The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-10-27


testimony Of The three or four on whom
the O5Nrer relies for itS proof, produces
the evidence Of eleven others who were
with him during his last illness-most
Of whom we're ofthodox-and all Of whom
agree in asserting that Paine did not re.
cant. He ssys;
III Thoms PSine recanled, Why do
you pursue him? II be Tecsniej, he died
SUBSTANTIALLY In your belief; lof what
reason, then, do you denounce h.s death
a. coWardly! II upon his death.bed he
renowned The opinions he hadpublished,
the business Of deianiDg him should be
done by in6del', not by Christians.
Colonel TDgsssoll then takes up the
specific charge that Paine "liVed the life
Of drunken beast, and died drunken,
cowariiy and beas.ly death" and pro-
duees a lasge amount Of testimony 10
prove it, fallity, and adds:
DO you really think that Paiae was a
drunken beast when he wrote Common
sense"-a pamphlet that aroused 5000.
600 Of people a. people were never
aroused by a pamphlet before? Was he
drunken beat when he WEo;e the
"Crisi.:' VA tito drunken beas, that
the following letter was addrezEed2
Rocky HuL ssplenbef 10. lfsI.-I have learn.
81 iiEee have been 1t this plies that you nFe nj
B1rdIn.oEn. Whether for tie axe Of Fstifemsnt
Of economy know not. "a II for either q 10th,
vtHfsFaF a 30 Hfi1 rama In tktE
and pITt2ks With me, Ihlll Be exceedingly happy
to zee you a. H. Your presence nSy TeLafnd Con.
gretl Of your pan hsVees 10 this country and u II
| u In my power 70 impfgsl them, Command my bsst
eEerigns With irtejIta, ~ they will u rEBSigEed
| chtefi1lly BY Ons WHO enteftainsa lively stnss Of
| the lmpgrtAbcs o. youS EGrkS, and Who with much
| pclElie BGbIedSeI himssi your sincere if5eEd,
GEoiGE WLsHiJOToS.
Did any oil your ancestors ever receive
a letter like that?
Do you think that Paine was drunk.
en- beast when the following letter was re .
ceiTed by him?
| You sIprasl wish Ia your letter TO return to
Amefici 10 nitional ship. Mf. DlNBoB, who
bHI5' oTef The treaty, and who will present you
with this letter. Il chirEol With orders 10 the CAP
tIia Of the Mafyllnd to receive and lecommoiaie
you back, II you can b ready 10 depart 1t Huch a
short warning. You will In general md u re.
tnFnsd to .sbiimentB worthy Of former time; In
thee j will b your glory 70 have steadily abGTed
and with a much effect n any man living. That
you mAy live loog 70 continue your uS4iul lIb0TS
and reap the reward in the thankfuness or nations
j. my sincere ptayet Accept the Huufnncts Q! my
high estGem aud it6ctlOnGte attachment.
THOMAS JERTEEs0y.
Did any Of your ancestors ever receive
letter like that?
| II has L4Fn very generally n,,o,y,tsi IL,o,st,
the continent thatI wrote the pamphlet Common
| sense" could not have written anything IN %
manly and striking style. JOIS ADAMS
Wasit in consideration Of the services
Of drunken beast that the Legislature
Of Pennsylvania presented Thomas Paine
with $500 sterling?
Did the Stale Of New York feel indeb..
ed to drunken beast, and confer upon
Thomas Paine m estate OF several hun
dred aCres2
Did the Congress Of the United Slates
thank him for his services because he
had led drunken and benstly life?
Was he elected member Of the French
convention because he was drunken
beast? Was il the act Of drunken beast
to put his own lie In jeopardy by voting
against the death Of the king? Was II be-
cause he was drunken beast that he op.
posed the "Teign Of tetror"-tha! he en-.
desyoTed 10 stop the shedding Of blood
and did all in bis roseF to protect even
his own enemies?
Colonel Tngefsol! then shoEs that
Paine, instead OF dying pauper and de.
serted, died wort $4,000 and surrounded
by friends. lie closes his letter AZ fol.
lows.
From the persialence with which the
orthodox have charged, for the last
sixty.eighL years, that Thomas Paine
recanted, and that dying he was filed
with remorSe and fear, from the maligui-
ty Of the attacks upon his personal char.
acter, had concluded that there must
be some evidence Of some kind TO upport
these charges. Even with my ideas Of
the average honor OF believers in super
stition-the disciples Of fear-I did not
quite believe that all these infamIes rest-
ed solely upon poorIy-attnated lies, ]
took it Tor granted that you knew the
bold stand taken and the brave words
spoken by Thomas Paine in the French
convention against the death Of the king.
thought it probable that you, being an
editor, had read thes"Righb Of Man"
that you knew that Thomas Paine was
champion Of human liberty; that he was
one Of the founders aud fathers Of this
Republic; that he was one Of the fore.
most men Of his age; that lie had
never written a word Of injustice; that
he was a despiser Of slavery; that he
abhorred tyranny in all its forln.; that
he was in the widest and highest sense a
friend Of his race; that his head was as
clear "a his heart was good, and that lie
had the Courage to sreak his honest
thought. Under these circumstances |
hoped that you would for the moment
forget your religious prejudices and sub
nit to the enlightened judgment Of the
world the evidence you had or could oh.
tain affecting in any way the character
Of so great and 10 generous man. This
you have refused 10 do. In my Judgment
you have mistaken tho temper Of even
your own readers, They will not thank
you for having presented to them the
moSs,covered, the manned and distorted
traditions Of ignorance, prejudice and
crednIity. by this courGc you will con.
vince them, not Of the wlckedness Of
Paine, but Of your own unfairnels.
What crime had Thomas Paine com.
mitied that he. should fear to die 7 The
only answer you can give is, that hc dc.
MED the inspiration Of the Scriptures. II
that is a crime, the civilized world il
filled with criminals. The pioneers Of
human thought-tEe intellectual leaders
Of the world-the foremost men In every
science-the kings Of literature and nrt
those who stand in the front rank Of in.
veStigatiOn-the men who are civiIiEing,
elevating, inStructing and refining man.
kind-ato today unbelieyess in the dog.
ma Of inspiration. Upon this question
the intellect Of Christendom agrees with
the conclusion reached by The genius Of
Thomas Paine. Centuries ago a noise
was made Tor the purpose Of frightening
mankind. Orthodoxy is the echo OF that
noise.
The man who now regards the Old
Testament as in any sense SACRED and
inspired book, Is, in my judgment, an in.
tellectual and moral deiormiiy, There is
IN it so much that Is cruel, ignorant and