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I am not quite clear on what this means. ...."Rezin passed his knife on to Jim after THIS has been previously wounded in a way that was no longer able to handle firearms". What was wounded? who was not able to handle firearms?
Rezin gave the knife to Jim as I previously had posted, after he had it made by Jesse Clift, and prior to the famed Vidalia fight. Jim Bowie had two guns at the fight, expended both, and was indeed wounded several times before he gave the fatal knife blows that dispatched two opponents.
Both he and Rezin, as noted, were notorious knife fighters, and after the Vidalia fight, even more renowned. They were very enterprising and capitalized on that, and apparently gave out knives on occasion to select individuals. These kinds of gifting adds to the confusion on which knife was which.
This being evidence, it was not such an enormous knife, but a large one; although apparently smaller than the Joseph Musso's specimen, or the one Jim carries in the Alamo movie.[/QUOTE] Fernando.
As previously noted the original knife was of about 9 1/4" blade and 1 1/2" wide, very much in appearance like a butcher knife, with wood grips with three rivets. This is believed to have been made from a file, which was often the case with many knives of the time.
In years after the Alamo, Rezin Bowie was very straight forward and protected his brothers reputation.
With all the popularity and contrivances with 'Bowie knives' he noted,
"...the imprivements in its fabrication and state of perfection it has acquired from experienced cutlers, was not brought about by my agency". \
open letter to editor, "Planters Advocate", Iberville, La. 24 Aug. 1838.
As to James Black as maker of Bowie knives, let alone the original:
"...there is no evidence that James Black ever made a knife for either of the Bowie's".
- "Three Roads to the Alamo: The Lives and Fortunes of David
Crockett, James Bowie and William Travis".
Willam C. Davis.
The Musso Bowie remains highly suspect despite its highly noted status, and resembles more the 'styles' of Bowie knifes produced in 60s and 70s.
and of course, movie props of recent times.
The 'toothpick' term seems to have been in use just after the Alamo and to have come from the elaborately fanciful versions of 'Davy Crockett's Almanacs' which were written in England and popularized versions of much of this lore. It was said that Kentuckian's were 'half horse/ half alligator' for example, which accounts for the zoomorphic hilts of these animals on many Bowie knives, combining these colorful attributes.
True, the original Bowie knife must have been substantial, but not as elaborate and huge as the examples created and fashioned later as noted by Rezin Bowie. However, in the hands of a skilled knife fighter it would seem enormous.
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