Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-07-18
COLONEL BowlE's KNIFE.
IL Is as Popular az Ever, But Not for
Iueling Purposes.


nueiing Purposes.
A reporter OF the New York Evening
Post was talking with one OF tho pro-
prletors of q big downtown cutlery-house
when customer entered and said he
wished to see some bowic-knives. A varied
assortment was shown to him, and he
selected one paid for it, and went out.
"What on earth is he going to do with
that" asked the reporter, as the customer
disappeared through the doorway, eight
duel or whatm "Scarcely," laughed the
proprietor as lie took up one of the keen
blades and ran his thumb-nail over it. "Alen
don't fight ducls with bowie-knives now
adays. He will probably use that knife in
hunting"
"Are there many bowies sold for that
purpose?"
" Lots of them. The bowie is one of the
most useful articles that sportsman who
is going for big game can carry, for it
serves q number of purposes. With ita
hunter can kill and skin his game, as well
as cut wood for hrs camp fire The bowie
knife of to-day is little used as n weapon of
ofcnsc or defense, as it "has no shown
when plttcd against the sclf-cocking re-
volver or repeating rifle. The knives we
sell arc well made in both blade and handle
The finest steel is used and great care is
lilkcl III uuiSuIIlb tHeul. 1uS uunuleS Il0SL
used are buckhorn, but some sportsmen
prefer deer's-foot or ivory, silver mounted,
and for such they pay a fancy price, often
as high rs fifteen or sixteen dollars"
"Wherc are bowie knives manufactured"
"Mostly in England, although they are
made to some extent in Connecticut. The
Yankee knives are fully the equal of their
English competitors. Several firms in the
city import bowie-knives but no one house
makes an exclusive business of it, as it
wouldn't pay. Most of the knives that are
sent out of the city 80 to the West and
South. Since stringent laws were passed
in the South, however, making the carrying
of a bowie a criminal ofrensc, the trade in
that region has fallen off considerably.
great many are sent to Cuba and South
America, although in those countries the
machete, larger and heavier knife, is more
popular"
SIS the present bowie knife of the same
shape rs the first ones madCl" a,
The genuine bowie has but one shape,
which has never changed The famous
Colonel Bowie, you know, from whom the
knife received its name, invented IL by ac-
cident, his sword breaking Off in Il fight.
He was so pleased with the shape and size
of the fragment which remained III his
hand that lie had a knife made precisely
like it. Lots of people will call any large,
strmght-bladed knife a bowie, but the gem
uine article always has 'cip' point, which
extends about one-third the length of the
blade. When bowie-knives first became
popular, their blades were made from
twelve to fifteen inches long, two inches
broad and thick in proportion. Now the
blades vary in length from five TO twelve
nches, rarely exceeding the latter"
what is the cost Of bowie -kuives?"
THE five-lnch knife sells at sl.5O retail
and sl3 a dozen wholesale. The twelve-inch
knives are about s33 dozen Wholesale, and
good one at retail will cost about 81 The
intermediate sizes bring prices in proper.
ton. The figures given include the sheaths,
which are made of strong leather, tipped
with steel and furnished with u loop by
which they may be suspended from the
waist Bowie knives not used for hunting
are carried in various ways, the most popu-
lar, because the handiest IN case OF euler-
gency, being to suspend the knife under
the left arm, securing the sheath to the
edge of the armhoc of the vest by u spring
cl!p'