|
Portrait Of A Killer: Jack The Ripper - Case ClosedThe strong steel blade of this "dagger," as it was called, could create an array of wounds that would perplex any medical examiner, even now. The curved blade is almost an inch and a half wide at the ivory handle, and becomes double-edged two-thirds of the way up when it begins to taper off to a point as thin as a needle. The one I bought from an antiques dealer was made in 1830 and (including its sheath) would easily fit in one's waistband, boot, or deep coat pocket - or up a sleeve. The curved blade of the Oriental dagger called a djambia (circa 1840) would also leave wounds of different widths, although the entire blade is double-edged. The Victorians enjoyed an abundance of beautiful weapons that were made for killing human beings and were cavalierly collected during travels abroad or bought for a bargain at bazaars. In one day, I discovered the following Victorian weapons at a London antiques fair and at the homes of two antiques dealers in Sussex: daggers, kukris, a dagger stick disguised to look like a polished tree branch, daggers disguised to look like canes, tiny six-shot revolvers designed to fit neatly into a gentleman's vest pocket or a lady's purse, "cut throat razors," Bowie-type knives, swords, rifles, and beautifully decorated truncheons, including a "Life Preserver" that is weighted with lead ...» |
Код для вставки книги в блог HTML
phpBB
текст
|
|