As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
I was reading that President Abraham Lincoln was escorted to the White House by a friend on Inauguration Day, who carried two pistols, a Bowie knife, brass knuckles and a black jack.
It seems that the implements above, both all started appearing in America in the early 1800's. The black jacks evolved into the hands of police with great effect.
The black jack was a leather container with a handle, the container held lead powder or something of lead for weight. The instrument used by police was employed to cold cock people, with a sharp blow behind the ear. Hard knocks left welts all over the head. It was advisable to stay away from the temples as that would kill people.
The brass knuckles were employed for one punch fights. The one punch would break jaws or provide knock outs, including the behind the ears. They were cutting instruments as well
None of these instruments though were designed for fighting. It did not matter if it was the pistol, the infamous Bowie, the black jack or brass knuckles, they were designed to stop the fight before it ever started with ending it quick.
They were all for close in work, intimate. Granted there were other things like canes which people in the Civil War beat the bajesus out of each other with. Then the Derringers appeared, boot knives and you might be surprised what a metal weight in your hands does to amplify a punch, which is what crooked boxers brought to the ring to win.
The east coast was big on banning the brass knuckles and black jacks. The South central had a problem with Bowie knives, but could never really convict people as no one could settle on what a Bowie knife was.
They were employed by the mass public though for protection. The reason being all were concealable and all were effective in evening the odds. Unless a person was a real blockhead, the same black jack, same brass knuckles all knocked out everyone just the same, they were democratic instruments.
It seems that in this era of woke that as their dictatorship prevails that democracy will rise it's common cause as it did when the police state did not reign in 1800's America.
It will be interesting to see if history will repeat itself in this world.
Nuff Said
agtG
