In the old days of the antebellum south, slaves would use razors as defensive implements. There are stories of some hellish, bloody frays where slaves litterally carved one another to bits with straight razors. This theme has sadly been kept alive within the black community. I have personally known several men who bear the scars of razor fights. As odd as it may seem to some people in todays world of internet, space walks and medicinal breakthroughs; old fashioned razor fighting is still alive and well (especially in the rural south). Some of the fastest, deadliest men with an edge come out of this school of behavior, believe it or not. If you'd like to learn more about the ways and means of these uniquely American methods, I have created a "razor-fighting" page for further considerations. It can be seen here: RAZOR FIGHTING Ok, thanx again friends. And remember this has all been .... FOR HISTORICAL, MEDICAL and REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY !!!!!!!!! |
1. Razors are made of very brittle, breakable steel. It is very "glass-like" and breaks like a wine glass if impacted on any hard surface at all. 2. Due to the reasons above, the razor fighters have developed specialized grips and methods to use the razor and not have it fracture in the course of said usage. 3. Cuts, strokes and attacks are also structured around the grip and the nature of the delicate steel. 4. A razor has no locking mechanism. It's all dexterity and know-how with a razor. scew up and break your weapon, ugh-oh! Allow the razor to accidentlly close upon your fingers and again... ugh-oh! So, grip-use-design-purpose must meld together or disaster looms on every turn of events. 5. Razors are best suited to snipe, wound, terrorize and disfigure (scar). Not good for heavy cutting, amputations, beheadings or other such fantasy Bowie knife-like applications. 6. Today, men do not own, carry or shave with these devices. So, they no longer have that carte blanche ability to be carried. They are an antique device. They would be seen as would any other edged weapon if one were to be found upon your person. (like a "box-cuttah" is seen today thanx to 9-11). |
The Razors Edge The straight razor was never meant to be a weapon. It is first and foremost a tool. Shaving was the intended purpose of the straight razor. It is a brittle, delicate piece of kit if there ever was one. Keeping it sharp was important. And when not being used as a shaving tool it could also whittle a few thin slivers from a branch for starting a fire. And yes, in a pinch it could be used as a very "limited" application weapon of defense. Why? Because it was there. Such items are called "weapons of opportunity". Because "opportunity" was there, these devices were all too often part of domestic squabbles and petty crimes. Now, a man can indeed be killed with a razor, but in all honesty... it's damned hard to pull off. Instead, it usually turns out to be a bloody, messy non-lethal encounter. Albeit a painful, frightening one. Razors lack the critical point and length for a proper thrust. They also lack the depth and width needed to act as a real cutting instrument. This reduces their effectiveness as a life taking weapon. It makes the razor a true "lame & maim" type device. Easy to come by and to carry, the razor is not a weapon. Right? Afterall .... who would deny a man his daily grooming? But, what a convenient cover to have a weapon also...right? Indeed. The razor fighters actually have pioneered their own brand of knife fighting. Based upon the earlier razor fighting techniques and methods. Razor fighting is highly specialized and specific. It absolutely must be! And here's why. |
The laws hadn't really changed much over the years since the early western days. In 1934 outlaws could still rob a bank and escape safely across state lines. They would then be safely out of the jurisdiction of where the actual crime was commited. Outlaws of the thirties were considered to be modern day cowboys. Rewards could be posted "dead or alive," and after outlaws were killed law officials would pose for photographs with the dead bodies like a proud hunter and his kill. |
John Dillinger: One of the most sought bandits of the time. An amazing escape pro too. Some say old Johnnie Dillinger never did die. Like Butch Cassidy who lived out his life in Spokane, Wa. under another name. |
Own the story. Documentary w Bonnies own sister telling it as it was. Purchase BIOGRAPHY's Bonnie & Clyde here. |
Bonnie & Clyde Yarn in French ! |
Ham it up! Pics and more about the infamous killer-lovers B & C ! Great stuff for history buffs... |
A super-dupe site for these awesome American rebel bandits. Fun loving, deadly duo of desperate deeds. |
Hobo Jungles: Pampano History A good read for the fans of the "life". |
Hobo History: Cool stuff. Grasp the diff between bums, hobos and tramps. |
George C. Scott / Gary North . .Ahh, the lessons learned here... and....... The Flim-Flam Movie |
Hobo Sign: |
The Great Depression is covered very well in this fine website. Every aspect is addressed. Please have a gander and enjoy... |
PBS: masterful work on Riding the rails: An American experience. Good ! |
online adventure into the depression era past. |
Worlds Largest Moonshine Still |
The Lawless Decade.... |
Ah, baddies and laddies from the Crime Library. Colorful yarns.. |
Duck! Take cover! It's a classic Moonshine shootout! |
