Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-27

scabbard. covered with leather, ana
was sharp enough to shaSe the hair
Oh the back Of ones hand This was
the original Bowie knife. though Il
was somewhat modified subsequently,
in shape. Bowie. while q student at
New Orleans, had studied other things
besides the humanities. as the dead
languages Of Greece and Rome were
then called. BY accident he found in
his fencing master q man who could
not only use the sword. but was q
master in the use Of the cuchillo, the
Spanish fighting knife, a weapon not
unlike the bowie. Our young stu
dent entered enthusiasticajiy into the
training and science Of old Spain In
that nations once national weapon.
And 80 be was mech better equipped
for the deadly fight that was so near
at hand.
Natchez island. where the fight was
to be. was mtdway between the Lou
isiana and mississippi shores Of the
great Father Of Waters. Therefore Il
was a favorfte meeting place for gen.
tlemen who had to adjust affairs that
might have a fatal ending. as the au-
thorities Of neither state could inter-
fere. II stayed all night with James
Bowie" said friend Of his. who died
in his ninetieth year. ION the night
before the fight was to take place
never saw a man sleep more soundly
than he did nor ent a better breakfast
the next morning"
1t was understood that each Of the
principals should have but one friend.
and certainly not more than two. on
the ground. But Mr.. Wright had Ave
or six present. The fight began with
the pistols. One Of Bowie's missed
IRE. while both Of Wright's bullets
took effect upon bis antagonist.
Thinking he had Bowie at his mercy,
Norris Wright sprIng upon him. In
a moment Bowie had drawn his dead
~ knife. and. though two or three Of
WriSht's friends were shooting at him
and hitting him. too. Bowie made one
awful slash at Wrisht's neck. The
keen steel hit into the very neck bone
The blood shot out over Bowie. and
Norris Wright was dead before he
touched the ground.
Seriously wounded himself, II was
for some time very doubtful question
whether or not he would ever get WELL
But YOUTH temperate life and an ex.
cellent cenDtttution finally brought him
around. ana In year from that time
be killed General Grain with the same
knife be had Used in his arst encoun-
ter. '"The knife doesn't miss nre," he
said to an intimate friend. Mr. Bynum
Of the parish. Of Rapides. the pistol
does" This. Of course. was long be-
fore the perfection of the percussion
cap or the invention Of the revolver.
James Bowie pas sneated in the pur.
chase and contest Of claims Tor great
tracts Of .lands mat bad been grants
made by the French crown. When
Louisiana was coded to the United
States and finally became a state, there
was a good deal of trouble on this &C.
count over some Of the titles of land
along the Red river and it's tributa-
RES. A man often hadSto fight for his
plantation. as frequently he would not
give It upx to. somebody with an old
French or Spanish grant 1t was in
these contests that James Bowie did
most of his killing. h He had sixteen
lives on his hands from the use Of that
one hisody KNIFE. AFTER msch. consid,
Grafton hs ha6,m6de knife that has
been the model and pattern tor all the
real bowie knives that have ever had
the sanction Of theif originator
In laa6 Bowie sold his Louisiana
property and went 70 Texas. The Lone
Star 6tate was In the throes Of a
bloody .rsvolution. The gallant resist
ancs q the Texans 30 exaspesated Cen
eral Santa Anna, who was chief In COM
mand Of the Mexican forces, that he
swore he would take no more prison
ers. When Bowie arrived In Texas and
offered bis services to the young re-
public he wss at once made a cololie,
Of ridemen In the army of Texas.
In January. 1885, Colonel Bowie was
ordered to San Antonio Dc Bsxsr Ia