The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1929-07-26

NWRM& dentally, should be the
IA VIZ Pennsylvania rifle" since
it was first made in that
state), the Sharps buffalo gun, 1.-The Win
chester and the Colts six-shooter. 1t
figured in innumerable bloody ARRAYS,
some of which have become classics in
Western history. 1t was Bowie knife
which Wild Bill Hickok was said to
have welded in the fight which gave
him the wild Bill'' INTERCHANGEABLE So
called flight" with the "McCandles
gang" 1t was Bowie knife with
which Al Packer, prospector, killed
his four companions while they were
snow-bound in the San Juan noun
tains of Colorado ard won for himself
the dreadful title of the "San Juan
Man Eater" The Bowie knife has fig
ured in tales of Jim Bridger and Jim
Baker, Kit Carson and California Joe,
and dozen other border notables
some Of the yarns authentic and others.
no doubt, the product Of the dime.
nous weapon 1t would
seem that its history should be well
known But attempt TO trace its origin
and see how far you get! Out Of the
maze of conflicting testimony, only one
fact energies clear-that it was named
for one of the Bowies. But was it
Resin. John or Jalles? AS for the
inventor of the Bowie knife, consider
this evidence:
Read almost any encyclopedia and
you will find it described as:
An American hunting dagger named
after its inventor, Col. James Bowie.
In a melee near Natchez ds27) in which
six men were killed and fifteen
wounded, the colonel dispatched an op-
ponent with knife made out Of
blacksmith's rasp or big file; and this
knife he afterward had fashioned at
Philadelphia d, into the weapon with
which his name is associated.
Edward S. Ellis, one of the earliest
biographers Of Davy Crockett. devotes
considerable space to Rein and James
Bowie and
Respecting the invention OF the ia
nous Bowie knife, an intimate lady
friend of the Bowie family, in note to
the writer. under date of December,
1873, and written in New Orleans, says:
The knife was invented by Rein p,
brother of James, for the purpose of
hunting wild cattle on the plains of the
Opelousas. The first one was manufac-
tured by one Of his slaves at the pri-
vate blacksmith shop on his plantation.
1t was never intended for any other
use except that of simple hunting
knife, nor was it ever used otherwise,
until in the duel at Natchez, when
James Bowie acted as second, and all
the seconds were drawn into the fight.
In May, 1886, the New York Star said
of this knife:
1t was invented by Col. James Bowie,
who was killed by the Mexicans at the
capture of the Alamo. About IS months
ago. three brothers named Bowie, in
the state of Mississippi. had a deadly
conflict with seven other persons armed
with every species of weapon, the
brothers being armed only with a large
knife. This weapon they handled with
such dexterity as to decide the conflict
in their favor. although numbers were
against them, and it has since been
called the 'Bowie-knife."
The Red River Herald of Nachi-
toches, La, copied this article and in
June printed it with the following:
This account is entirely inaccurate
The first weapon of this description
was manufactured In the parish of
Rapids, in the state Of Louisiana near
the plantation OF Capt. Charles MuIhol-
land, on Bayou Boeuf, In 1920. This
knife was made according to the in
structions of Col. James Bowie, then
known by the appellation Of Big Jim"