The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-16
LEW WALLACE'S CAREER ENDS
THE WELL kNGUN iJTHOR AND
SOLDEER DIES or CANCER.
Ions Illness or the Conspicuous citizen
Of indiana Finally Results In Death
Ills Career as a Public Nian--Was
Lawyer, Diplomat. soldier, Author.

family were AZ his bedside His condition
had continued to grow worse for the last
year. but il vas only within the last three
: months that the family had felt any concern.
For more than a year Gen. Wallace had
been unable properly to assimilate his food
/ and this, together with hs extreme age
made his fight against death the harder
! AZ no time did he ever confess that he
| felt he would not live, and his remarkable
/ vitality and rugged constitution alone
were responsible for prolonging his life
several months.
Something more than a year ago Cen
/ Wallace went 10 New York and consulted
eminent specialists. They gave him little
/ encoura cement. While physicians refused
I to say from what disease the General was
suffering. il is known that be had cancer
( Of the stomach. but the fact was never
told him. Up TO three days ago he was
} working on hia autobiography and hoped
/ to complete it before death.
Lew Wallace. Major former
| Minister 70 Turkey. author of many books.
was -. was born IN Brookville. Franklin
county. Ind on April 10, 1927, and was a
! son Of David Wallace, one time Governor
of the state.
He got common school education in
Brookville aud then studied law He was
essentially sef-educated man. When
tho Mexican War came he helped to raise
a company in Franklin county Company
n Of the First Indiana Infantry and was
made a Second Lieutenant. Az that time
he vas writing the first of his books, The
Fair God - a story of the AzteCs. and Gen.
Wallace regarded IL rs tie most singular
coincidence Of his life that Unforeseen events
should send him to Mexico When his
/ service ended he took up the practice Of
: law in Rockville. In tho neXt nine years
/ he became lawyer Of large reputation in
! the state.
When the civil war began Wallace was
! made Adjutant-General of the State forces
/ by Gov, Morton. His services in organic
onelcy early in 1861 He sd his first fight
ing in Weat Virginia at the head of the
Eleventh Indiana Infantry. On sept. ?, 1881
! no was made general officer and detailed
! TO Grants command the West. Wallace
| took a n important part in the siege and cap
! ture Of Fort Dorelson. shortly afterward
| he was made \ Major General.
Wallace commanded n division on the
second day Of the battle of Pittshurg land
ing Shiloh. His failure 10 arrive on the
field from his headquarters at Crump's
Landing. six miles from Pittsburg Landing
and take part in the action Of the first day
ro.ulting as his critics declared, in Grant =
beng driven back caused one Of the Bit
terest controversies of the war. A year
ago last April. on the fort v-second ami
versary of the battle. Gen Wallace in
speech on the field defended himself from
the charge Of di-obeying orders and de-
cnred that Grants army was surprised
on the morning Of the first day by Gen.
Johqson's troops
Gen. Grant. despite the unfortunate
/ ta,sp lara At Rf cd
confidence IN him. and had Wallace sent to
! the Rio Grande toward the close Of the war,
| to set on foot secret negotiations for the sur
render of the Confederate forces in Texas
and the forestalling Of the French designs
on Mexico.
In 1853 Gen Wallace prepared the de-
fences Of Cincinnati when it was threatened
by rading Confederate army. He saved
the city from capture by Gen 4, Kirby
Smith 4 little later Wallace fought the
battle Of Monocacy with Gen, Jubal Early,
and prevented the capture of Washington by
the Confederate army. He was a member
OF the court that tried the assasslns Of Presi-
dent Lincoln, and was also member OF
the court that convicted Henry Writ.
commandant OF the Confederate prison at
Anderson Vile
After the war Gen Wallace turned his
attention for a time 10 literary work and
the resumption of his law practice. Mr..
Hayes made him Governor OF he Territory
~
until 1851. President Garfield then sent
him to Turkey as Minister. Cen Wallace
said frequently that il owing TO Pre5i-
dent Garfield that his book The Prince Of
India was written, Mr. Garfield had long
been a friend Of Wallace. "Ben-Hur' ap-
reared in the year Of his elect on TO the
Presidency. and was greatly admired by
Garfield. After his inauguration he sent
for Wallace and said
Il want to send you as Minister 10 Turkey
= 10 10
leisure for writing and ! want you to give
IA a book on Coustantnople.
Gen. Wallace remained at the Court Of
the Sultan until 1855 He returned TO his
home in Crawfordsville, Ind and devoted
his time TO writing.
He was best known as the author Of
Ben-llur" A story often told. which
was never denied 10y Wallace. was that he
had conversation with Col Robert c.
lngcrsoll one day on train, and during
the talk lngersOll advised him 10 do some
thinking on tho question of religious belief
Beu-hur" was the result. according TO the
story,
President Harrison. In 1883 ne wrote
life Of Harrison. His other well known
boo'iS were: The Boyhood of Christi
published in 1882 The Prince Of India
which appeared IN 1898, and The Nooing
Of Malkaioon, which was published in
1908 The General was writing his own
were said to have been nearly completed.
When President Cleveland during the
! Venezuelan incident declared in favor
Of resisting with force, IL necessary. all
monarchical Entertainments on the Western
hemisphere Gen. Wallace offered i'm
mediateiv TO raise a brigade in Indiana
/ TO fight England. He made speech at
/ LOYAL Legion dinner in indianapolis in
which he said that within wear from the
/ declaration OF war there would be no British
! commerce and that the end as he saw IT,
would bo that the United States would
/ own everything from the Gulf OF Mexico
% the North Pole.
Gen. Wallace wrote only by laborious
study and painstaking toll He was his
own best critic and scrutinized every line
before he let It appear in his final copy.
His habit was to write the rough draft OF
his ideas on slate, so that ensures could
be made easily. then TO transfer the writing
with a soft pencil TO paper, and finally, when
all was TO his satisfaction. TO copy the book
in ink with the precision Of clerk. When
Ben Hur- was sent 10 Harpers il was
beautifully executed in purple ink, every
line Of exact length, every page OF writing
almost identical in the number OF words
with an ordinary printed page. This was
the book that the publishing house hesitated
for time about accepting fearing that IL
might not prove a financial success IL is
said that Ben-HurT has been translated into
every important tongue in the world.
The General had fine home in Craw-