The Washington bee., 1899-06-24
JACK CHINN'S KNIFE
a Handy Weapon For q Deadly Encounter
A Sketch of "CoI" Jack It's Inventor.

Sketch of "Col" Jack Its Inventor
When the courts in Kentucky have
nothing else to occupy their time and
attention they indict Colonel Jack"
Chinn for disturbing the mental peace
of his neighbor, and you can gamble
that the neighbor is in the wrong.
Because he is broad-shouldered. and
big and strong-hearted, pettier men
nnd Iault with him, and Chinn, like
big Newfoundland dog, finally takes
umbrage at the jackal and maltreats
him, if that can be called maltreat-
ment.
With him the use of knife is not
intended as joke, and is only resorted
to when he thinks life wager has
been made. Nor does he use n
Bowie knife. but always a weapon
made from ideas of his own and which
some day will bear his name, just as
the famous American dagger has hand
cd down to posterity the cOgnOmen
Of that famous Kentucky colonel who
carried his knife at the back of his
neck
But why does he use knife?
The narrator will answer that as
Chinn once answered him when he
put the same question. Chinn is a
man larger and more powerful than
John L. Sullivan. He has the shoul-
ders of an OK. After the news had
been received of the doubly fatal en-
counter between Goodloe and Swope
in Lexington, Kentucky, in which the
latter used a pistol and the former a
knife, the narrator was talking to
Chinn about the dramatic encounter,
when the latter was handed a tele-
gram, which, after he had opened and
read, he handed me. 1t contained
simply these words:
He used your knife.
Chinn being looked at inquiringly,
said: You wonder what that means.
/ will tell you. More than one year
ago my friend, Colonel Goodloe, and
Swope had wOrdy encounter, told
GOodlOe at that time that the other
man would attempt to kill him and
that he should be prepared for such
an onslaught, and that he owed it to
his family-he having quite a large
number of children-to arm himself.
He said that he would do so, and
that he would at once provide himself
with a pistol. / laughed at him. You
palSied for number of years and that
his hands were continually trembling.
/ said to him: What can you do with
a pistol? There can be no certainty
about your aim. You must carry 4
knife He rather shivered at the sug-
gestion, and said he did not know
how TO use one. Then | taught him,
/ had two knives made. Their ham
dies were of horn with grooves cut in
them to fit the hand. in order that the
grasp could not slip. The blades,
which fitted into them eXactly-nOt ex-
tending beyond. like the Bowie knife
were fully one-eight of an inch thick
at tie top. narrowing to an almost
raZor-like edge. The steel was moved
by a spring which. when touched. not
only sprung the weapon into place.
but held it there. so that wien plunged
into a body it could not double up on
the hand as an ordinary penknife
would. This spring also served an
other purpose Colonel Bowie had to
reach down his back to pull out his
weapon. and then afterwards get the
blade into position.
My knife. however. could be carried
in the breecheS pocket, and as the
owner drew it, by touching the spring,
the blade would throw itself into place
even before the knife came into sight,
and its wielder would be ready for
battle. | had two of these knives
made and presented one to Colonel
GoOdioe and taught him how to use
il. He said that with such a weapon
he would have no show against a man
armed with revolver. l quickly
showed him that he was mistaken.
handed him an empty revolver and
told him to try TO place it against my
breast and pull the trigger. As he
moved his right hand forward with
pistol X graSped the cuff of his coat
with the fingers of my left hand. and
obtained twisted backward the hand,
holding the weapon in such a way
that he was powerless. Then with my
right hand sprung my knife from my
breeches pocket and made a score or
more of mock stabs into his defense
less breast Again and again / show
ed him how to accomplish the feat,
and that is how he killed Swope."
1t was after this and after Chinn
had made the narrator's blood run
cold by using him as model upon
which to exemplify the graceful use
of this Kentucky tooth pick, that
said to him: But why use knife?'
He answered: Different countries
have different customs. Why use A
pistol? Why use anything to defend
yourself? If a man is seeking your
life, why take any chances in the mat
ter? Why not at once put stop to
the menace? You of the east look up
on the use of fists as preferable to a
pistol. and the latter is far less blood
thirsty than the employment of the
knife.
But ii is all q matter of custom.
In Kentucky men carry weapons
habitually. and | think he who uses
the knife is a far more courageous
man than the one who engages i'm the
lOng-range attack of pistol With a
knife YOU must he close to your foe:
if you use it on his back you are a
bastard and should hang for it. hut
should Won meet him face IN face and
plunge it into him after fair warning
and for proper cause. there is no rea-
son why trne man should not take
you by the hand