Who paid nearly $300,000 for a historic Bowie knife? A Dallasite – but he's not talking

The Dallas Morning News ^ | December 28, 2002 | By KIMBERLY DURNAN / Dallas Web Staff

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL! Could be....

[MeekOneGOP]

Just a guess... Ross Perot?

Nope...

Electronic Data Systems Corp. founder Ross Perot, who paid $1.5 million for one of the original copies of the Magna Carta, said he did not buy the Bowie knife and did not even know it was for sale.

[MeekOneGOP]

Nice! Shameless bump...

[MeekOneGOP]

heh heh !

[VOA]

Who paid nearly $300,000 for a historic Bowie knife? A Dallasite – but he's not talking

The sale of this historic blade got a lot of press here in the Los Angeles area, as the
sale was made out here.
I was mildly pleased that the television news reporters gave due respect to the
historicity (that's a word, isn't it?) of the blade.
(Usually California, especially the Democrats/Liberal rag constantly on Texas as
the black hole of America...guess they are realizing their state budget crisis is more
due to their own idiocy...not the machinations of some energy companies in flyover country.)

[MeekOneGOP]

I was mildly pleased that the television news reporters gave due respect...Usually California, especially the Democrats/Liberal rag constantly on Texas as the black hole of America...

Yes. I remember during the energy crisis out there they were bashing Texas. California created the problem with bad legislation and letting the Greenies push them around, while Texas was supplying energy at a lower cost than others and still they were bashing Texas...

it's been a while, but i think i got that right...

[VOA]

Yes. I remember during the energy crisis out there they were bashing Texas.

Under Gray Davis, California seems determined to push itself toward the bottom of
just about every state ranking.

On Friday, I head radio show host Michael Medved tell me something that must have
simply been VERBOTTEN to mention by the California press.
Not that Gray Davis had appointed Steve Peace (former Democratic California-state legislator)
and engineer of the flawed (easily-gamed) energy de-regulation (actually RE-Regulation)
scheme to be Gray's chief advisor on overcoming the state budgetary crisis created
by run-away spending by California State Legislators (and Gray).

The "VERBOTTEN" item...this brilliant (according to liberal Democrats only, as far as I know)
Steve Peace has made one other significant contribution to California, The United States
of America and The Peoples of Planet Earth...
Steve Peace produced the series of "cult" films know under the general banner of
"Attack of The Killer Tomatoes".

Yep, no Nobel Prize in Economics.
No MBA.
No Time running a profitable major Fortune 500 company.

Gray Davis picks the producer of "Attack of The Killer Tomatoes" to fix a Negative
45 BILLION DOLLAR SWING, created in less than five years.
Oh, and starting with a $10 Billion state budget SURPLUS created by previous
REPUBLICAN governors...despite all the attempts by Democratic state legislators to
create a deficit.

MeeknMing...as a Texan, I'll say this..DON'T EVER let the "mainstream media" convince
you that anything more than about 5-10 billion dollars of the current NEGATIVE 45 BILLION
DOLLAR SWING during Davis' tenure was created by Enron/Williams/El Paso, etc.


MeeknMing (and other lurkers/posters), why am I (as a "flyover country" guy
in California) ranting like this?
To convince y'all in Texas (and like-minded states) to STAY THE COURSE.

And for Heaven's Sakes (and that of a freedom-loving USA)...don't CALIFORNICATE
the state you live in...

PS: There IS a reason the venerable magazine "The Economist" ran an article
(posted at freerepublic) recently that was titled:
"Texas Is The Future"

(they couldn't say/print it if it wasn't true...)

[MeekOneGOP]

MeeknMing (and other lurkers/posters), why am I (as a "flyover country" guy in California) ranting like this?
To convince y'all in Texas (and like-minded states) to STAY THE COURSE.

I understand. The Republic of Texas is strongly GOP, and poised, imho, to stay that way for a while. The Liberal 'RATS here don't have a clue, just like nationwide!.....

PS: There IS a reason the venerable magazine "The Economist" ran an article (posted at freerepublic) recently that was titled:
"Texas Is The Future"

I saw that article, thanks !

[ErnBatavia]

Do you think someone will pay $300,000 for the blue dress one day?

Well, surely NOT for the DNA; talk about worthless spawn!

[Arkansawyer]

Thanks for the in-depth thoughts on knife fighting. I too would much prefer two blades in a confrontation. Much has been written about the technique over the ages, and I am no means an expert on the subject. I do practice with two blades. One a katana and the other a handmade toothpick my wife nad crafted for me for Christmas many years ago.

[Arkansawyer]

It has been awhile since I researched and studied the Bowie's origins. It has been about 20 years since I really pored over the details. At that time, it was inconclusive what the true history was. I VERY MUCH doubt that the Bowie was ever intended as a hunting knife. It was much too large for any hunting use at all. I know that much was written about Rezin Bowie trying to claim credit, but other historians discredited his account.

It is hard to prove or disprove legends, since legends are just that, stories passed on as fact.

It DOES make for an interesting subject of discussion though!

[tet68]

YOu sound like a collector, does the name Jim Batson have a place in your collection? Cleyston Sinyard?

Jim wrote a little piece on Bowie and "The Sandbar Fight" and knows his stuff about Bowie.

A great guy AND a rocket scientist to boot!
Proud to call him a friend.

[stainlessbanner]

...the double-edged blade of an Arkie Toothpicker

How 'bout Archy Toothpicker?

[archy]

I too would prefer two blades in a confrontation. Much has been written about the technique over the ages, and I am no means an expert on the subject. I do practice with two blades.

By all means, at least be thoroughly familiar with Musashi, then. The use of two blades can at least offer an interesting alternative answer to the question of whether a single edged weapon is better used in the strong or weak hand, particularly against multiple opponents. But knife and cane or knife and stick can be an even more interesting combination than paired knives.

[archy]

How 'bout Archy toothpicker?

Been there done that, though the 8-inch blade Fairbairn is a bit shorter than some of the Arkansas stabbers, and not quite as heavy.

It's been said by some that there are only two things wrong with the Fairbairn, the blade and the handle. Those saying that certainly never had to put up with the awful British military sheath for the things.

[archy]

Who do you have in mind? Tom Hicks comes to mind.

He does indeed, as does Charles Tate, who was Hicks' partner in obtaining the *de la Pena diary* of the Mexican account of the storming of the Alamo, when that manuscript went to the pair at auction for $388,000, then was donated by them to the University of Texas.

See in particular the statement by Tate regarding that purchase, [second paragraf] and compare it to those in the news story about the Bowie knife auction purchase.

I'd hardly be surprised if either Hicks or Tate, or more likely, both of 'em, were at it again....

-archy-/-

[Republic of Texas]

All that is true. But there is one reason to live here above all others. BIDNESS.

[Republic of Texas]

The Morning News said it wasn't Hicks, or Perot. But you guess about Tate is a good one. Any of Hicks partners could easily but that knife.

[archy]

Hicks said he didn't personally make the purchase. He didn't say he wasn't helping finance it....

But my bet would be on Tate attending to the details, with the two colloborating on the financial end, or some other financial/business arrangement between Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Incorporated. The last I noted, the firm had an approximate worth of around 44 billion, so they can likely afford to buy an old knife for a museum here and there, particularly if it's a tax write-off. They're behind a six million dollar bequeathment to UT at Austin as well, nut I think it's their previous interest in the de la Pena diary that's the real giveaway.

[Arkansawyer]

I have read and re-read Musashi and his two sword techniques. The Book of Five Rings is one of my favorites and I am on my second copy having worn out the first.