Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1877-11-15
of Paine, sent him the following note:
New York. April p. ..lSl

m have been furnished with material insr
It spect to his religious opinions, or rather
II his recantatiOn of his former opinions b
h fore his death. all you have heard of h
recanting is false. Being aware that sur
TO reports would he raised after his death b
II fanatics which infested bis house at tl
le time it was expected he would die. we. Il,
subscribers. intimate acquaintancps of MI
Paine since the year l776. went to hi
Of house. He was sitting up in chair. an
T. apparently in full vigor and use of all hi
mental faculties. We interrogatcd him III,
y on his religious opinions, and if he la
e changed his mind. or repcnted Of anvthin.
IS he had said or written on that subject ii
Y answered, Not at all and appeared rath
d er offended at our sHpposition that an,
It change should take place in his mind. ",
e took down in writing the questions put tt
) him and his answers thereto before a mum
+ Der OF persons then in his room. anon,
whom were his doctor. Mrs. Bonneville
/ etc. This paper is nlislaid and cannot b,
t found ut present, but the above is the sub
| stan e, which can be ;ttested by many liy.
2 ing Witnesses.
: THOMAS NIXON.
DANIEI. PELTON
, Mr.. Jarvis, the artist. saw Mr.. Paine one
or two days before his death. 10 Mr.. jar
Wis he expressed his belief in his written
opinions upon the subject of religion. B.
+. HiLskin. an attorney of the city Of New
York. also visited him and inquired as to
his religious opinions. Paine was tAcn
upon the threshold of death. but he did
not trenble. He was not Il coward He
expressed his firm and unshaken belief in
the religious ide:s lie had given to the
world.
DR.. Manlcy was with him when he spoke
lis last words. Dr.. Manley asked the dy-
inc man if lie did not wish to believe that
Jesus was the Son of God. and the diving
philosopher answered: II haye no wish
to believe Oh that stlhjact.,' AmasSa
Wordsworth sat up with Thomas Paine
the night before his death In 1888. Gil
bert Vale, hearing that Mr.. Wordsworth
was living in or near Boston. visited him
for the purpose of getting his statement.
The statement was published in the Beacon
of June 5. 1879. Willie thousards who had
been acquainted with Thom > Paine were
living.
| The following is the article referred to-
I'VE have just returned from Boston,
One object of orr visit TO that city was to
see a Mr.. Am@ssa Wordsworth. an enyi-
ncer, now retired in handsome cottage
and garden at East Cambridge. Boston.
This gentleman owned the house occupied
by Paine at his death-wi!iic hr lived next
door. As an act of kin,in2ss sir. Woods
worth visited Mr.. Paine every day for six
weeks before his death. tie frequently sci
up with him. and did so on the last two
nights of liis life. He was always there
with DR.. Man!ey. the physician. and assist
ed in removing Mr.. Paine while his bed
was prepared lie was present when DIR.
Manlcy asked Nr. Paine. ..if he wished to
believe that Jesus Christ was the Sun of
Cod" and he describes Mr.. Painc's ans
wer Us animated. lie says that lying on
his Cack he used some action, and with
much emphasis, replied: IL have no wish
to believe on that subject He lived some
time after this, but was not known to
speak. for he died TRANQUILITY. He accounts
for the insin,'ating style of Mr.. Manley's
letter. by stating that that gentleman just
after its publication joined a church lie
informs us that he has openly reproved the
doctor for the fllsity contained in the
spirit Of that letter. boldly declaring before
DIR. Manley. who is yet living, that nothing
which he saw justified the insinuation.
Mr.. WOodswOrth assures us that he Meth
er heard or saw anything to justify the be-
lief Of any mental change in the opinions
OF Mr.. Paine previous to his death; but
that being very i'll and in pain chiefly aris-
ing from the skin being removed in some
parts by long lying, he was generally too
uneasy to enjoy conversation on abstract
subjects. This, then, is the best evidence
that can be procured on this subject, and
we publish it while the contravening par
ties are yet alive, and with the authority of
Mr.. Wordsworth. GILBERT VALE"
4 few weeks ago received the following
letter, which confirms the statement OF Mr..
Vale:
NEAR STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA,
GREENWOOD COTTAGE.
July 8. 1877.
Col. INGERsoLL:-In 1912 talked with
a gentleman in DOstOn. | have forgotten
his name; but he was then an engineer Of
the Charlestown navy yards. | am thus
particular, so that TOll can find his name
on the books. He told me that he nursed
Thom!s Paine in his last illness. and closed
his eyes when dead. asked him if he re-
canted and called upon God to save him.
He replied, No. He died as he had
taught. lie had a sore upon his side. and /
when we turned him it was very painful,
and he would cry out, o, God or some
thing like that" But" said the narrator,
that was nothing. for he believed in a
God" | told him that had often hear,
it asserted from the pulpit that Mr.. Paine
had recanted in his last moments. The
gentleman said it was not true, and he ap-
peared to be an intelligent, truthful man.
With respect. remain, &c,
PULP GRAVES, NJ. ID.
The next witness is Willet Hicks, a Qua
ker preacher He says that during the last
illness of Mr.. Paine he visited him almost
daily, and that Paine died firmly convinced
of the truth of the religious opinions he
had given to his fellow men. 1t was to
this same Wiilet Hicks that Paine applied
for permission to be buried in the cemetery
Of the Q,iakerss Permission was refused
This refusal settles the question OF recan- ,
lation. Ii he had recanted, Of course {,
there could have been no objection to his
body being buried by the side of the best '
lypocrites on the earth. If Paine recanted |
Why shotIl iie be denied "a little earth tor