The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-04
Not Jim 10 VIE hut Ills scholar brother
Invented the Knife Of Fame.

To the EDITOR OF THE SuN--Sr: Some
corrections could be made In the article
In THE Sun of Sunday regarding our war
with Mexico The Alamo was not convent.
though one of the several buildings con-
nected with II was n convent. The mar
in command during those crimson days
Of 1895 was Lieutenant Colonel william
Barrett Travis a Georgia lawyer. just 2s
years old. The Milan whom the article
makes commander was motel Indian
fighter. a native of Kentucky. and one OF
the bravest men that ever lived He led
the attack upon General Cos, the brother
in-law OF Santa Anna. who had taken
possession OF San Antonio In December,
1885, and compelled the surrender of the
Mexican leader. who broke his parole. In
that gallant assault only one Texan was
killed. and sad to say. he was Milan. who.
therefore. had been dead some three
months when the Alamo fell.
You make the number OF victims AZ.
whereas 1t was 1873. An almost universal
error Ia to make Jim Bowie the inventor
OF the terrible knife which bears his
name. when II was his brother Rezin i.
who caused the weapon first to be made.
! have this on the authority of an elderly
lady of New Orleans who was an intimate
friend Of the family and related the facts
to me fun generation ago. What will
be accepted az still more Trustworthy
authority is that OF William n. Sparks OF
Atlanta. Ga, now dead for many years.
In his day his "reminiscences of many
noted men OF the South and Southwest
were not only of the highest interest but
were never questioned In his description
of that terrific duel. fought upon the
sand bar at Natchez, September 10. 1927.
in which the seconds became involved and
Jim Bowie killed Major Wright with a
bowie knife. Mr.. Sparks says OF the
weapon
This knife made by Rezin = Bowie
out Of "a blacksmlth's rssp or large nl,. and
was the original Of the famous bowie knife
After the conflict on the sand bar Rein
= Bowie carried this knife TO Philadelphia.
where II was fashioned by a cutler into the
form Of the model ma 10 by him. and pre-
sumo the knife l. yet In she possession OF
some member OF the family
Rein was a man OF excellent education
and scholarly tastes who left the sport OF
fghting TO his fiery tempered brother
They were deeply attached to each other
and Jim was fond of making visits to his
brothers plantation in Louisiana and CON
ferring with him. He grieved to the last
over the death OF Jim at the Alamo. but It
is said of the Spartan mother that when
the news was brought to her she sat a
few moments in meditation and then
calmly remarked We'll. ! know one
thing, Jim wasn't wounded in the back
Bowie was sick in bed when the final
assault was made and was shot as he lay
unable TO help himself He was fired
upon by two soldiers and mortally
wounded. but he reused up when they
rushed to his bedside and with his fright
ful weapon sic" one of his assallants.
The siege of the Alamo was not thirteen
but eleven days, beginning on February 90.
1896, and ending on Sunday morning,
March i. Half u dozen prisoners So worn
out as to be scarcely able to stand sur
rendered on the promise Of General Cas-
trillon to spare their lives. Among the
group was the famous Colonel pavy
Crockett of Tennessee. bleeding from n
fearful wound Castrlllon begged Santa
Anna TO keep the pledge he had made.
but that merciless demon refused and all
the Texans were bayonetted in front of
the mission building.
! spent hours good many years ago
in wandering through the Alamo gazing
upon the scenes of that memorable
struggle and listening to the words of a
bright lad not more than dozen years
old who acted ms my guide ! paused in
the room whore Jim Bowie died as ne had
lived and was shown the spot where
Colonel Crockett stood. and ms his friends
passed him rife after rife he unerrincly
picked on the cannOneers until after half
dozen had fallen the others lodged
to cover. When at last We came out
the broad. massive doors of the mission
building ! handed coin to my Young
friend, He started as II stung and de-
csvely shook his head. He did not
speak but his manner said AS quickly as
words You forget, sir, that we are I'm
the Alamo"
I wish some one would tell me the name
of the author of that unsurpassable tn
scriptiOn carved on the cenotaph In Austin
'Thermopyl@ had its messenger OF defeat:
the Alamo had none" t. = ELLIS
UPPER MoNTcLAiR. N. j., February z.