New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-10-20
THOMAS PAINE'S LAST DAYS


la
Of the evidence which, IA his opinion shows thnt Inons
ine aid not drunken pauper in agony ana rear
Mr. ingersoi had previously offered wager of 1looo III
gold-a Gift rather he called ito person VINO wonid
subsnnttate these views OF Panes character or h"t
VoltaiIe did not pass away serenely ~ inc coming VI
the dawn" tribunal Of three was TO be appointed
TO pass upon the case Te Observer responded thai INC
annations set forth by Mr. Ingersol had never been
made y H. but that 1t had already proved the truth o.
its accusations Mr.. Ingerso now takes mp the qic'-
ton of Plino's character aud dying opinions NJ great
length and summary Of his views may prove interest
| ing First, as To his religious opinions:
The witnesses to whom | substentiate the fact that
Thomas Pane did ecant, and that he died hOdiuR
the ligous opinions be had published are ID y
HasRin These gentlemen visited hun during his 1887 III
ness for the purpose Of aset[tainng "nsn d nc s t,
| them that he bad not $50,
second-Jmcs Cneeiham THIS man was ad uni st
Thomas Paine died placldly, am Almost "i'"'u'
%ni Lis OF MIedS S and CUNNINGHAM
These geutlcn-n told Mr. Pane that II he died without
believing the Lord Jesus Christ he would be damned,
and Pa NJ rrpiod, Let nave none OF your p9ls,,,
stnf Good norning."-(see sherwin's Lie of Paine
fcprh-Mrs Heddng She told these same preachers
when they attempted TO obtrude themselves upon M.,
Paine again. the attempt To convert bir PANE was
tnat # God did not change us mnd Do hum"
FGh~Andrew A. Dean This man lived upon Paine's
farm nj Ncw-Rochelr aud corrspon led VIVA him upon
religious subj ecs-lSee Paines Ine0OSica VOTES page
Sirh-Mr. Jarvis, the artist. with whom Mr. Paine re-
| lived He gives an account Of old LADY coming To
Paine aud telling hun tnat God Aimigh lad sent ner
to cell him that unless he repentei and peeVu IA ~. Wv
blessed saviour would be damned Paine REPLIED that
God would nor send such foolish old woman witn sucn
an impairment message.-lSce Clio klckmins 'Liio VI
Serent.-wiIliam Carver. with whom Paine boarded
Mr. Carver SAID again aud again. that Pane ola hot re-
| knowing-Iseo Life of PANE" by Vale.
mesa 10 whom Paine spoke his last words. Dr. Mlu-
lev asked him il did not want to believe III Jesus
Christ, and he replied 81 have no WISH 10 Deie'e Oh 'n''
NrnLS-Wnlet Hicks and Elias Hicks, who were with
him frequently duusg his last sickness am Doun %
| whom trsd TO persuade him to rccant According 10
their testimony, Mr. Pane 0icd as ne nad lyed DC
offered money say something aRans lhOmas Thihe.
lie offered money to remain silent, ana a'o%
others to siand-r dead. Mr.. HICKS, speaking "i
h,oir u ~ : s ~ Vssis's 81 re of PaIne"5
| Tcah.-Anasa Wordsworth. who was with MN every
day Tor some i'm neidtely preceding ms drGtn
ami al np viva hiln the nights OF his life This
nm dccres tl Pane did not recant and that he died
rrInuuiiy The evidence OF Mr. Wordsworth Is cohciu-
Llerenfa-Thomas Paine himself The will of Thomas
| PANE written by himself. commences as todoWS ,,
sTne last will and testament OF NE. the snbscrlDcf
Thomas p,ine reposing confidence my tor God,
aud being. Tor Know OF 30 % ne lot oeies
m any other, and II closes In hcss words nave iSe
an honest ani useful e 10 ma klud ny ti his oceu
spent in dong good; ana die al prrIet c0mp0sue ana
| resignation to the Will Of NV CREATOR, Goa
ftreiJih-If Thomas Paine rccantrd why 90 you put-
nu II he rccanted, he died Substantially IN your
belief; for what reason then 90 you ueioince n1
dcan cowardyl II upon ls d,ath-D'd he renouhced
| n min ne Il
| ann should BE- done by inidcls, not b. Christians
Task you is honest 10 throw away tne testimony OF
his irends-thc evidence OF fair ana honorable nell
and take tho putrid words oi ayo"ed ana mailsn'h'
| cnemicSf
