Bowie Knives

[Nefarious]

Back in 1981, while conducting an interview for the Alamo II Newsletter, I had the good fortune to meet Bart Moore II of Cucamonga, CA, possessor of what many believed to be one of Jim Bowie's real knives.

According to family history, it was Sheriff John Moore of Burke-Burnett Texas who first came into possession of the knive in question, back in the early 1880's. Moore is said to have received the blade from an old Mexican ranch hand in settlement of a $5.00 debt. When questioned by Moore, the ranch hand told him that he had been a soldier in Santa Anna's army at the battle of the Alamo and had found the blade near one of the funeral pyres. The knife was then passed down through the generations until it fell to Bart Moore I, Bart's father. At the time I was interviewing Bart II, his father had just passed the knife on to him. Bart and his friend and Manager, Tony Bartlett went on to show the knife at gun shows, but when not on public display, the blade would always be returned to a bank vault for safe keeping.

At one time, when Bart's father had sent the knife off to a lab for metalurigcal tests, it disappeared. Because the blade was considered a national treasure, the FBI was called in to recover the knife. They did so, but Bart II, added that they never said how.

Tests show tha the knife blade is Damascus steel, a rare commodity for an 1830's smith to possess. But James Black of Washington Arkansas, a man that many feel may have made knives for Bowie, was a smithy who could produce such metal.

While there will always be the naysayers, the Bart Moore Bowie knife has received six figure offers for purchase and even the Alamo at one time was trying to get the blade for display. Here's the knife:

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[Nefarious]

1. Nefarious Ned Huthmacher, with the Bart Moore Bowie knife.
2. Bart Moore II and his friend and manager Tony Bartlett, with the knife.

[Ted Cole]

Nef I have heard that story before and would like to believe it,but is it 100% fact? Jeez If I were him and owned it I would feel on top of the world as well! Good luck to him for sure! Nef was is your opinion of the knife itself? Have there been any other Bowie knives that claim to be the one?

TED....aka....cole_blooded

[neferetus]

Ted, I reckon there may never be a knife that can be nailed down to being Bowie's one and only Alamo knife. While the Moore story is certainly fascinating and the knife, when held, was certainly everything I would expect from a Jim Bowie knife, you just never know.

The Joseph Musso knife is a good example of what a Bowie knife of the period looked like. Mr. Musso had the knife scientifically tested to having been made around 1830, possibly in the area of Washington, Arkansas. And while Musso himself has never claimed that his knife was Jim's one and only Alamo blade, it is certainly as good a candidate as any, or better. It was good enough, at any rate, to the makers of the latest Alamo film who received permission from Mr. Musso to photograph and then copy the knife for Jason Patric.

The Musso Bowie Knife

[Nefarious]

The "IRON MISTRESS" knife, used in the film of the same name by Alan Ladd, by Ken Tobey in Disney's "Davy Crockett at The Alamo", by Sterling Hayden, in "Last Command' and Richard Widmark, in "The Alamo" (1960).

Beneath the Iron Mistress is The Musso Bowie Knife. Both blades are in the Joseph Musso collection.

[Nefarious]

The portrait of James Bowie, by G.P.A. Healy, currently in the State Capitol, at Austin. While yet in the possesion of the Bowie family, in Louisiana, the portrait was meticulously restored by Joseph Musso to its current condition. Prior to that, the portrait--which had hung over a fireplace for many years---had been marred by grime and soot.

[Greg C.]

the musso knife looks to be the most realistic one.

[TexasMac]

Nef, do you know the diminsions of the Musso and Bart Moore knives?

[Nefarious]

texasmac said:

Nef, do you know the diminsions of the Musso and Bart Moore knives?

texasmac, the Moore Bowie knife, in its present state, with the broken and then reground tip, is 13 1/2 inches long. The length of the bladeis 8 1/2 inches and 1 4/8 inches wide, while the length of the handle is 5 inches. Overall weight is 1 pound, 9 ounces.

The Musso Bowie knife is 20 inches long, with a 14 inch hand-forged blade and a 6 inch oak handle. A 7 inch strip of brass is soldered to the back of the blade. About 5 inches of the clipped point is double-edged. The point of the blade is located near the center axis of the knife. The "S" shaped brass guard is decorated with four six-pointed stars.

[neferetus]

Joseph Musso with the massive 'Musso' Bowie knife and the 'Iron Mistress'.

[Greg C.]

i recon they could do a lot of damage.

[neferetus]

The IRON MISTRESS Bowie knife, along with Bloody Jack Sturdevant's "Arkansas Toothpick", from the film. Both knives grace the title page of Paul Wellman's popular novel. (From the Joseph Musso Collection)

[Cole_blooded]

Nef,you own a Bowie knife of any sort?

TED....aka....Cole_Blooded

[neferetus]

coleblooded said:

Nef,you own a Bowie knife of any sort?

TED....aka....Cole_Blooded

I have a Rigid hand-forged Alamo Bowie Knife that I had custom-made to order, back in 1979. The company had only two employees and so it took me a year to get the thing delivered.The knife is a massive 5 pounds, with a 3 inch wide blade, sweeping clip and brass crossguard. While I do not have a photo of it at present, here I am, wearing the knife at the 1980 Alamo covention in San Antonio. Since Rigid Knives has gone out of business, the blade is a sort of collector's item.

[neferetus]

Here is Joseph Musso, serving up some snacks with his big 'Cheese Cutter'.

[Bromhead24]

neferetus said:

coleblooded said:

Nef,you own a Bowie knife of any sort?

TED....aka....Cole_Blooded

I have a Rigid hand-forged Alamo Bowie Knife that I had custom-made to order, back in 1979. The company had only two employees and so it took me a year to get the thing delivered.The knife is a massive 5 pounds, with a 3 inch wide blade, sweeping clip and brass crossguard. While I do not have a photo of it at present, here I am, wearing the knife at the 1980 Alamo covention in San Antonio. Since Rigid Knives has gone out of business, the blade is a sort of collector's item.

Is that a Brown Bess you have there? Does it have a "Grice" or "Tower" Lock ?

[neferetus]

Yes, it is/was a "Bess", but durned if I know what sort of lock it has! The photo is from a'way back in 1980 and the weapon, the property of San Antonian, Howard Major. Howard loaned guns from his own, private collection to a lot of us who'd arrived in San Antonio for the 1980 A.L.A.M.O. reenactment on Alamo Plaza empty-handed. When at ease, we all made it a point of resting the butt end upon our boot tops, so as to not mar the woodwork on the flagstone.

[TexasMac at Work]

Hahahaha!!!

[TexasMacatWork]

NEF!!! What do you think of the repro Bowie knives offered on the Alamo Forum?

[neferetus]

texasmacatwork said:

NEF!!! What do you think of the repro Bowie knives offered on the Alamo Forum?

They look pretty decent and the price is certainly right for a limited edition blade that will eventually become a collector's item. Do you collect Bowie's yourself?

(As an aside, back in 1969, I got a display Bowie Knife that was designed in the fashion of the Musso Bowie, only about 1/2 scale. Like I said, it's a display knife of stainless steel and meant only to be looked at and admired for $19.99. Well, after a buddy of mine thought that it was a good idea to throw it into a tree, the tip snapped right off and I had to have the blade reground about 1/2 inch shorter.)

Anyway, I like the idea that the knifemaker is making these collector blades of utility strength.