The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-08
HE MADE KEEN BLADES.
The Mysterious Old Cutler Of New
Orleans.
Famous Bowie Knives That Came
From His Hand-His Tragic Death,
Which Ended a Vendetta Began
Three Decades Before.

winch Enuso a vendetta Began
Three Decades Before.
From the New York Times.
Sixty years ago New Orleans was what
it still is, the most picturesque and ro-
mantle city of the United States.
In the early thirties Royal street was
as famous as it is still 1t was named for
Louis XIV, LIE BIen-Aime, beloved of the
Du Barry, and many other charming or
naments Of the butterfly court. In the
days spoken of it often happened that the
wealthy merchant lived above his maya
zine, and lovely faces, lighted with divine
dark eyes, sometimes appeared from the
latticed windows above the great, deep,
iron-barred doors that protected the vast
warehouse just below.
Royal street was not given over then
entirely to commerce. There were many
shops devoted to various vacations and
arts, and among the most noted was that
of Pedro, the cutler. For twenty, even
thirty years, it was the most famed of all
the vast collection of great and small in
dustries which were gathered together
under the royal protection of the streets
patron, Louis LIE Bien-Aime.
Pedro, the head and the factor OF the
place which bore his name. was, like his
place of business, of very rare and in
teresting type. He was short in stature,
hardly more than five and half feet, but,
IL was evident, of enormous strength.
His brawny neck was like that of Cata-
lonian black bull, one of the breed which
tests all healertness, science and courage
of Madrid's best toreadOrs. He had but
one eye. The other had evidently disap-
peared simultaneously with the receipt of
a broad cicatrix, showing that at some
time in his existence Pedro had been.
WHERE COLD STEEL
was used at dangerously close quarters.
But Pedro's remaining eve was better
than most peoples two At ordinary
moments it was calm, large, of a fine dark
brown. But in moment it became ex-
pressively vivacious, and, when angered,
it had that peculiar glitter which only
belongs to the eye of the Apache, the rat
tlesnake and the superlatively danger
Gus man" of Latin blood. 1t could CLEAN
as an electric light in point of white
flame. Though no one knew it of his own
personal knowledge, and the cher per-
sonage was notably silent touching his
own past, it was easy enough to see that
Pedro would be very dangerous antag-
onist if aroused. He was singularly deX-
ferrous with the colichemarde, the three
COTu6u uuGlluB sworn, ana IndJ true
Spanish weapon, the knife,
Once, and only once did he show his
skill with the sword, and then, in five
minutes, quick as lightning, he twisted
IL blade out of the hand of a famous
fnaitre d'escrime and threw it ten feet be-
fore the other could move. Pedro him
self recovered the defeated blade, and,
with bow of a thorough man of the
world, returned it TO his antagonists
hands. He then laid down his own, and
no man ever saw him use a weapon again,
except once.
1t was to his skill as maker of edged
instruments that his fame was due. He
knew how to make all kinds of surgical
instruments which required a superla-
lively fine edge. But it was in the making
of weapons of offense and defense that his
art was best displayed. In the earlier
days with which this story deals the re-
volver was not perfected. A man about
feet z inches in statue, named James
Bowie, had made a knife Of a peculiar
pattern, very famous by reason of the
deadly manner in which it was welded.
1t was as maker of bowie knives that
Pedro the cutters reputation spread from
Louisville to the Rio Graude. He had
models of bowie knives, of poniards, Italian
stilettos, Spanish Cuchillas 1.-THE true Span
ish fighting weapon) and the nava a, an
other dangerous Spanish arm blanche. But
TIE TRUE BOWIE KNIFE,
he used to declare in moments of I'M
wonted discussion, was the king of wea-
pons in the hands of man of courage
who was cool and brave, he always pre-
missed.
For his knives he charged what was
then, and would be now, large figure
He carefully examined his subject, and
M m a
customer for a coat He had but two
prices. For the first quality of weapon
the price was 500. For the second, and
for well-fnished hunting knife, SO.
The knife, when finished. was unlike any,
thing ever seen in this country. The steel
was of dull, grayish hue, somewhat
lighter in weight than theordinary metal
The test to which it was submitted was
also unusual. Pedro ground the point
down fine, and made the edge as sharp as
as a raZor's. He had hard block of sea-
soned oak In the shop, about feet high
and feet in diameter In the center of
this block he placed silver half dollar
or dollar
Now he said, "if 1 drive the blade
through that coin at one stroke, without
dulling point or edge, the tempering is
true. III do not, you do not take it. You
understand, Senor!"
anu JleD, bearing MS DfdWny arm TO
the elbow, he delivered one quick.
straight, downward blow. The point
never failed to go through the silver and
beyond. for from quarter to a half an
inch "Ah, it is true!" he would say
Now, see if it will shave the hair Of my
arm" And the tempered steel would cut
of the hair as cleanly as the finest "a or.
"Now, the Senior has a weapon he can
risk his life upon.' he added, as he placed
it in its fine alligator-skin sheath, hand
somely mounted in silver, and gave the
customer n leather strap, covered with
some substance with which to renew the
edge should it ever become slightly
dulled
The late Henry T. Hays. who COM
manded one Of the Louisiana brigades in
the Army of Northern Virginia, had one
of these knives that was given by his
brother, Col. Jack" Hays, of Texas, the
famous commander of the regiment Of
Texas Rangers during and before the
Mexican war He said that in twenty
seven years of use this wonderful blade
was sharpened but three times.
PEDRo's CLIENTS
came from far and wide. Early in his
professional career he made for each of
the three Bowie brothers-James, Rein
and Stephen-a knife modelled after that
which James Bowie used ia eighteen
deadly encounters, and, covered with
Mexican blood, he held in his stiffening
hand when he died at the Alamo.
Pedro had many other clients. The
bowie knife was popular instrument in