The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-01-31
SOME COSTLY KNIVES.
Blades that Were Made for Business In
the Early California Days

In 1858 NJ. Price, who then had
small cutlery shop, sat up nights and
made line bowie knife, which he ex-
hihited in the first Mechanics Fair
held in San Francisco. After the fair
Ward Eaton took the knife to the Bank
Exchange and ratified it for $3.50. Price
had taken great care in tempering the
blade, and had offered to forfeit 800
if any better steel could be found At
that time Billy Allison, of Yolo, was
making knives, which were sought by
all men who wanted reliable weapons.
Surveyor-General Higley 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 a 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, small arm.
and achieved the same feat. Gen.
Higley then tried two half dollars, and
the point of his knife turned. Eaton
piled up three of the coins, drove the
he raised the weapon the three half
uOlidIS WeIe luupdleu Ou Tie pOluls
which was not turned.
That made Prices bowie knives as
famous on this coast as Toledo blades
were in Spain. and every man who
went heeled had to have one. Marion
Moore, noted mining and sporting
man, whose nitrO-glycerine blew up
Wells. Fargo & Co.'S express Office on
the corner of California and Mont
OF. - - Al
best knife he could make. Moore gave
Price a gold brick and a piece of gold
quartz that he had taken out of a mine
with his own hands, and told him to
work the metal in. Price made an
e;ght-inch bowie, having gold ham
die inlaid with quartz. Moore paid
$175 for the weapon, and handed back
to Price the gold that was left over.
Moore's lawyer, McCabe, got q gold
mounted knife for 500, and these two
expensive weapons played leading
part in Il bloody tragedy in White Pine,
New. Moore had a mine there, and, as
Was usual in those days, somebody
tried to jump the claim. Moore and
McCabe were caught in the tunnel by
a band of fighters hired by the other
claimants, and cut their way out with
killed in the fight, and as most of the
dead had only knife wounds, it is sup
posed that Moore and his lawyer did
some game and lively work.
A little gambler named Barney Ken.
ny used 1-2 inch bowie of Prices
make with deadly effect about eigh-
teen years ago. He was playing poker
with three other sports in a saloon in
caught cheating, and Barney grabbed
the pot. Instantly the three cOnfeder-
ates pulled their pistols and blazed
away at Barney, who drew his knife
and waded in desperately. After q
brief but furious combat, in which
fifteen shots were fired, Barney walked
out of the room, leaving the others on
the floor. One was dead, a second
mortally wounded, and the third cut
so badly that he had to be in hospital
for months.
In 1861 Price made two knives for
Col. Jack Gamble, who supplied Mexi-
can gold ouzas for the handle frames.
The handles were iniaid with alkaline
shell and gold quartz, and the colonel
paid $400 for the two weapons. Gam
BILE gave one to his friend, Charles
Norris, who lost it some years later.
1t was a mere fancy of CANDLES to
have such weapon, as he was never
known to have used it. Joe Winters,
in 1864, walked into Prices place with
two friends, saw three $75 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 ex-
travagantly expensive knife from Price
came into the shop some time after
fight had occurred in Il mine and sew
eral 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
shiver that he would never use knife
again. When the weapon was exam
ined the blade was found rusted with
blood, and there was blood even in the
crevices between the slabs of the han
die and the frame. There were no
guards on the hilts of these knives. be-
cause the men who bought them car
ried them for sudden ;e, and guard
is likely to catch in the clothing and
delay the draw.
The first big knives made by Price
were for a party of United States sur
veyors, who wanted them as substi-
tutes for axes in cutting trails through
the bush. The blades were twelve
inches long and very heavy, and in the
hands of a strong man would cut a
persons head off at one blow.-SGn