The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-01-23
COSTLY AND DEADLY KNIVES.
Blades Made for Business in the Early
Days of California.

COSTLY AND DEADLY KNIVES.
Blades Made for Business in the Early
Days of California.
In 1853 NJ. Price, who then had s,dall
cutlery shop, sat up nights and maze q
fine bowie knife, which he exhibited in
the first Mechanics fair held III San
Francisco. After the fair Ward Eaton
took the knife to the Bank Exchange
and raffled it fer $50. Price had taken
great care in lempering the blade, and
had offered to forfeit 500 if any better
steel could be found. At that time Billy
Allison, of Yolo, was making knives,
which were sought by all men who
wautcd reliable weapons.
Surveyor General Hisley had an Alli-
son knife. and he backed it against
Prices blade. The test was made in the
Bank Exchange, and aroused as much
interest as national election. Gen.
Higley laid half dollar on the counter
and drove the Allison blade through it
without turning the point or edge.
Ward Eaton welded the Price blade
with steady, strong arm, and achieved
the same feat. Gen. Higley then tried
>,
knife turned. Eaton piled Up three of
the coins. drove the Price knife through
them. aid when he raised the weapon
the three half dollars were impaled on
the point, which was not turned.
That made Prices bowie knives as
famous on this coast as Toledo blades
were in Spain, and every man who west
heeled had to Lave cne Marion Moore,
a noted mining and sporting man, whose
nitro-glycerinc blew up Wells, Fargo &
Co. 5 express Office on tie corner Of Cali
fornia and AiontSomery streets, ordered
of Price tie best knife he could make.
Moore gave Price gold brick and a
piece of gold quartz that he had taken
OUt of mine with his own hands, ana
toIG him to work the metal in. Price made
an eight inch Eowie, having a gold handle
inlaid with quarts. Moore paid S115 for
the weapon. and handed back to Price
the gold that was left over.
Moore's lawyer, GIcCabe, got gold
mounted knife for S100, and these two
expensive weapons played a leading part
in 4 bloody tragedy in White Pine, New.
Moore Lad mine there, and, as was
usual in those days, somebody tried to
Jump the claim. Moore and N1cCabe
were caught in the tunnel by q band Of
fighters Hired by the other claimants,
and cut their way out with their bowie
knives. Several men were killed in the
fight, and as most of the dead had only
knife wounds, it is supposed that Moore
ard his lawyer did some game and lively
work.
4 little gambler named Barney Kenny
used q six and Il half inch bowie of
Prices make with deadly effect about
eighteen years ago. He was playing
poker with three other sports in a
saloon in Portland, Ore. Somebody was
caught cheating, and Barney grabbed
tie pct. Instantly the three confeder-
ates pulled their pistols and blazed away
at Barney, who drew his knife and
waGcd in desperately. After a brief but
furious combat, in which fifteen shots
were fired, Barney walked out Of the
rcom, leaving the others on the floor.
Ole swas dead. a second mortallv
wounded, and the third cut so badly
Cat he had to be in a hospital for
months.
In 1861 Price made two knives for Col
Jack Gamble, who supplied Mexican
Col! onZ;s for the handle frames. The
handles were inlaid with alkaline shell
and gold quartz, and the colonel paid
500 for the two weapons. Gamble gave
orc to lis friend Charles Norris, who
lest it some years later. 1t was a mere
fancy OF CANDLES to have such q
weapon, as he was never known to use
it. Joe Winters, in 1864, walked into
Prices place with two friends, saw three
SO knives in the case, bought them, and
turning around, presented one to each OF
his companions just as he would hand
about cigars.
One of the men who bought an extrav-
agantly expensive knife from Price came
into the shop some time after a fight had
occurred in mine and several men had
been carved to death, and exchanged the
weapon for some other wares. AS he
put the gold mounted bowie down he
said with a shirer that he would never
use knife again. When the weapon
was examined the blade was found rusted
with blood, and there was blood even in
tie crevices between the slabs of the
handle and the frame. There were no
guards on the hilts of these knives, be-
cause the men who bought them carried
them for sudden use, and guard is
likely to catch in the clothing and delay
the draw.
The first big knives made by Price
were fer party Of United States SUI
vcyors, who wanted them as substitutes
fer axes in cutting trails through the
brush. Tie blades were twelve inches
long and very heavy, and in the hands
of q strong man would cut a persons
head off at one blow.-San Francisco EX-
aIniner.