The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-01-19
THE lola REGISTER.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 10. 1894.
THE BOWIE KNIFE.


Originator.
History of brave peoples weapons
is always interesting. 1t illustrates
their character. 1.-THE nation which
shortens its weapons lengthens its
boundaries" said a great author.
Though everyone has heard of the
Bowie knife, little is known of its ORR
gin or history. Yet its fame is as wide
as that of the old-time twenty-two-inch
Roman sword.
Two states claim the birthplace of
James Bowie-Tennessee and Maryland
and the question has never been quite
definitely settled. But he gave the
name to weapon as deadly as any that
has ever been forged.
When Louisiana became a state of
the Union it was admitted under some
peculiar conditions. The one bearing
upon this article was that all Spanish
and French grants of land should be
recognized by the United States as
valid wherever they could be estab-
lished by the old colonial records of
Spain and France. This peculiar
gave its originator a national renown.
Shortly after Louisiana became a
state the old Spanish and French
records created deal of trouble. II
frequently happened that a planter
who had taken up large tract of land
and fairly opened it out as plantation
would learn that it was claimed by
some one under an old colonial grant.
James Bowie was very frequent claim
ant under these old laws. Several cap
italists of the time had sent him to Ha-
vana. where the old papers of the
Spanish colony of Louisiana were kept,
and caused careful transcripts of them
to be made. They appointed as their
agent to put them in possession of
these properties James Bowie. In these
early days it did not at any time take
much provocation to bring on "a per-
sonal encounter" as a fight to the
death was euphoniously entitled. A
man who had been to the trouble of
opening up an estate only to find it
claimed by a lot of people he did not
know was generally pretty ready to
fight for it, whether fight would set
tie the question or not.
The consequence of this state of
things was that Mr.. James Bowie and
his two brothers, Stephen and Rezin
Bowie, had on hand almost constantly
some sort of difficulty" that had to be
fought out with deadly weapons. This
was before the days when the percus-
sion cap was in general use, and
the smaller pistols of the period were
flint locks, inconvenient to carry and
not very reliable. So the knife had to
be used when one wanted n really
trusty weapon. Mr.. Bowie worked out
with a pocketknife and shingle his
idea of a weapon that would be about
the proper thing for the business he
had in hand and it was made by the
local blacksmith at Shreveport, La,
after this model and he carried it for
years. About 1880. however, he heard of
a New Orleans cutler. a Spaniard named
Pedro, who was making some knives
of a wonderful kind and temper. They
could be driven through a silver dol
lar without damage to point or edge.
Mr. Bowie at once awaited himself of
the professional services of this artist,
who made him a knife which was a
marvel of temper and beauty. The
blade was nine inches long, and blade
and handle together measured fifteen
inches
This weapon was used by him in
nineteen encounters and it was the one
that was in his stiffening hand when,
with six dead Mexicans about him,
showing the evidence of his ia tai skill,
he was found dead at the Alamo.
Bowie's method of using the knife
was one peculiar to himself. He did
not hold it in his hand with the long
point downward. but grnsped the ham
die as a swordsman would grasp the
hilt of his sword. He always struck at
the neck of his man and aimed for the
jugular and seldom missed his coup.
In the most famous of his battles, the
one fought on Natchez island, an is
land in the Mississippi river almost OPP
posite the city of Natchez, he cut two
mems heads almost off, giving each
only single sweeping blow.
In this fight there were seven men
engaged. Among them was James
Madison Wells, who few years ago
was so well known throughout the
country as the president of the Louis
ANA returning board of 1867. Bowie
himself was very dangerously wound
I'd. but managed TO recover. thanks to
4 marvellous constitution and careful
nursing. While down on the ground.
with an antagonist on top of him who
thirty pounds more than
Bowie did. the indomitable fighter man.
aged to get his left arm around his enc
ny's neck. Then. with a sudden right
hand cut, he severed the other mans
iugular with an awful slash, and was
almost smothered by the terrible out
yush of blood that poured from the
wound.
Bowie only weighed one hundred and
iorty pounds when at his prime. He
was a quiet. soft-voiced man, who never
frank nor dissipated in any way. He
enormous physical strength |
Tor his size and was as quick and 1.-the |