The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-12
|THE. BOWIE KNIFE
AND ITS INVENTOR
elsewhere In virsinia7 In later. ySra
Bowie ana Crain became fast friends,
ana remained such Until death.
I pIsDTDCTOR or THE WEAK. js3

Bowls was noted as the protector Of
women and the weak OF his own sex,
i remember hearing my father, years ago,
tell d story he had from an old man, IL
Illustrating Bowte's chivalry. Upon one
occasion an old gentleman ana young!
lady, evidently his daughter, strap
ping young fellow from the Dnst, and a
outlet stranger. were travelling in stage
coach In louisiana The man from the
East was smoking q vile cigar. rho lady
was sickenod by tho lnoxlous fumes, and
4 the old gentleman asked the smoker
politely to throw the cigar away. Tha
gentleman, In n corner Of ono OF the
seats, who had been Sitting wrapped In
a great cloak, apparently asleep. sud-
denly sat up and glanced at the man. Il
Throw that cigar away" no said,
sternly. a,
The smoker stared and mado reply:5Sa.
who are your" Vi
"My name is Bowie" said the other
YOU have Just one minute In which
( to get that cigar out OF the window and
with his left hand hc took out his watch.
and with the other he reached back OF
his neck ana drew out a bow1e-knlfc. gSBfl
Tho smoker looked the other in the
eye for second. Then he tossed tho
cigar through tho open window. Bowie
replaced his knife In the sheath. return.
! ed his watch to the pocket. and drawing
his cloak around him. apparently sank
back to snoozing. fs{
A The part Bowie played In the war X for;
Texan independence has made him one
OF the idols OF that State. The money
I he expended for the cause OF freedom
was enormous, and Texans OF to- day love
to recall his brave deeds in the struggle
with Mexico General Sam Houston. the
Texan commander-in-chlef,d directed Bowie
{ to- raise company and cooperate with
him in his advance against General Santa
Anna. Houston told Governor Brown.
I'm a 1ettre written at the time, that no
gave Bowie this commission because Of
his great ability wonderful courage and
perfect GOODNESS In the presence Of dam
ger. 7 cannot learn that Bowie ever
held other than a captains commission.
II Santa Anna 8 army seems to have sur
.prlsed General Houst ton, hose plans were
much disarranged In consequence. Colo
mel Bowie with a small body OF rangers,
became separated from the main army
and they Joined the command Of Colo
mel Travers at San Antonio. The latter,
i by the way, III was q North Carolinian.
$Davyl Crockett was with Travers. having
come from Tennessee to aid in the sstrug-t
gle for Texas freedom. ri
FIGHT AT THE ALAMO.
The Texans, numbering only 1876 men
all told Il retired to the Alamo upon the
approach Of Santa Anna 8 army, number
Ing from 1000 to G,0O0 men. The Alamo
had thick walls. but otherwise It was
entirely unfit for q fortress. Bowie was
stricken with typhoid fever a few days
before the Mexican army began to att
tack. IS a Mexican woman known to be
a good nurse. was brought into the fort
to attend him. and 1t Is entirely to her
that the world is indebted for the story,
of that terrible siege, more terrible than
Thermopylae. for not one OF the 1S5 men
in the fort escaped to tell the tale. sS3
Santa Anna demanded unconditional
surrender. Travers with splendid cou-
rage, refused. For eight days the Next
can army besieged the fort. Often the
Texans had to struggle hand to hand
with the besiegers, who so greatly OUT
numbered them. At every assault the
number of the Texans was lessened.