The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1904-03-11
THE BOWIE KNIF..
TRUE STORY OF THE ORIGIN OF TT
FAMOUS WEAPON.

1t was Made hy James Black, n
Washington blacksmith, who E2"
"a Great Reputation as IL knife
maker.
Here is the true story of the bowie
knife and its inventor, James Back.
The narrative was written by Dan w.
Jones, former governor OF Arkansas
aud IA scion Of one Of the oldest and
most respected families of Arkansas.
1t was written originally as a chapter
for the novel of southwestern pioneer
life. Aaron Clark written by the late
Colonel j. y. Smithee, a veteran jour
nalist Of Little Rock. who, weary OF
life and its ills, sent Il bullet crashing
through his brain while his fellow
townsmcn were celebrating the nations
natal day, 1902. Here is Ex-Governor
Jones story Of the origin of the bowie
knife:
James Black was born in a village
Ia the state of New Jersey May /, 800
His mother having died when he was
cutie young, his father married a WON
an with whom james could not agree
At the early age of eight years he rar
away from home and went to Philadel
phia, where he was ~apprenticed to d
manufacturer of silver plated ware
named Henderson, an act subsequently
approved 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 ut
eleven years. Some years afterward,
upon Il visit 10 his old home after his
fathers death. he discovered his true
age in the family Bible, but did not
disclose the fact 10 his master. Conse-
quently his apprenticeship expired in
1919, when he was only eighteen in
stead of twenty-one years old. *
On returning to Washington he open
ed Il blacksmith shop and 70 had all
the work he could do. At that time
Washington was a frontier settlement.
and nearly all the men went armed,
the weapon most relied upon being the
knife. All kinds of characters went
there, the most desperate of despcra-
uOtS us eli DIS llltil U Stltlt lbl
but all understood that each MAI must
look out for himself. Finding the de-
mand for the knives being so great,
Black applied himself largely 10 manu-
featuring them, and especially to tenn
pering the steel Of which they were
made. 1t soon became known that his
knives were the best that could be OBJ
tanned. and his reputation spread far
and wide. The shape of thr knife was
according to the taste Of the person
ordering it, it being the custom for
each man to furnish the pattern, made
Of wood or pasteboard, of the exact
size and shape Of the knife wanted.
Blacks experience as a silver platter
during his apprenticeship enabled him
to plate his knives, either with silver
or gold. when required by the pur-
chaser, which gave them an additional
charm and a higher price. 1t was his
rule, after %tempering and shaping q
knife and before polishing it, to cut
very hard wood with it. generally an
old hickory ak handle which had been
used for a long time and had become
quite tough and hard. This he would
do for a half hour, and then IL the
knife would not easily shave the hair
from his arm he would throw it away.
His knives ranged in price from So to
$50 each, the price varying according
to the quantity Of gold or silver used
in plating, the five dollar knife having
no plating at ali; but the temper OF
each was the same, each being sub
mitted to the severe test above men
toned.
About 1888 or 1884, perhaps a little
earlier. James Bowie went TO Washing
ton and gave Black an order for a
knife. furnishing a pattern and desir-
ing it to be made within the following
sixty or ninety days, when he would
call for it. Black made the knife ac-
cording to BoWie's pattern. He knew
Bowie well and had a high estimation
of him as a man of good taste as well
as ~unfinching courage. lie had never
made n knife which suited his Own
taste in point of shape and concluded
this to be a good opportunity to do so.
Consequently after completing the
knife ordered by Bowie he made anoth-
err and when Bowie returned showed
them both to him and explained the
difference between them, at the same
time giving him his choice at the same
price. Bowie promptly selected Blacks
pattern. Shortly after this Bowie be-
came involved in a difficulty with three
deSDeradoes, who assaulted him with
knives. He killed them all with the
knife Black had made. After this
when any one ordered a knife from
Black, instead of furnishing a pattern
as formerly, he would order it to be
made like Bowie's, which was finally
shortened into make me a bowie
knife" Thus this famous weapon ac-
quired it's name. Bowie himself was
not a mechanic Of any kind. He was