The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-10-03
THE BOWIE KNIFE.
INSIDE HISTORY OF ITS ORI-
 GIN.
Ex-Governor Jones of Arkansas Tells I
 Tale.

Now for the first time is made known the true history of the bowie knife and ltse inventor, James Black. The mar rative was written by Dan W. Jones, former governor of Arkansas, and scion of one of the oldest and most re- spected families of Arkansas. It was written originally as chapter for the novel of southwestern pioneer life. Aaron Clark" written by the late Colonel J. N. Smithee, a veteran jour nalist of Little Rock, who, weary of life and its ills, sent a bullet crashing through his brain while his fellow townsmen were celebrating the nations natal day, 1902. His book, upon which he had spent much time and research, has not been published and it is not probable it ever will be, but the follow ing chapter, contributed by ex- x-Governor Jones, is too valuable historically not to be made public, much of it having been written from personal knowledge.
 James Black was born in a village in the state of New Jersey, May 1. 1900. His mother having died when he was quite young, his father married wo- man with whom James could not agree. At the early age of eight he ran away from home and went to Philadelphia, where he was apprenticed to a manu- facturer of silver-plated ware named Henderson, an act subsequently, ap- proved by James father. At the time of being apprenticed James did not know his age, and judging from his size he was placed in the indenture at eleven years. Some years afterward, upon a visit to his old home after his fathers death, he discovered his true age in the family Bible, but did not disclose the fact to his master. .Conse- quently his apprenticeship expired in ISIS, when he was only eighteen, in stead of twenty-one years old. He had become quite expert in the silver-plat- ing business, and intended to make it his occupation for life, but Gas he often stated to mel owing to the want of suf fcient tariff, this infant industry was unable to stand against British compe- tition and 1t "went to the wall" This fact made him wl1ig in politics.
 After being released from his appren- ticeship in 1918, young Black came west until he reached the Ohio river, then
 
 1t to Bayou Sara ins Louisiana, where for a short time he obtained employ nent on ferryboat Soon tiring of this, he engaged as deck hand on a steamboat going up Red river, and landed at what is now known as Fulton, on that river, and went into the inte- rtor fourteen miles, a little east of north, where he found a small settle ment, which subsequently he helped lay off into a town, since then and now known as Washington, Hampstead county, Ark. Here he found employ ment with a blacksmith named Shaw. E
 Tn those days the village blacksmith was a far more important man than he. ! is now. He was the general utility man. He made all the blows, hoes, wagons and other farming implements, He made guns and knives and did all repair business in iron and steel. In fact, no community in the new country could then get along without it's black smith, and in social as we'll as in busi- ness circles he stood with the best. Shaw had a large family of boys and girls The oldest boy was about Blacks age, and strong attachment grew up between them. The oldest girl, Anne, was three or four years younger than Black and was quite pretty, intelligent and attractive. She was one of the bellies of the town and greatly admired by all the young men. Shaw seems to have had great expectations in her. for when he was unwilling to let her go to this young man, who was without for