Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-09-23
NOT A ''BAD NAM
Inventor of Deadly Knife Was
Peaceful.
Col. James Bowie Never a Desperate,
Though He Lived in Wild Region
Where Every Man Had to
Protect Himself.

The bowie knife is an invention
which is more or less unfamiliar to
the average reader, for it is an in
strument for which he has but little
use, but to the huntsman and to the
person who requires such a large
weapon, it is invaluable. The shape
of this knife has an interesting his
tory connected with it.
In the early years of the republic
the use of a large and effective knife
was an absolute necessity, especially
along the frontier. 1t was formed
from a suggestion made by James
Bowie, who was one Of the most no
torious of the frontiersmen of the
Southwest early in the past century.
In his young days Bowie lived in
Louisiana, where his time was spent
in numbering, fishing and hunting.
Also in dealing in slaves. The wild
and uncultured location of that period
was frequently the cen of brawls,
in which James Bowie always took a
first hand. 1t is said that Bowie in
vented the knife that bears his name
while confined to his bed as the re-
suit of a wound received in some such
brawl.
Being a man of considerable me-
chanical ingenuity, he whitfield from a
piece of white pine the model of a
hunting knife, which he sent to two
brothers named Blackman, in the city
of Natchez, and told them to spare no
expense in making for him a duplicate
of the pattern in steel. This was the
origin of the dreaded Bowie knife. 1t
was made from a large sawmill file
and had a %two-edged blade. nine
inches long, of a family curved outline
and thick enough at the back where
it Joined the handle to serve for stur.
dy hammering. Bowie had a neat
spring sheath made to inclose the
knife. This he wore constantly at his
belt.
The inventor found himself con
stantly in need Of his weapon. One
of his fiercest neighbors was a Span
lard, who repeatedly annoyed the
colonel with petty insults. At last
his conduct became so unbearable that
Bowie challenged him. In accepting
the hidalgo named knives as the
weapons to be used and also stipu
lated that the combatants were to be
seated face to face astride a trestle
the four legs of the trestle to be bur
led about a foot in the earth so tina
it could not by any possible means b.
overturned.
Each Of the principals was permit
ted to use whatever kind of knife h
might select. When the combatant
met Bowie's knife excited the rid,
cule of his adversary. The result, how
ever, proved the superiority of tn
bowie" over the long Spanish hum
ing knife worn by his adversary. TIL
men took their seats on a trestle, bot
naked to the waist. At a signal tn
Spaniard drew back his arm to max
a lunge. Bowie at once thrust hi
knife straight forward into his advel
sary's body and killed him instantly
Bowie presented the knife used in thi
duel to Edwin Forrest, who Away
wore it when he played Metamora.
The inventor had many other ser
GUS encounters, until his name and hi
knife were notorious. 1t sprang int
such immediate popularity that loci
smiths worked day and night forgin
and shaping them.
Finally things became SO warm |
Louisiana that Bowie emigrated t
Texas, where he married the daughte
of an ex-governor of that state. Whe
Texas declared for independents
Bowie accepted a commission g
colonel in the insurgent army an
closed his career March 6, 1885, at tn
bloody battle of the Alamo.
In spite of the notoriety that Bow
gained from his numerous deadly e.
counters, there is no known instanC
where James Bowie was the origin
tor Of any conflict, while, as a rul
he was a recognized p%acificator.
truth, 1t is said that his nature VIZ
gentle, kindly and dignified, and b