Wichita eagle., 1889-02-06
COLONEL BowlE'S KNIFE.
It Is as Popular as Evcr, hut Not fo'
DuelIng Purposes

II Is as Popular as Evcr, hut Not for
Dueling Purposes
A reporter of the New York Evening
Post was talking with one OF the pro
prietors of big downtown cutlery house
when u customer entered and said he
wished to see some bowie knives. AWARDED
assortment was shown To him. and he
selected one, paid for il, and went out
''Wh hat on earth is he going 10 do with
thatP' asked the reporter, as the customer
disappeared through the doorway. Flight
duel or what" Scarcely" laughed the
proprietor, as he took up one OF the keen
blades and ran his thumb nail over IL. Men
don't fight duels with howie-knives now
adays. He will probably use that knife in
hunting"
Are there many bowics sold for that
rurpose?n
Lots Of them. The bowls is one Of the
most useful articles that q sportsman who
Is going for big game can carry. for IL
serves a number Of purposes. With IL .
hunter can kill and skin his game, as well
as cut wood for his camp fire. Tho bowie
knife of to-day is little used as weapon OF
offense or defense, as it ''has no show"
when pltted against the seifcockng TO
volver or repeating rifle. The knives we
sell are well made in both blade and handle.
The finest steel is used and great care ~
taken in finishing them. The handles most
used are bockhorn, but some sportsmen
prefer deer's-foot or ivory, silver mounted,
and for such they pay d fancy price, often
as high as fifteen or sixteen dollars"
"Where are bowie knives manufacturedf'
"Mostly in England, although they are
made to some extent in Connecticut The
Van kee knives are fully tho equal OF their
English competitors. Several firms IN the
city import bowie-knives, but no one house
makes an exclusive business Of II, as IL
wouldn't pay Most Of the knives that are
sent out of the city go TO the West aad
South Since stringent laws were passed
IA the South, however, making the carrying
of bowie criminal oficnsc, the trade IN
that region has fallen OF considerably A
great many are sent 70 Cuba and South
America, although in those countries tho
machete, a larger and heavier knife, Is more
popular"
as the present bowie knife OF the same
shape as the first on madet"
'.The genuine bowie has but one shape,
which has never changed. The famous
Colonel Bowie, you know, from whom the
knife received its name, invented 1t by ac-
cident, his sword breaking Of in q fight.
he was SO pleased with tho shape and sizs
of the fragment which remained In has
hand that be had knife made precisely
like it. Lots OF people will call any large.
strasght~bladed knife bowie, but the gen
uine article always has a 'clip' point, which
extends about one-t third the length OF the
blade. When bowie knives first became
popular, their blades were made from
twelve TO fifteen inches long. two inches
broad and thick in proportion. Now the
blades vary in length from FIVE 10 twelve
inches, rarely exceeding the latter"
Nv nat is the cost OF bowie kBiyesf'
''The fve-inch knife sells at 81 30 retail
and s13 dozen wholesale. The twelve-inch
knives are about 81 dozen wholesale, and
q good one At retail will cost about "a. Tbe
| intermediate sizes bring prices in proper
ton The figures given include the shesths,
which are made OF strong leather, tipped
with steel and furnished with . loop by
which they may be suspended from the
waist BowIe-kpiycs not used for hsntsaa
| are carried in various ways, the ssckt popuE
| lar, because the handiest 10 case Of emer-
gency, being 70 suspend the knife under
| tie left arm, securing the sheath 70 tho
! edge OF the srmbole Of the vest ~ spring
| elm"