In answer to the charge that Paine died drunkards
death. after giving great deal OF testimony IN e1tenso
| Mr. Ingcrsoll sums up as follows:
As to the personal habits of Mr. Paine we have the
testimony OF William Carver, Win whom he lived %
Jro Jry tnr ar a M W of neer with whom he
| intimate; Of Thomas Nixon ani Captain DAni'i
Pclton. botl OF whom knew hm wei Of AnaSa "Qol'-
| WORTH who with MIN when ne died ~ J0hn
Fellows, who boarded at the Same aouse OF Jamos VII
who well acquainted with him, and called upon nm
during hIs last illness OF Waiter Morton, Iiehd 81
| Clio Hickman who h ii known him FOR many years; OF
Will,t aud Elias llicNs, Qi4kers VINO kncw him llu-
maiey and we'll; of Judge Iiortei. H. Mhrgary Elan
Palmer many others All these testified 70 the tact
! chat Mr.. Paine was temperate man. ia tho'e days
nearly everybody used spitnOus ilqOT'' rahe was no
Low IT, who kept the city loc, whore Paine stopped IA
"A note Caleb Bingham declared tnas Paine dahk less
Asist al tbs evidence YOU produce the story OF
| q ant Tnur,urn-ihe story of tie Rev j.: Wckham
fnat an elder IA ms told him that Paine was
drduka currobOrited the Rev. Charles hawlof, ana
The evidence is overwhelmingly against you. viii you
nave the admtit Your witnesses are merely
The reporters o The aishoods OF James Caeetham the
| convicted hbcler.
druusari Is better lhln ,iuinnlator OF tne uea
| remnant of old morality drunk bloatrd ana haii
asleep" Is better than perfectly sober defender OF hn-
! TO become drunk is virtue pared with stealing
! a babe from the breast Oi it, mother.
| Drunkenness rs one bciiitudes compared with
editing rsigous newspaper devoted to tnr d. fence Of
slavery upon tAe ground that t Is divine lnstl-
30 you really think that Paine was druken beast
| when ne wrale Common Sense pa nphiet tAat
aroused three millions OF pcooir,as people were never
aroused by panphct Ooiorei Was nc drunaen DcaSt
| when he wrote the " CFisls!
We're u n drunken beast, Mr.. InSersoll goes TO
say that letters friendship conf fence and eot
| were written by Washington, Jefferson. Adams and
Monroe These letters Mr.. Ingerso gives, and then
| further asks:
Was It in consideration OF the services of drunken
beast that the Legisi tlre of Pennsylvania presented
! Thomas Paine with $500 sterlingi
Did the STATE OF Newl York feel indebted 10 drunken
beast and confer upon Thomas Pane an estate OF sew
Did the Congress Of the United States thank him tor
his services because he had led drunken and bcasty
W Is he elected a member OF the French Convention
! because he a dranken beast Wa IL the act OF
drunken to pat his own life IA jeopardy by voting
against death of the Kinsi Was II because he
drunken brast that he posed the Reign OF terror
that lac cndetyOred to stop the shedding o blood aud
dld ali in his power TO protect even bis own enemies
| Mr. Ingerso next taxes up the question Did Thomas
Paine die dcstuuon and want He says that Paine,
on returning to this country worth $4,000, accord
| ing to his own statcnent that when he made his will
bo bsdueathed valuable far thirty shares in the New
| York PnGnix Insurance Company; sud that he gave
| several legacies. Mr. IngersJll, in conclusion adds:
From the persistence with which the Orthodox have
charged for the last siNty-eght years, that Thomas
Paine recanted ana that when dying he was hed with
and fear; from the mallsity OF the ATTACKS
upon his personal character had concluded mat There
ouarscs Even with my ideas OF the average honor OF
believers Ia sureisuon-thc disciples OF fear ana not
quite believe that all thee inamcs rested solcy upon
poorly atesed~ lies. had charity enough 10 suppose
hat something had been said or done ny Inolnas
PANE capable Of beng tortured ,n'o i ISunG n,h
| TO think that You would be willing to
fairly examine the pretended evidence saa 70 sustain
world. supposed mat YOU Delhg acllahteu Win tne