New Orleans daily crescent., 1860-09-29
The Late eseneral walker.

We copy from the New York Times the follow
ing brief biography Of Gen. William Walker. de-
lvered over into the hands OF a barbarous enemy
by the cruel and unauthorized interposition Of
British power. Our adyices from Truxlo are to
the effect that he has met bis uatfmely and melan-
choly end. The article below was published
when the first, and, as it afterwards proved, err
roneous intelligence Of his death was received,
and is understood to have been written by the
Generals uncle, said to be editor Of the Times
Without waiting for the particulars of the closing
catastrophe to Gen. Walkers eventful career, we
may assume that he died like soldier in the
truest sense of the term. His friends in this city
attribute his fate to an unyelding moral courage
and proud contempt of the consequences before
him, which forbid the slightest approach to a
petition, on his personal account, for leniency or
mercy. Their present belief is that he must
have refused the mediation of the English com
| mander on terms which, besides being humiliat-
| ing apology to the Honduran authorities may
\ have looked to the unconditional abandonment Of
| his claims upon Nicaragua, and his aims of every
nature, upon that and all other, Of the Central
| American Governments In other words that lie
| must have declined giving the parole which was
| probably demanded of him as the condition pre-
| eedent to pardon or reprieye. They are quite
sure that if there was aught in such demand
| which implied, directly or remotely, personal hu
| initiation or public disgrace, he did decline it
promptly and fearlessy, without the quiver of {
4
| single word; thus yielding up his life on pune
| tito of honor as readily as he had often before
| risked it on the hazard of imminent and extra
ordinary dangers, voluntarily assumed, on othel
| fields. Such was the man, and as such we have
| every reason to believe he died.
| Gen. Walker terminated his career at a com
paratiyely early age. We are told that he had bu
just attained his 36th year. He was born in Nash
vile, Tennessee, in May 1924, and was thorough,
educated under the most favorable auspices fo
whatever liberal profession he might select in afte
life, first by collegiate course at the Uniyersit
of Nashville, where he acquitted himself with tn
highest honors of his class, and afterwards in tn
Medical Schools of Philadelphia and Paris enjoy
ing, also, while in Europe, the advantages of tou
through Germany and Italy, where his opportuni
ties for belles-letters scholarship were not on
liberal, but keenly enjoyed and appreciated by
mind then at least, quiet and studious to degre
that utterly forbid the idea of an adventurous o
restless in later life. His distaste however
to the medical profession, which he declined prac
tcally to enter upon, turned him to the law, an
the associations of the law not unnaturally to pol
tics, in which he first engaged in New Orleans, an
subsequently. in ls50-5l, in California, from whc
point he entered upon the hazardous career which
after the varied fortune Of six years, is term
nated
Whatever hard things may have been said
Gen. Walker-and much, we doubt not, woul
have been left unsad had his fortune been MOI
propitious-he was, at least, no vulgar adventure
either by birth, habits or education, or the homo
able purposes with which he set out in life. Fl
parentage nnsnlliad his private walk an
temperance unquestoned; his learning profound
and his original aims, however subsequently mi
directed by an unchastened ambition, such as con
mended him to success, while enlisting the war
esteem of numerous friends. Even those who der
him all claims to military skill or political sagaei
as leader, pay the highest compliment to h
moral force and personal integrity, since witho
1hese his first failure as adventurer must iney
ant truly ae been his last.