Man Stabbed By His Own Bowie Knife

One of the risks a man takes when carrying a big, fixed-blade knife is that in certain types of accidents, such as being thrown from a horse, the blade may be thrust through its sheath and into his body. One such an occurrence, in connection with a railroad accident, was briefly noted in the Daily Free Democrat of November 20, 1855:

Mr. Melvin, one of those killed by the Pacific Railroad calamity, was found with a bowie knife, which he had on, thrust up to the hilt in his body. He was terribly mangled.