The preeminent moonshine movie, the 1958 Thunder Road stars Robert Mitchum as a backwoods bootlegger in Tennessee, getting squeezed by both the federal government and organized crime. Mitchum had a big hand in creating this cult favorite |
Some folks know this and others don't. America's home grown heros and he-men...... |
Apart from any fraternal symbolism attached to it, the Monkey's Fist was also a preferred self defense weapon among the poor and transient people of the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you care to research the matter further, check your local laws. If you do a search of your state's laws, you will find reference to an illegal weapon called a "Slung Shot." While an improvised Slung Shot can be made by placing a padlock inside a sock (for one example) the traditional Slung Shot has always been a Monkey's Fist with a heavy lead shot loaded inside the knot of the fist and often worn around the neck. This line throwing tool turned weapon was first used widely by Sailors, in agreement with your comments on your page, and slowly spread out from the Docks and Wharf areas into Depression Era America. The passage of laws against "Slung Shots" and "Monkey's Fists" was a clear case of Law Enforcement specifically targeting the transient population. Any "Bo" found to be in possession of one of these items could be guaranteed a protracted stay on the County Farm. (More knots here) |
Shifty-eyed moonshiners tending backwood stills; daring bootleggers hustling cars laden with "tax-free" whiskey over rural highways; revenuers pursuing their quarry on foot, in cars, and from airplanes; and rumrunners and Coast Guard ships engaging in the occasionally fatal "booze ballet". |
Hollywood and images of the South. Moonshiners, Hillbilly's and Hicks. A stereotype which still exists.... |
The public enemies of the Thirties were farmboys from the heartland, men reared in the ethic of doing it all for themselves. They emulated Jesse James and his one-time Confederate irregulars, riding the plains in their steel steeds; striking against the rich; spitting lead into the hearts of interfering guards, meddlesome bystanders, and intrusive police with their machine guns; and then zipping across state lines to enjoy the spoils. The Barkers ahead! |
It seems that today every culture on Earth is seeking answers. All too often we are encouraged to look outside of our boundaries. Seek answers elsewhere. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. We (whoever we are) cannot change who we are. And who we are is sometimes our greatest strength and resource. In an era where "unhappy" is a million dollar a year business it is not good business to offer solutions. It ruins the money game. But, when one operates from the heart, then direct help can be as easy as one, two, three...... open. It is all too easy to follow the guru, do as I say, right? But, there is more to it than that. The great game requires great men with great minds. Dreamer-Drummer-Doers. When one of these DOERS steps out of the public line which society has cast as proper boundaries of thought, deed and duty .... then they are oft branded a pariah, renegade or rebel. When actually, they are pioneers. And it seems that all pioneers (in every walk of life) are doomed to suffer through mis-understanding and defamation of some type. But then, in a few years, all is forgiven and the pioneers so recently reviled and defiled are now the respected seniors. Aye, I've endured the madness meself. Thats why as an eye opener for many of our modern combative experts of all ages I bring to you this insightful look at some home grown tough men. Experts in their own right and in their own worlds. No masters red & white belt graces their den wall. No one will remember their daring-do. They are the rural people of America, especially the south and the pacific northwest variety. Nothing special, but in an other way, they are something VERY special. A heritage that has been forgotten, ridiculed and pushed aside for more politically correct forms of history. Yeah, thats what I'm talk'in about. C'mon, take a closer look if you dare. One of the eras where really tough people came out of was a span of time from about 1929 thru 1949 ! Yes, it's true. The gangland madness of the twenties, the great financial crash, the great depression looming and a war to top it all off ! Wow ! Yes, it took tough, resouceful people to make it through that period. America and her people met the challenge and won. It was their work, sacrifice and will power which made the country as great as it is-was. Just as Australia is remembered as once being an island for convicts, Americans are forever to be associated with cowboys, guns, indians and hillbillies. Yes, there is that stereotype out there. Killer Hillbilly's is a common thread for many films and books. Sometimes hill folk are portrayed as evil (think of "Deliverance" the movie). And other portrayal's are of simple, loving people of the Earth (like old Jeeter Lester in "Tobacco Road"). I reckon there is a tad of both mixed in there, ("Thunder Road" with Robt. Mitchum fits this last description). It was Bonney and Clyde that fit the image of "killer hillbillys" so well for the hungry media. So did Johnny Dillinger and the Barker Gang. Moonshiners and revenoors (revenue agents) were having their own private wars in America's backwoods and small towns. Hobos, tramps and vagabonds were leading