Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1891-03-24
COSTLY AND DEADLY KNIVES.
Blades Made for business In the larry
DAYS of California.

cutlery shop, sat up nights and made
fine bovie knife. which he exhibited III
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 anu
had offered to forfeit 500 II any oetI i
steel could be found. At that time iollly
Allison, of Yolo. was making KNIVES,
which were sought by all men WIN
wanted relaslle weapons. .u.
Surveyor General Higley had an AN
son knife, and he backed 1t against
Prices blade. The test was made III lhe
Bank Exchange, and aroused as mtlch
interest as national election Gen.
HioIev laid a half dollar on the counter
and drove the Allison blade through 1t
without turning the point or edge.
Ward Eaton welded the Price blade
with a steady, strong 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 Price knife through
them. and 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 have one. Marion Moore,
a noted mining and sporting man, whose
nitro-glycerine blew up Wells, Fargo *
| Co. s express office on the corner OF Cali
| fornia and Montgomery streets, ordered
of Price the best knife he could make.
Moore gave Price geld 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 EIGHT inch bowie, having gold haldle
i7laid with quarts Moore paid $40 for
weapon, and handed back to Price
gold that was left over
cores lawyer, McCabe, got a gold
mounted knife for $l00, and these two
expensive weapons played leading part
in bloody tragedy in White Pine, New.
Moore had mine there, and, as was
usual in those days, somebody tried to
Jump the claim. Moore and McCabc
were caught in the tunnel by band Oh
fighters hired by the other claimants,
and cut their way out with their bowie
knives. Several men We're killed in the
fight, and as most of the dead had only
knife wounds, it is supposed that Moore
and his lawyer did some game and lively
work.
A little gambler named Barney Kenny
used a six and q half inch bowie OF
Prices make with deadly effect about
eighteen years ago. He was playing
poker with three other sports in /
saloon in Portland Ore. Somebody wa:
caught cheating, and Barney grabbed
the pot. Instantly the three confeder
ates pulled their pistols and blazed away
at Barney, who drew his knife ant
waded in desperately. After Il brief but
furious combat. in which fifteen shots
were fired, Earncy walked out of the
room, leaving the others on the floor
One was dead, a second moitally
wounded, and the third cut so badly
that he had to be in a hospital TO
months.
In 1861 Price made two knives for Col
Jack Camille, who supplied Mexican
gold onzas for the handle frames. Thu
handles were inlaid with ALKALINE shell
and gold quartz, and the colonel paiC
800 for the two weapons Gamble CAV,
one to his friend Charles Norris, wht
lost it some years later. 1t was a mer
fancy of CANDLES to have such
weapon, as he was never known to us
it. Joe Winters, in 1864, walked int
Prices place with two friends, saw tire
$75 knives in the case. bought them, an,
turning around, presented one to each o
his companions just as he would hant
about cigars.
One of the men who bought an extrav
agantly expensive knife from Price cam
into the shop some time after fight ha
occurred in u mine and several men ha
been carved to death, and exchanged til
weapon for some other wares. As h
put the gold mounted bowie down h
said with a SILVER that he would neve
use knife again. When the weapo
was examined the blade was found rusto
with blood, and there was blood even i
the crevices between the slabs of tn
handle and the frame. There We're n
guards on the hits of these knives. be
cause the men who bought them carrie
them for sudden use, and a guard
likely to catch in the clothing and della
the draw.
The first big knives made by Pric
were for a party of United States SUI
veyors, who wanted them as substitute
for axes in cutting trails through til
brush. The blades were twelve inchc
long and very heavy, and in the hand
of strong man would cut a person
head off at one hlow.-San Francisco EX
aminer.