Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-07-27
A LIFE OF TRAGEDY
CAREER OF BOWIE, INVENTOR OF
THE FAMOUS KNIFE.

From . File. and with II Its Owner
Killed sixteen Men-His Final Fight
At the Alamo, where lie Died.
There are men who seem especially
created to oil a certain place in the
affairs Of their time This has been
particularly true I'm American history.
The man that in the storm and stress
Of the period was most needed has al.
ways come to the fore at the supreme
moment. II ever this was demonstrate
ed by circumstances it was in the early
history Of the Texas republic, that
storm born state evoked from the rev.
olution OF 1896.
In his remarks concerning the early
history Of Texas that President Nc
Kinley made on one Of his tours be re-
ferred most felicitously. though brief
,ly, tn the four men who under Provi.
dence had been most prominent In the
early days, when the greatest state in
the Union III The matter Of territory
was a young and struggling republic
Houston. Travis. Crockett and Bowie.
He spoke on classic ground, too. for II
was at the Alamo. where he then
stood, that three Of the four crowned
with their lives their devotion to the
young state, whose foundations they
had laid deep with the seal Of their
blood.
OF this group Of heroes. 40 worthy Of
place in song or story a. any who so
CALAMITY died usdsr shield before Troy,
the least isnown of.tlsem all and yet in
many respects the, greatest was James
Bowie. famous lonay ~ reason Of the
world renowned ka11s caNed by his
name. A few words touching bis an
cesesy may not Be out Of place. BE
was net from Maryland. - has been %
often sisted, but Was bosn In Burke
county, Ca. In 100. In 1902 his IA.
khsr emigsated to L0uie1ana.
That c6untEy WAS then stu under
French domination. There he'd been
large tracts Of land granted by the
French crown in the territory named
for Louis XIV, and one Of these, in
the parish Of Catahouaa. was acquired
by the el0se Bowie. He was . man
of substance, owning nearly 100 slaves.
he soon haa ~ ssGatc web opened out
and was growins superb crups Of cot
ton and corn. Hls con james ~ cent
6rst to q fanous private sdbooi q
Matches, Miss, and afterwayd to the
Jesuit college then located at New
Orleans.
James Bowie, In 1897. was chaileng
Cd 10 q duel with Norris Wright The
pocket pistols Of that day were uncer'
tain. 1t was long before the percus
sion cap had been brought into com
mon uss, and the nlntlock srm was the
only nrsarm known. 1t was liable to
miss fire Just when 1t ought not to-
Bowie determined to rely upon knife
he had caused to b made for just such
q contingency. He he'd taken . four
teen inch long hls, such - was then
used to sharpen crosscut saws and
the upright saws used for turning, Out
plaaks from bogs. He M the Az
MARKS carefully SsouAd - ~ als and
the smooth piscs Of stssl Gkn6uiiy 70
ducsd By the gTindstone ustil II wa
about the thickness ana weight hs Do
sired. Then he took II 70 . epaniasd
in New Orleans knewn - ''Pe1so, tn
skijlsd cutlr." Q nan vho bed learned
his ast N TOlG1e. whars ~ 0nss|
sword bielas N ~ Spain were forged
Hs tsnpsrsd end Ani1Asd the knife
dtted 4 with Q cvussptsUe and haft
when 4 We dens jones 1eWte he'd {
weapon ut to 0oht for . maa's hfs
WITH" - hs said to Governor Wells
1t was beautifully balanced, and thu
artist had hollow ground It like q
rasor. With q double edge for three o.
four inches from the point.
H. knife was cited with . wooder