guerrilla lifestyles. Drifting was a requisite to surviving the era. Many battles occurred in the bum jungles and alley ways that are still recalled with awe. Hobo versus hobo and police versus the tramps. Shootouts, riots and beatings were common fare for the men of this period. We remember their daring exploits today in film after film. The movie "Emperor of the North Pole" is a classic of this type. Accurately depicting life on the rails and the cruellty of the yard bulls. Some of the best damn fight scenes on film are in that movie. Bronsons "Hard Times" is another which is set in the depression era south. It too gives a sense of the times and of the desperation that haunted men. Even the great film "The Grapes of Wrath" itself depicts the whole sorry story of a nation in turmoil and heavy with hard times. So. why were these survivors so damn tough anyway? What made that generation different? Were there tactical geniuses of the backwoods? Were there ways that Americas rural peoples inately knew of which multiplied their survival ratios? Yes, I believe there were ! Hell, old Hank W. even wrote a song about'em valled "A Country Boy Will Survive". (yep, I can run a trout line). So let's have some fun, explore us some roots and see if we cannot draw some tactical civic-pride and direction for tomorrows challenges from our humble American beginnings. KILLER HILLBILLY'S Straight Ahead !!!!! |
... A Look at America's Deadly Past as a Survival Lesson and as a Resource from Which to Draw Psychological Strength .... |
The public enemies of the Thirties were farmboys from the heartland, men reared in the ethic of doing it all for themselves. They emulated Jesse James and his one-time Confederate irregulars, riding the plains in their steel steeds; striking against the rich; spitting lead into the hearts of interfering guards, meddlesome bystanders, and intrusive police with their machine guns; and then zipping across state lines to enjoy the spoils. The Barkers ahead! |
............................................................................................................................................................................ I'm a rambler, I'm a gambler, I'm a long way from home And if you don't like me, well, leave me alone. I'll eat when I'm hungry, I'll drink when I'm dry And the moonshine don't kill me, I'll live til I die. I've been a moonshiner for many a year... etc.... |
Hollywood and images of the South. Moonshiners, Hillbilly's and Hicks. A stereotype which still exists.... |
Shifty-eyed moonshiners tending backwood stills; daring bootleggers hustling cars laden with "tax-free" whiskey over rural highways; revenuers pursuing their quarry on foot, in cars, and from airplanes; and rumrunners and Coast Guard ships engaging in the occasionally fatal "booze ballet". |
Apart from any fraternal symbolism attached to it, the Monkey's Fist was also a preferred self defense weapon among the poor and transient people of the late 1800s and early 1900s. If you care to research the matter further, check your local laws. If you do a search of your state's laws, you will find reference to an illegal weapon called a "Slung Shot." While an improvised Slung Shot can be made by placing a padlock inside a sock (for one example) the traditional Slung Shot has always been a Monkey's Fist with a heavy lead shot loaded inside the knot of the fist and often worn around the neck. This line throwing tool turned weapon was first used widely by Sailors, in agreement with your comments on your page, and slowly spread out from the Docks and Wharf areas into Depression Era America. The passage of laws against "Slung Shots" and "Monkey's Fists" was a clear case of Law Enforcement specifically targeting the transient population. Any "Bo" found to be in possession of one of these items could be guaranteed a protracted stay on the County Farm. (More knots here) |
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Some folks know this and others don't. America's home grown heros and he-men...... |
The preeminent moonshine movie, the 1958 Thunder Road stars Robert Mitchum as a backwoods bootlegger in Tennessee, getting squeezed by both the federal government and organized crime. Mitchum had a big hand in creating this cult favorite |
Duck! Take cover! It's a classic Moonshine shootout! |
Ah, baddies and laddies from the Crime Library. Colorful yarns.. |
The Lawless Decade.... |
Worlds Largest Moonshine Still |
online adventure into the depression era past. |
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PBS: masterful work on Riding the rails: An American experience. Good ! |
The Great Depression is covered very well in this fine website. Every aspect is addressed. Please have a gander and enjoy... |
Hobo Sign: |
George C. Scott / Gary North . .Ahh, the lessons learned here... and....... The Flim-Flam Movie |
Hobo History: Cool stuff. Grasp the diff between bums, hobos and tramps. |
Hobo Jungles: Pampano History A good read for the fans of the "life". |
This photograph was taken at FBI headquarters in Washington DC.. It shows the weapons that were used by the Dillinger Gang. Note the modified Colt government model M1911A1 pistol in caliber .38 Super in the lower left portion of the photograph. It has been modified to use a Colt Thompson vertical foregrip, extended box magazine, and fired fully automatic. |
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