Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

November 28, 1993
By David M. Buchanan
Vigo County Historical Society

Some canes more than walking sticks

The canes people see in the Museum’s parlor usually don’t elicit much comment. They stand in an ornate oak cane holder, ready for the gentleman of the house to choose as he leaves. When canes were at their most popular during the last century, a true gentleman would no more go out for any type of a formal call than would the average businessman of today go without a tie. In fact, just as we choose a tie, Victorian gentlemen took just as much care in choosing the proper cane to carry.

Because they were so popular, canes were produced in a wide variety of styles, materials, decorative elements and even functions. Tradesmen carried canes containing tools they would use in their business. Canes were made for men who bought butter wholesale. They could stick their cane into the vats of butter, turn the handle, and a scoop at the bottom of the cane would take a sample. When the cane was removed, the buyer would learn if the vat’s center had been filled with lard. Similar canes could be found for grain buyers.

Undertakers had canes that would screw down the lids of coffins. Musicians had canes that would fold open into music stands or musical instruments. Gamblers had canes that would fold open, making small tables. The table’s top was created from tightly stretched silk. Photographers could choose from a variety of canes which contained small cameras.

This type of cane is called a gadget cane--one that had other uses than just as a walking stick. According to legend, the first use of a gadget cane led to the modern silk industry. Silk is woven from the cocoons of silkworms and was a carefully guarded secret of the Chinese. Until the sixth century silkworms were found only in China and none were allowed out of the country. Supposedly two Persian monks secretly hid larvae in their cane’s hollowed-out shaft, bringing the silk-making industry out of China and, unknowingly, gadget canes into existence.

Gadget canes were made for all purposes, including protection. One weapon cane could become a mace--a ball of sharp spikes swinging on the end of a chain. Canes with swords hidden in their shafts were quite popular. Spring-driven knives which shot from the tip of the cane and were powerful enough to split boards were produced. The tops of some canes detached and formed the handle for small deadly daggers; others sprayed chemicals. Many of these canes were so finely crafted that it was hard to tell if the cane was a weapon unless the owner showed how it would open. The two sections locked and would only release when a hidden button was pushed.

Many gadget canes also were firearms. They could be powered either by gunpowder or by compressed air. Canes were produced that were combinations of daggers and pistols, or even with permanent bayonets attached. The concept of a pump-barrel shotgun, popular as a weapon of choice in our more action-packed films, can be seen in a cane made in the late 1870s. Simply grasping the cane’s shaft, pulling it back and pushing forward would cause the gun to fire. It held 30 rounds.

Most canes were just walking sticks, like those displayed at the museum. Their purpose as a walking aid was, for the most part, unnecessary. They were simply a necessary part of the well-dressed person’s wardrobe. These sticks can be quite spectacular. Craftsmen searched all over the world for the most interesting material which could be made into canes. Precious metals, stones and rare woods were incorporated. Intricate carvings of known and unknown creatures can be seen in bone, ivory, wood and metals.

Though no longer seen as necessary, most antique canes are used and seen in exactly the same way as they were when new. They are art objects, the more unique the better, something to be admired rather than actually used.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

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