Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-07-28
Ned BuSt.ino.

EDWARD Il. y. JudsOn, (Ned Bunt-
line) died of heart disease at his home
at Stamford, Delaware Co. New Jer-
sey,~,r July 10th, in the sixty
fourth year of his age. Willis Gaylord
Clarke wrote an affectionate obituary
of Ned Buntline when Nashville mob
nged him until they supposed he was
dead. That was twenty years or more
ago, yet the. noted scout iyed until
Friday. Ned Buntline's career was re-
markable. His father was Philadel-
phia lawyer who insisted on putting
Ned through course of Latin and
Blackstone at an early age. The boy
rcbelled, and one day. after severe
t1ogging ran away to sea IS cabin-boy
to ship that, sailed round the Horn.
The embryo celebrity was then but
eleven years old. The next year he en-
tered the Government service assan ap-
prentice on board a man-of war. A
year later, when thirteen years old.
President Van Buren, sent him a CON-
mission as midshipman for meritorious
Conduct in rescuing the crew of boat
run down by. Fulton ferry-boat on
East River.
Young Judson was assigned to the
Levaut. Other midshipmen refused to
mess with him, because he had been a
common sailor before the mast, and
while on the way to join the Gulf Squad
ron he challenged thirteen of them to
fight. Some withdrew their refusal
and associated with him, but he fought
seven of them, one after another, in
Florida, New Orleans, and Havana,
escaping without scratch himself,
but marking some of his antagonists
for life. From that time, Oh his repu-
tatiou as one of the best shots in the
UnitediStates was established.
Ned Batline probably carried more
wounds in his body than any other liv-
ing American. He had in his right
knee a bullet received in Virginia and
had twelve other wounds inflicted by
sword, shell and gun, seven of which
were got in battle. He was not edu-
Gated for the army and navy. The title
of colonel came to him as Chief of
Scouts in the rebellion Of 1865.
His first story, The Captains Pig
was published in the KnickerbocSer
Magazine under the pseudonym of Ned
Buntline. in 1888. when in his fifteenth
year. This sketch brought noteriety to
the young writer and fighter, who subse-
quently received as high as $685. a
year for. the produce Of his brain and
pen. For many years lis income as a
story-Writer brought him iii ~~9O. 900 an
nually. He once earned $4,000 in
six weeks. andzat another time, under
pressure, wrote book of CLIO pages in
sixty-tw0 hours: scarcely sleeping or
eating during that time:- He usually
received $1,000 for a story runnia e
through twelve weeks in the Ledger
and other story papers for which he
wrote. He did not know exactly how
many stories he had written, but esti-
mated them at between three and four
hundred, each long enough for a book.
Ned Buntline was not the wild man
of the woods he was generally sup
posed to be. He was temperance
man in theory and practice, using
neither tobacco nor profanity. He
was good talker and much esteemed
as neighbor and citizen: Until Blaine
was nominated for the Presidency Ned
Buntline had been Republican, but he
spoke and voted for Cleveland in 1884.
Being once asked why he did not ap-
ply for a pension he said:
II don 't.want to be q Government
pauper. l suppose l am entitled to
four pensions, and a pension under
proper conditions is honorable enough,
but l have seen so many loafers and
shirks get pensions for disabilities in
Cured before they went to war that it
just disgusts me with the notion