Funny…this person says "bread knife" in relation to his bayonet:

http://www.warrelics.eu/forum/bayonets- … et-673604/

Traditional Tanto knives have a wooden sheath, and that’s what Hartnell described at LB, a knife with a wooden sheath. If Zodiac was emulating Koko the executioner with his LB hood, the Tanto knife would have fit right in.

That would make total sense!

Except a tanto blade would not have two visible brass rivets on the handle.

Here are some other suggestions:

The most interesting one is the Old Hickory sticking knife or "pig sticker". it was a double edge blade that was used by hunters and farmers for butchering wild game and farm animals. Specifically, it was used for stabbing animals in the heart to drain their blood prior to butchering.

Where in the police reports or Hartnell’s description does it say that it lacked a crossguard?

Where in the police reports or Hartnell’s description does it say that it lacked a crossguard?

Now that I don’t recall. Never remember reading about it.

I think it’s important to clear up some confusion about the knife.

The BLADE was described as 12" long by BH. The medical examiner estimated it to be between 9" and 11" long. The two fatal stab wounds to CS were 10" deep. That means the knife was likely 16" to 18" long. That’s a very, very big knife.

BH described the knife as 3/4" wide. The ME estimated it to be about an inch wide. That’s a very slender knife.

The medical examiner said it was sharpened on both sides AT THE TOP OF THE BLADE – not all the way down on both sides.

So, you’re looking for a very long, very thin knife.

The handle was described as two hardwood slabs held together by two brass rivets. That was an extremely common construction for cheap kitchen knives. Old Hickory, Michigan Bean Co., and Flint USA Vanadium, and LL Bean brands (among others) all used a similar design. Most knives of these types used walnut as the wood type. There was no guard and no pommel on the Zodiac’s knife.

The tape was only wrapped one inch around the blade, it did not cover the whole blade.

The sheath or case was described as wood or "possibly wood", and BH said it was a foot long and an inch wide. That’s very long and narrow for a typical sheath. It would be more accurately described as a "scabbard".

A bread knife is far too flimsy and is not pointed at the end. It would be the worst item you could pick to conduct a stabbing. Bayonets do not have wooden handles because they get wet and rot and come apart. Most bayonets had metal handles with guards and pommels.

So, you’re looking for a very long (9 to 12 inch blade, 16 to 18 inches total), very thin (3/4" to 1 inch) knife with two hardwood (likely walnut) slabs held together by two brass rivets. It was held in a long, slender, hardwood (likely walnut) sheath or scabbard.

It can’t be a bread knife (too flimsy, not pointy). It can’t be a bayonet (wood handle, no guard or pommel). It can’t be a Bowie knife (too wide). It can’t be a combat or fighting knife (too wide, no guard).

My conclusion is that it was either a very long boning or fillet knife that was intended for use by fisherman, hunters, or outdoorsmen and kept in a wooden case or a sushi slicing knife (sujihiki). I have attached examples of each.

I could easily see something like this:

https://picclick.com/Vintage-Carvel-Hal … 95633.html

Just google "vintage floating filet knife"

But that particular handle doesn’t have two wooden slabs held together with two brass rivets. That is what BH described.

If we go by the known witness statements and descriptions then the knife must fit the following criteria:

* heavy, sturdy 9 to 12 inch blade with the tip sharpened on both sides
* handle made of two hardwood slabs held together by two brass rivets and does not have a guard or pommel
* held in a 12 inch by 1 inch case/sheath/scabbard that was wooden or looked wooden and could attach to a belt

Anything outside of these parameters and it becomes speculation.

http://www.zodiackillersite.com/viewtop … 370#p69251

Richard,

Do you know the length of the blade here? Also, BH described the sheath as 12” by 1”.

Sorry Chaucer I don’t. Just found the image on the Colliver thread.

If someone’s got some time to kill, it might be worth checking out Japanese style letter openers…