The sun., 1878-09-21
cor. r. u. THORPE-s DEd TIT.
A Career OF Half - century ss Editor, Author.
Soldier and rnlltIcIan.

Col. Thomas Bangs Thorpe, who died In
Roosevelt Hospital at 4:2o yesterday morning
after u painful Illness. was n gentleman OF
varied pursuits. and cNcelled in them all having
been soldier in two wars. nm artist an old time
Southern editor. author and magazine writer
and n political campaign speaker.
lie was born in wostflcld Mass. in March
1915 and graduated at the Wesleyan Uni
versity in Mddletown. Conn. In 1s42- He
went South early in life and there made
u name by number Of bright and racy
sketches which he wrote. entitled Tom Owen
the Bee Hunter" Big Bear Of ,Arkansaw, =,
Turkey Hunter and The Wit of the Back
woods" which were widely copied here and
They werc republi-hed in hook form under the
titles 2i " Ths Mysisries q ne Bac.kywoods, or
Arkansaw." The sketches were life descriptions
of character- and manners IN the backwoods Of
Col Thorpe's first story. Tom Owen. the
Bne Hunter" which gave him celebrity as n
writer was. first submitted 10 the editor OF n
small weekly newspaper in an obscure town in
Louisiana. The manuscrint lay neglected on
the editors table for some weeks. and was
finally returned with tho rnmark that II was
about poor character who was Of no account
in the community. in regard u whom no one
hnd any interest and II would make tho paper
ridiculous 10 occupy so much space with such
u ualtrv subject"
Col. Thorpe was for long time connected
with the Wing newspapers in Now Orleans.
edited the COtsWrdtOr ~ Baton Rouge. and was
for time one NJ the editors and proprietors Of
the old SpD't ofMe Times in this city; He wrote
extensively for Udper's and for the old hnicker-
bocker magazines. His articles on natural his
tory made him widely known M mn amateur
naturalist He was the first to claim. In an nrti-
Gle entitled The Rnttlcsnake and its Congen-
ers, that the snake was oNiparOus. which led
to IA long controversy, ending in his favor. He
was m ardent lover of sports. and wrote many
capital stories on horse-raclng and fishing.
Col Thorpe went To the Mexican war as the
and is said H. have been the first cores pondent
who wrote his descriptions from the battle field.
He was appointed on the STAFF Of Gen. Worth.
aud WIS afterward made temporary aih 10 Gen.
Taylor. He published two small volumes on
the war" Our. Army on the Rio Grande," and
our Army at Monterey"
In the last war Col. Thorpe was with Con;
superintendcnI OF Streets and aitcrward Sur
veyor Of tho Port Of that city Gen. Butler says
tnnt ho did good service.
As An artist Col. Thorpe won q fair repu-
| tation. Ha was member Of the National
academy of Design. and was nm occasi ionAl eX-
| hibtor. His painting -" Nigara Falls" sold in
| London Tor $1,000.
Col. Thorpe took deep interest in politics
| He knew all the great Wing leaders, and had
! many anecdotes to tell of them. He WINS pres
| ent when Henry Cay and senator PoindeXtci
! became rrrOncilcd TO each other. In 1870 Col
| hector Grinncll appointed him clerk in tn,
| Custom House at the request Of Horac" Greelcy
| He WINS attorward mudea welghcr. At the TIM
! Of his death h" held u position in the Law Di
| vision Of the Custom House. Two daughters
and son. clergyman in Arkansas survive