Did you know?

[Mossdancer]

That Thomas Wilson Bradley the son of Thomas J. Bradley the president of New York Knife Co. in the early years was awarded the Medal Of Honor in 1896. Awarded for actions at Chancellorsville, Va. May 3, 1863.

[orvet]

I believe he was the one who forbade the playing of baseball on the worker's lunch hour. This led to a number of them quitting and forming a new company in Walden, IIRC.

LT, do you care to recap this story? I think it's a great story, a nice piece of knife history!

Dale

[Upstream]

Please do tell, it sounds like knife lore to me.

[Mossdancer]

Dale;
You were more right than you remembered. Here is a paragraph from LT's story.
wb

"In 1870 a group of workers from the NYK company were playing a then new game called Baseball on there lunch hour . as the story goes top floor against the second floor ( by the way this building made Ripleys as one of the few factorys in the world where you entered from the top floor since the building was built in a river gorge ). A fight broke out between the teams after lunch both supervisors from the top and second floor were called into the owners office ( Col T Bradley). He advised them that baseball did not fit the company image and that they were not to engage in it on there lunch break in the future. They informed him that they quit."

[lt632ret]

In 1903 after Bradley sold NYK. Another interesting factor but not one I will go into now. Instead lets concentrate on his medal of Honor. Bradley having inside knowledge from his friend and fellow Aide de camp William Mckinley that Mckinley who was running for president ( he had been a congressman who's platform had been for tariffs ) was now due to public opinion forced to reverse his position in order to get elected. He now was against tariffs . Bradley who's success in the knife business was due to the tariffs suddenly decided to sell ( amazing eh just lucky I guess, Right and Clinton did not have sex with Monica nothing changes in politics ). Bradley after selling then decided to become a politician. He had a well known mentor in politics. That also is an amazing story. I forget his name. He was a general known for killing the son of Francis Scott Keese ( sorry spelling ) the son to the guy who wrote the star spangled banner for messing with his wife he also almost lost Gettysburg for the north and did lose an arm but again another story. Back to Bradley he was Bradleys mentor when he sold NYK and went into politics. Around this time the federal government came out with a proclamation. That any veteran of the Union army especially the civil war, who felt he deserved a congressional could apply for one. This was done due to the horrible lack of validation during the war the horrendus amount of deaths and as in every war especially this one the amount of acts of bravery that had gone unreported and not rewarded. It was the last chance to apply for the award and if the claim was substanciated you could in effect put in for your own medal of honor. Bradley was a bonified hero. His Orange Blossons ( the contingent from orange county NY ) . were being destroyed in chauncelorville by a Texas outfit who killed 1 in 3 of course taking nothing from the Texans since they were excellant shots , tough as nails actually tough as texans were and still are one thing that had helped them was that the Orange Blossoms who were rapidly running out of men had already just about run out of ammo. Bradley a young NY cutler against amazing odds got through the fire and brought back help and ammo. Yup Old Tom was a real one. That was when he was given the Aide de camp job as a reward the other Aide de camp to the generals was William Mckinley ( that I imagine is when they started cooking up some deals about the future and tariffs and things. ) However back to the story. Bradley after thinking about it figured out that a medal of Honor would look pretty good on the resume of a newly aspiring politican when he ran for office. So he an a buddy both put in for the award the friend was a guy called William Cody ( sometimes known a Buffalo Bill ). Bradley knew Bill from business. Bill well known as a showman and frontiersman, was the first celebrity to endorse a model of a NKY knife which carried his picture on the shield . So they were friends and both decided to put in for the nations highest honor. Now Bills claim to the medal did not come from the civil war but after it in fact right after the Custer massacre at little Big horn. They made Bill a scout and one day when he and the troops he was leading were leaving the fort. A lone indian brave on horseback appeared on a hill and rained down challenges and insults upon Bill daring him to fight him one on one, mano y mano. Old Bill threw his fringed winchester sheath off his rifle in one move and with Winchester in hand headed toward the brave ( supposidly a chief or chief wanna be it might have been a way to move up the heirarchy of the tribe Ah politics maybe he just had a grude ) any way he also had a Winchester in hand, headed for Bill. All this in front of the troops who stood probably thinking more about saddle sores than the unfolding sago of the plains, but there in front of them this scene was playing out. They were shooting and riding full tilt when Bill lost his seating he hit the ground Winchester in hand now that he could finally draw a stable bead he dispatched the yelling shooting brave with one shot. Then in front of the audience of troopers he ran to the body drew his ( NYK ???? ) knife and dispatched the native american. But here is where the story gets good. Old Bill was as always the showman he then scalped the poor fellow combatant. Then holding the blodied scalp and standing astride the now bald indian yelled the words of immortality. Holding it a high he proudly proclaimed "THE FIRST SCALP FOR CUSTER". It made great copy in the papers. This also was what the papers printed so who knows how embellished it actually is. ( "When the legend becomes fact print the legend" a quote from the man who shot liberty Valance ) . Anyway that was the incident that Bill used to put in for his Medal of Honor. Both of the medal of Honors were granted, Bradley went on to be a sucessful and benevelent politician. Bill got his medal however for what ever reason be it change of public opinion towards native americans and what they had gone through or the time frame of the incident or whatever reason. I mean someone down the road might have thought that standing and waving a scalp was not sufficient for the nations highest award or for whatever reason they reversed Bill's award. Bradley got to keep his. I am attaching some pics of the BB1 Buffalo Bill one knife ( very highly sought by collectors and a copy of the original brochure and letter of endorsment which Bill wrote and was sent to distributors to be hung in store windows to help sell the knife. PS Taking pics through the glass of the display poses a problem sometimes beyond my not to great photographic expertise. Therefore in order to show the knife up close I used another one of the same BB1 models ( I have a few laying around so if you notice it that is different that is the reason. ) By the way the originals of this brochure I have seen go for 400 (the brochure only not the knife ) This copy a friend of mine in his 80tys has had since a boy. He was watching them tear and Burn down NYK ( as a fire company exercise ) since it had become a dangerous building. They were igniting papers in the building when the original copy flew off the pile and he picked up as a souvenir. He was good enough to let me copy it. LT

[Mossdancer]

Hey LT;
Thanks for the update, Things are not all as they originally seem. I think your story is a truer and more thouroughly researched one than article that I found. Again, thanks.
wb

[jonet143]

great sunday morning read, lt. thanks

[upnorth]

Reading that story made my day, LT!! Thanks! You have some astounding info and cutlery!
I think there needs to be a "Collected Writings of LT" published somewhere!

[LRV]

LT, Great story.
You should write another book or 3!
Thanks..

[orvet]

Ahhh.....................
Knife Lore at it's finest. Thanks LT.

I agree with Charlie & Larry. If you would just collect stories you know & stories you have shared in various forums, about the knife companies of the Hudson Valley, it would make an excellent read!
A lot of us die hard Knife Knuts would stand in line to buy a book like that. Probably a few non-knife knuts would buy it also.

Then you can travel the show circuit and sell autographed copies of your book. Wouldn't that be fun? Look at the bright side.....you would be at all the shows, buying knives and then you would have even more material for more books!!!!! Your hobby would pay for itself & all your travels.

Just a thought (please don't shoot me........the doc changed my meds.......I may be a bit stranger than normal for a couple weeks)

Dale

PS- I actually have a shirt that says: "This Vietnam Veteran is Heavily Medicated for Your Protection."

[Gr8Scout]

Way, way cool story.
Phil

[4ever3]

Thanks for the story lt