[Brown, John]

Coffin-handle Bowie knife, signed by maker joseph hawksley's celebrated, overall length 14 1/4 in. (330 mm), length of steel spear-point blade 9 5/8 in. (245 mm), nickel handle inlaid with mother of pearl. Accompanied by original brass-tipped gilt leather sheath; worn.

Bowie knife, signed by maker joseph hawksley's celebrated, overall length 14 1/4 in. (330 mm), length of steel blade 9 5/8 in. (245 mm), nickel handle inlaid with mother of pearl. Accompanied by original metal-tipped gilt leather scabbard; worn.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A remarkable artifact from one of the bloodiest periods of American history.

The edges of the handle bear a lengthy engraved inscription, stating that "In 1856 Col. Thomas Buford of Ala pledged himself to kill John Brown with this knife. Failing in his purpose he gave it to Clay Pate a noted Border Ruffian to do the work. Pate was defeated at  Black-Jack and surrendered the  knife to Brown. The last time Brown and Mr. Stearne met in 1859, he gave the knife to his friend as 'having some little historical value.'" 

The historical record supports the veracity of the inscription on the knife, as does the fact that the knife was accompanied, when acquired by the Bobsts, by the John Brown documents offered in the following two lots. 

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 stipulated that the residents of these territories would decide whether they wished to enter the Union as a slave or free state—the doctrine of "popular sovereignty." Advocates of abolition sent thousands of supporters to Kansas in an attempt to counter-balance the many pro-slavery emigrants from the South. Thomas Buford evidently joined the emigrant force raised by Jefferson Buford (or perhaps the name is simply an error on the part of the engraver), who recruited "men capable of bearing arms" to colonize the Kansas territory for slaveholders and defend it from "the free-soil hordes." Some 300 men under the banner of the Buford Expedition entered Kansas in January 1856 and settled near the John Brown stronghold of Osawatomie. 

At  the same time, Henry Clay Pate, then a resident of Kentucky, determined to emigrate to Kansas in hopes of making it a slave state. He evidently joined the Buford Expedition when it stopped at Westport, where the citizens presented Buford with horse, saddle, and bridle. Pate gave a speech stating that the gifts were presented to Buford "as a testimonial of your noble services in behalf of the South and the cause of slavery for Kansas."

Pate participated in the sack of Lawrence, Kansas, and was among the band that took two of John Brown's sons hostage. On 2 June 1856, Brown attacked Pate and his company at Black Jack, near Baldwin, Kansas. Though outnumbered, the abolition men prevailed and took a number of prisoners, including Pate. They were exchanged for Brown's sons and other captives taken by the pro-slavers.

George Luther Stearns, to whom Brown presented the knife, was a successful industrialist from Medford, Massachusetts, and a fervent abolitionist. He was one of the chief financiers of the Emigrant Aid Company, which facilitated the settlement of Kansas by antislavery homesteaders, and he also established a Medford station for the Underground Railway. He was one of the "Secret Six" who financed John Brown and he purchased the pikes and Sharps carbines (popularly known as Beecher's Bibles) used by Brown's company at Harper's Ferry. During the Civil War he was instrumental in recruiting black soldiers for the Union Army.