On July 31, 1835, William B. Travisqv wrote Bowie that Texans were divided and that the Peace Partyqv appeared the stronger. Travis was a leader of the War Party.qv Bowie had hired Travis as early as 1833 in San Felipe to prepare land papers, and in June 1834 Travis represented Bowie and Isaac Donoho in a case filed by Francis W. Johnson.qv Travis also did legal work for Bowie’s friend Jesse Clifft, a blacksmith who is often credited with making the first Bowie knife. The War Party sought military support among the Indian tribes in East Texas. On August 3, Bowie reported on a recent tour of several villages where he found many of the Indians on drunken sprees and all reluctant to cooperate.