The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1901-06-28
BOWIEANDH HIS KNIFE
HE CALLED 1T THE WEAPON THAT
NEVER MISSED FIRE.
1t Was Made of nm Old Steel File md
Was Sharpcned To Razor Edge
with Ii lie Killed sixteen Men-The
Duel With Norris Wright,

With Ii lie Killed sixteen Men-The
Duel With Norris Wright,
James Bowie, famous by reason of the
world renowned knife called 10y his name
was born in Burke county, Ca, in l1gO
In lSo2 his father emgrated to Louisi.
ana. That country was then still under
French domination. There had beer
large tracts of land granted by the
French crown in the territory named fol
LoniS NV, and one of these. in the mar
iSh Of Catalonia. was acquired by the
elder Bowie. He was n man of sub
stance. owning nearly 100 slaves. lie
soon had his estate opened our ana wa.
growing superb crops Of cotton ana corn
His son James he sent first TO famou.
private school at Natchez. Miss. ami MT
erward to the Jesuit college, then locat
ed III New Orleans.
James Bowie in 1897 was challenged tc
duel with Norris Wright. The pocket
pistols of that day were uncertain Il
was long before the percussion cap had
been brought into common use. ana thu
flntlock arm was the only tirearm known
II was liable to miss fire Just when il
ought not TO. Bowie determined to rely
upon knife he had caused to be mad,
for just such a contingency. He hat
taken II inch file, such as was Their
used to sharpen croSScut saws and the
upright saws used for turning out plank.
from logs He had the file marks care
fully ground off the file and the smooth
piece of steel skillfully reduced bv III,
grindstone until it was about the thick
ness and weight he desired. Then he
took i to a Spaniard in Now Orlcan,
known as PEDRO. the skilled cutler"
man who had learned his art in Toledo
where the finest sword blades in all Spain
We're forged. He tempered ana finished
the knife. fitted it with n crosspicce anf
h2ft. When it was done. James Bowie
had weapon fit to fight for mans if,
with. as he said to Governor Wells. II
was beautifully balanced, and the artist
had hollow ground it like razor. will
double edge for three or four inches
from the point
The knife was fitted with a wooden
scabhard. covered with leather and was
sharp enough to shave the hair off the
back of ones hand. This was the orig
inal bowie knife, though it was some
what modified subsequently in shape.
Natchez island. whore the fight was tc
be, was midway between the Louisiana
and Mississippi shores of the great la
Their of Waters. Therefore it was n fa
voritc meeting place for gentlemen who
had to adjust affairs that might have q
fatal ending. as the authorities of neither
state could interfere.
1t was understood that each of Tn,
principals should have hut one friend
and certainly not more than two, on the
ground, But Mr.. Wright had five or sin
present. The fight began with pistols
One Of Bowie's missed fire. while both O,
Nrisht's took effect upon his antagonist.
Thinking he had Bowie at his mercy
Norris Wright sprane upon him. In
moment Bowie had drawn his deadly
knife. and, though two or three OF
Wright's friends were shooting Mt him
and hitting him, too. Bowie made one
awful slash at Wright's neck The kccr
steel hit into the very ncckbone The
blood shot out over Bowie. and Norri.
Wright was dead before he touched the
ground.
Seriously wounded himself. it was fol
some time very doubtful question
whether or not he would ever get we'll
But youth. a temperate life and an ok
cellent constitution finally brought him
around, and in a year from that time he
killed General Grain with the same knife
he had used in his first encounter. "ThC
knife doesn't miss fire" he said to an in.
innate friend, Mr.. Bynum of the parish
of Rapidcs. "The pistol does"
James Bowie was engaged in the pur.
chase and contest of claims for great
tracts of land that had been grants made
by the French crown. When Louisiana
was coded to the United States and final
iy became state, there was n good dra.
of trouble on this account over some OF
the titles to land along the Red river and
its tributaries. 4 man often had to fight
for his plantation. as frequently he would
not give 1t up to somebody with an old
French or Spanish grant 1t was in
these contests that James Bowie did the
most of his killing. He had Is lives on
his hands from the use of that zone
knife After much consideration he had
made knife that has been the model
and pattern for all the real bowie knives
that ever had the sanction of their orig.
inator.
In 1888 Colonel Bowie sold his Lou.
isiana property and went to Texas. The
Lone Star State was in the throes of
bloody revolution. The gallant resistance
of the Texans so eXasperated General
Santa Anna, who was chief in command
of the Mexican forces. that he swore he
would take no more prisoners. When
Bowie arrived in Texas, he was at once
made colonel Of rifemen in the army of
Texas.
In January. 1885, Colonel Bowie was
ordered to San Antonio de Bexar to as
sist in holding that place against Santa
Annals coming forces. The siege ran
along until March. when San Antonio
trusting in the pledged word Of honor Of
Santa Anna, with starved out garrison.
surrendered. A general massacre took
place. Travis, Crockett and Bowie were
murdered in cold blood. a stain on Gen.
eral Santa Annals memory that time can
never blot ont. Colonel Bowie was bad.
ly wounded three times and was In
room of the main work Of the place called
the Alamo. He opposed the surrender as
long as was possible.
He was lying on his bed when he heard
the triumphant Mexicans coming in. 1t
was the first hint he had had Of the sur.
render. He knew his life was ended. lie
tould however. move about little. The |
instant the MeXicans came into the room
they began shooting at him. He grasped
his knife and leaped among them like al
enraged tiger. And when the firing end.
ed six Of his enemies had crossed the
Styx with James Bowie and gone with
him to the shades Washington Post.
Amoup thp ucns IN which oIJ ,or,-eno