During the final
quarter of the 19th century Paris was plagued by gangs of tough young criminals
who mugged passersby, stole whatever they could grab and fought murderous feuds
with each other and the police. The gangs adopted a distinctive style of dress
that included flared trousers, loose fitting shirts, neck scarfs, peaked caps
and pointed, brightly coloured shoes. The press dubbed the gangs
"Apache" as their violence was meant to be on a par with that of the
Apache tribe from the USA. In time the Apache style of dress became fashionable
among French youth seeking a rebellious style and all sorts of objects were
termed "Apache" in an effort to give them a flavour of youthful
rebellion. The gunsmiths of Liege produced this murderous looking weapon that
combines knuckleduster, pistol and dagger and called it an "Apache
pistol", though its link to the Parisian street gangs is dubious.
from "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Small Arms" by Rupert Matthews.
Get your copy HERE
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Illustrated-Encyclopedia-Small-Rupert-Matthews/dp/1626860890/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1424249208&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=rupert+matthews+weapons
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