bar seeing
this and being furthest from the party,
started in run to meet them as soon as
they should meet the retiring combatants.
Gen. Currey was the first on the ground,
closely followed by Bowie Currey imme-
diately advanced upon Col. Crane and re-
marked ''Col Crane, this is good time
to settle our difficulty" and commenced
drawing his pistol. Bowie did the same.
Crane was armed with brace of dueling
pistols and standing awaited the attack of
Currey At this moment Currey was
seized by his brother and begged to desist.
Bowie and Crane fred az each other, it was
who SAID Bowie was wounded This later
statement | think most probable, for Bowie
stopped, felt of his hip and then drawing
his knife limped toward Crane, who was
watching Gen. Currey. Released from the
hold of his brother, Currey was advancing.
At this moment Crane leaped across small
ravine cut through the sand by the rain
water flowing from the activities above,
and, resting his pistol upon his crippled
arm, fired at Currey, wounding him fatally.
He fell
Crane was now disarmed and Bowie adj
vanced cautiously upon him. Clubbing
his pistol he struck Bowie over the head,
as he avoided his knife adroitly, and felled
him to the ground. Crane retreated a
step as his friend, Maj. Wright, approached.
Bowie, In the meantime, had risen, and
was sustaining himself by holding on to a
snag which the river when at flood had left
sticking firmly in the sand. Maj. Wright
advanced upon him, and, with long,
slender spear, drawn from walking-cane
which he carried, attacked Bowie, who
made pass to parry the spear with his
knife, in which he failed. The spear was
of cold iron, and, striking the breast. bone,
bent and went round upon the rib. Bowie
at this moment seized Wright and fell,
pulling Wright down with and on top of
him, and holding him strongly to his per-
son. Wright was slender, and by no
means strong man, and was powerless In
the hands of Bowie, who coolly said to
him: "Now, Major, you diel" and,
plunging the knife into his heart, killed
him instantly,
This knife was made by Resin P. Bowie
out of blacksmith's rasp, or large file,
and was the original of the famous Bowie
knife. When James Bowie received it
from bis brother he was told by him that
it was "strong and of admirable temper
1t is more trustworthy in the hands of
strong man than pistol, for it will not
snap. Crane and Wright are both your
enemies they are from Maryland, the
birth. place of our ancestors, and are as
brave as you are, but not 80 cool. They
are both inferior in strength TO yourself,
and, therefore, not your equal in close
fight. They are both dangerous, but
Wright the most so. Keep this knife al.
ways with you. 1t will be your friend in
a last resort and may save your life' After
this conflict Resin P. Bowie carried this
knife to Philadelphia, where it was fash
l0QeQ Dy cutter InGO IHe lOTHl VI ulvuci
made by him, and l presume the knife is
yet in the possession of some member of
the family.
There was no reconciliation between
Crane and Bowie after the conflict, though
Crane aided personally in carrying Bowie
from the ground, and Bowie thanked him
and said sCol. Crane, l do not think
under the circumstances you ought to have
shot me-" Almost Immediately upon the
attack of Currey upon Crane the fight be-
tween their friends became general, in
which there were several wounded, but
Wright and Currey were the only persons
killed. All the men engaged in this terri
BILE affair were men of wealth and high
social position, and the two parties included
almost every man of fortune in the extens-
i've and wealthy Parish of Rapides. All
are gone save Maddox and Wells, both
very old, and still residing in the same
parish. Il Philadelphia Times.
A meeting has been held at Harvard to
organize Harvard Legislature" the OBJ