The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-28

was composed chiefly Of planters and hon
est travellers.
Who the devil are you. anyway cried
sided.
James Bowie" was the answer.
The voice was like velvet, but II cut
like steel into the hearts OF the chief
gamblers cOnfederates and deferred then
from any purpose or impulse they might
have had TO interfere. They, with the
crowd. shrank back from the table. smit-
ten with sudden terror by the name.
Bowie softly swept the bank notes into
his large SLOUGH hat and lightly clapped
it on his head.
You must tight me for this" said he
chief gambler, recovering his courage at
tho loss OF his booty.
Certainly" said Bowie. II said I
should kill YOU. In which way DO you pre-
Ter it2 With knife or pistOl2''
Not with your weapon" replied the
man savagely.
so be it, them returned Bowie. "win
some gentleman lend me a pistol and act
as my second2"
lecting one very carefully, Bowie said:
Let IL be at once, on this boat. Make
the arrangements to suit yourselves. 1
Will return in five minutes
Lightly as a panther he bounded up the
stairs, went to the young mans cabin.
TO the wife, telling her that two-thlrds of
II belonged to her husband and the rest to
himself and that he would return in a few
minutes.
The seconds had arranged that each of
the duelists should stand on one of the
warehouses and that the signal should
be given, "One, two three. tire-stOpi'
They were to shoot between the words
fire and stop as often as these words
were uttered
At the first call the professional gambler
fired before the word three was entirely
uttered. Bowie fired just after appar-
emily without taking aim, and his oppo-
nent, with n Shrek of agony turned a
sOmersault backward and fell into the
river, just as the great round face of the
sun, like a golden cannon ball. shot up
from behind the neighboring blum.
Bowie blew the smoke out of his pistol.
shut down the pan and descended from tho
wheelhouse as II little affairs Of this kind
were his usual appetizer before break
fast. Then he divided the money which
the young mans wife, and. In spite of
their affectionate solicitations, for they
regarded him as their savior. chung about
him and wished TO take him home with
them, he got off the boat at Rodney.
telling the young man that he must never
touch a card again as long as he lived.
In the interests Of history and In justice
to this unusual man, 1t is well TO give
away the Bowie myth, which probably
originated from a duel which he fought
with the knife that bears his name in
the year 1927. This, too, occurred near
Natchez, on the opposite bank.
Bowie came on the field with several
friends, gentlemen of good standing, and
so did his opponent. He received five
wounds, but killed his man with long
hunting dagger which had been made
by a blacksmith out OF a wornout file.
1t had a double edge and curved point.
and was afterward patented and manu-
featured i'm Philadelphia. But this duel.
unfortunately, closed in a deadly melee
Of the spectators, pitched battle In
which six men were killed and fifteen
wounded
AS the story Travelled II grew to be be-
lieved that Bowie himself had attacked
over a score Of men single handed. with
this terrible numerical result, and the
name of Bowie in the south and south
west became a terror and a spell.
The plain truth Is that James Bowie
| not only never provoked "a quarrel In his
| life. but prevented a great many. lie was
a man Of singular modesty and sweet
| ness of disposition with a reverence for
| women, an extrayagant fondness for chill
| dren. and calm readiness TO protect the
weak; I'm fine, with nothing at all OF the
| desperate about him, except that. when
! ever 1t happened 10 be needed, he had on
| hand, to quote the fine phrase of Presl-
| dent Jackson, "that desperate courage
which makes one majority"