The Opelousas courier., 1884-11-15
HANDY WITH HIS KNIFE.
The Curious Things a Missouri Ma
has Whitfield Out

Missouri not in the entire Mississippi
Valley-is William Yohe, Of Kirkwood.
He is better known as"Bill, the Whittier"
Bill claims to be the champion whittier
in the world. With an ordinary pen
knife he has demonstrated his ability to
make anything a carpenter, a cabinet
maker, or wood-carver can make with a
full set of edged tools. He occupies an
old church in Kirkwcod, which he has
filed almost completely with curiosities
of a novel as welbas useful character with
the aid of his trusty bone-handled knife.
The spectators who take the trouble to
visit this museum will find the collection
as interesting as the pictures of a famous
art gallery. A short time ago Bill made
the announcement that he would throw
the church doors open on a certain day
in order that those who desired to see his
contrivances might crafty their curiosity.
After that date no person would be
admitted, as he proposed to begin
the greatest undertaking of his life, viz,
the construction of a gigantic automatic
concern that would surpass anything
of the kind the world had ever seen.
The population of Kirkwood. with
scarcely an exception, accepted Bills in
vitation, and, all day during his recep-
ton 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 Re
puolican reporter visited Kirkwood and
had a very pleasant interview with
"Bill." Bill was sitting on a bench
with a section of a cigar-box in one hand
and his favorite 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 l am willing to white any
thing against any man living. There is
only one other whittier On the face of
the earth who can even approach my
work, and that person is Monkey John,
of Chicago. Monkey John would not
white against me, Tor he and | have
whitfield together and he knows what
can do. l was born in St. Louis, on
Morgan street, in the building occupied
years ago by the old Mound City bakery.
When in my teens I became the appren.
tice of a millwright, but before my time
was out, at the beginning of the war, ]
ran away and joined the Union army as
a member of Captain G. w. PENIS com,
pany. While serving as a soldier l had
one of the toes of my right foot shot off,
and could have had o pension had ]
seen fit to apply for one. However, ]
had a little pride that prompted me to VOW
| would never call upon Uncle Sam fol
assistance as long as | could use a knife
and obtain a livelihood by whiting. L!
may appear strange to you, but it is true
any extraordinary gift for whiting until
I had reached my t~wenty-third year.
Then I made a toy house for my sister,
which was so universally admired that 1
determined to manufacture other curiosi.
ties. The first piece of Importance ]
whitfield was a complete model of tha
castle, Bingen-on-the Rhine. The piece
was finished in 1873, and contained sec
windows. 1t is now owned by a gentle,
man residing in Clay county, Texas. The
next piece was the model of the steam.
ship Bristol, copied from an engraving
on a hand-bill
II defy any artist to cell Use 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 pro-
duce in wood, and I will improve on the
picture. Some men think because they
can make a wooden chain with a knife
they are great whittier s. There is nc
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. | can carve
| perfectly a leaf or an animal. With a
| simple pocket-knife I have made oyer
300 models which occupy places in the
patent office.
"Abour 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 ten miles
an hour. My aptitude for whiting is a
gift as natural to me as an ear for music
is to some other men. After q piece of
work is finished | often look at it with
establishment and wonder how lever sue
ceeded in making it so complete in
every detail. | cannot draw, and know
next to nothing about mathematics, yet
my proportions in every piece of work I
make are always remarkably correct.
When I look at a picture which | intend
to represent in wood, | unconsciously
measure its proportions with the eye. /
will wager my life almost that I can
white out. any automatic continuance
ever invented in the space of a year. I'm
til this year | was not aware that any
thing more than a living could be made
by a whittier, but now / entertain a diff
ferent opinion. The most I ever made on
q piece prior to this year was $40, which
was cleared on a rattle. In two weeks |
can complete in every detail the model of
any ship ever built, and 1 will construct
any kind of a machine ever invented and
make it run in an eight ounce bottle. All
this sounds very strange to you, yet
every word of it is true.-St. Louis Re-
publican.
India Rayaged nv Goats.