The Mineral argus., 1884-07-31
HANDY WITH HIS JACK. KNIFE.
The Curious Things a Missouri MAJ has
whitfield Out.

in Missouri not in the entire Miss
issippi VALLEYS William Yohe, Of
Kirkwood. He is better known as Bill
the Whittier" Bill claims to be cham
pion whittier in the world. With an
ordinary penknife he has demonstrated
his ability to make almost anything a
carpenter, a cabinet-maker, OF wood
carver can make with a full set of
edged tools. He occupies an old church
in Kirkwood, which he has filed almost
completely with ~curiosities of a novel
as well as useful character with the
aid of his trusty bonehandled knife.
The spectators who take the trouble to
visit this museum will find the collec-.
ton as interesting as the pictures of a
famous art gallery. A short time ago
Bill male the announcement that
he would throw the church doors
open on a cartain day in
order hat those who desired to see mis-
contrivances might crafty their curios-
ity. After that date no person should
be admitted, as he proposed to begin
the greatest undertaking of his life,
viz, the construction of a gigantic au-
tomato concern that would surpass
anything of the kind the world had W
er seen. The population of Kirkwood
with scarcely an exception accepted
Bills invitation, and all day during his
reception the church was filed with
people. Ever since that eventful day
the people of Kirkwood have looked
upon Bill as the eighth wonder of the
world. A Republican reporter visited
Kirkwood yesterday and had a very
pleasant interview with bill" Bill
was sitting on a bench with a section
of a cigar 1ox in one hand and his ia
vorite bone-handled knife in the other,
whiting away as though the destiny
of the world depended upon his ability
to complete his work. The blade of
the knife he used was about an inch
long, and tapered all the way from the
hilt to the point.
"Well, Bill, " said the reporter, "they
say you are the champion whittier of
the world"
Eyes, and I am willing to whittle any
thing against n man living. There is
only one other whittier on the face of
the earth who can ever approach my
work, and that is Monkey John, of
Chicago. Monkey john would not
whittle against me, for he and l have
whitfield together and he knows what /
can do. / was born in st. Louis, on
Morgan street, in the building occupied
years ago by the old Mound City Bakery.
When in my teens / became the appren-
tice of a millwright, but before my time
was out, at the beginning of the war, 1
ran away and joined the Union army as
amember of Captain G.. w. Penn's COM
Non- WIKI 1o-r,,0or 90 n cO111O. Il ho1
one of the toes of ny right foot shot off,
and could have had a pension had /
seen fit to apply for one. However,
/ had a little pride that prompted me to
vow 1 would never call upon Uncle Sam
for assistance as long as l could use a
knife and obtain a livelihood by whit
ting. 1t may appear strange to you,
but it is true nevertheless, that
[ never knew that I had any ex-
tlaordinary gift for whiting I'M
til l reached my twenty-third year.
Then I made a toy house for my sister,
which was so universally admired that
l determined to manufacture other
~curiosities. The first piece of impor-
lance I whitfield was a complete model
of the Castle Bingen-on-the- Rhine.
This piece was finished in 1873, and
contained $50 windows. It is owned by
a gentleman residing in Clay county,
Texas. The next piece was the model
of the steamship Bristol, copied from an
engraving on a hand-bill.
81 defy any artist to eclipse my work
with either a pencil or brush. An artist
may draw a picture as perfectly as he
possibly can, and hand it to me to re-
produce in wood. and 1 will Immediately
improve on the picture. Some men
think because they can make a wooden
chain with a knife they are great whit
tiers. There is no trick in making a
simple chain. as the man who makes
one link can make forty. Scrolling is
by far the most difficult work a man
can do with a knife. l can carve
perfectly a leaf or an animal. With a
pocket-knife | have made over three
hundred models which occupy places IN
the Patent Office.
About a year ago / made the model
of a steamship for parties in Europe.
They were so well pleased with it
that they paid me $3.50 for my work.
This model was run by steam and
could travel through the water at the
rate of sixteen miles an hour. Ny APP
titude for whiting is a gift as natural
to me as an ear for music is to some
other men. After a piece of work is
finished 1 often look at it with astonish-
ment, and wonder how I succeeded in
making it so complete in every detail.
l cannot draw, and know next to moth
ing about mathematics, yet my proper
tions in every piece Of work l made
are always remarkably correct. When
I look at a picture which l intend
to represent in wood, I unconsciously