Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-11-18
Last Days Of
Lew Wallace
War Hero, Author, Diplomat.
Statesman and His Busy and
Useful Life

A dispatch from Charlottesville. In
diana, says:
Racing with death to give the world
In his own words the story OF the life
! which starvation IL surely bringing
to an end and medical science is un
able to prolong, General Lew Wal
lace. author OF ben Hur,' the Prince
OF India" the Fair God" etc, II
making haste to finish his memoirs
before tho Reaper shall still the pen
which gave to the world the book thai
has been translated into and read In
more languages than any other except
the Bible.
The author OF Ben Hur." who Ia
suffering with q stomach trouble that
will not permit him nourishment, has
foresworn the outdoor recreation he
loved 40 well and spends every mo-
ment writing In his study In the hope
he will finish the work he knows we'll
will be his last
The last time he was seen away
from his farm. four miles from here,
was q week ago, when he attended
the Wabash.IndIana football game.
The general was with q party OF
friends and was one Of the most On.
thnsiastic spectators at the contest.
Although It could DO plainly seen he
was worried and III. he made brave
attempts to set his friends at ease
and loyalty supported the colors OF
old Wabash. his alma mater.
General Wallace has not been seen
On his farm since. and Ia seldom out
Of his study, He has several head pf
fine cattle on the farm, and when he
takes recess he spends his time In
the fields among the livestock.
General Wallace Ia writing his au.
photography In chair. He uses a
pad cut the exact size OF book page
SO that he will know exactly how
many pages the finished work will
contain. and how well he Is running
In his race with death. The memoirs.
according to friends. Ia rapidly near
Ing completion, though two Of the
most interesting chapters IN this au-
thor's history are yet to be penned.
He has closed the civil war period.
and is now dealing with the commits.
sion, OF which he was chairman, which
tried the Lincoln conspirators. This
VIII undoubtedly prove one OF the
most interesting chapters. and will
be one OF the best accounts OF that
memorable trial ever given the read.
ing public,
His ministership In Turkey, and his
governorship In New Mexico are two
of the chapters yet to be written,
which the dying man Is anxious to re-
late IN their fullest detail.
The chapter dealing with the writ.
ing and publishing Of Ben Hur,. the
work by which he Is perhaps best
known, will be revelation to those
VINO have read the story or seen the
play and a source Of encouragement
for many authors.
The original manuscript of this
work was recommended for return to
the author by three OF the readers"
of the publishing houses to which il
was submitted. and II was not until
one Of the partners Of the firm read
the manuscript himself that II was
accepted Ben Hur' ID now to be
found In nearly every home, and has
been translated into every language
except Chinese.
The seriousness of General Wal
lace's illness was not known TO his
friends until he confided In c. A..
Munson Of Warren. I'll. On election
day he told him he had received his
death warrant In the form OF the
stomach ailment a few weeks ago and
be knew nothing could save him.
4 am slowly starving to. death"
The author told his friend Il can take
no nonrishment, and know my fate
The doetors have told me there Ia no
hope for me-
General Lew Wallace 10 ! seventy
three years old. He used "a, nay be.
fore he was attacked with his present
ailment that he expected to live TO be-
loo years old.