The sun., 1910-07-31
PAINE'S HOUSE A MUSEUM NOW
DEDICATION or THE PLACE
THE STATE GAVE MN.
an Oddny In the Place is = waN FIsure
81 the Author. Extremely I.Relike
other Relics of the writer, Although
They Are Very Hard to Come Dy.

Other Relics Of the NrneF, AlthOogn
They Are Very Hard 10 Come ny.
group of two hundred admirers 81
Thomas Paine jourueyed to New Rochelle
recently for the dedication OF the Paine
National Museum. They saw up there
a stretch Of open. rolling country. a
marble shaft topped with hronze b,Ist
uf Paine and a quaint old fashioned frame
house set down leside a shallow boulder
frin ged lake 4 brook. the outlet 20 the
lake flowed around two sides of the
HOUSE tumhled noisilv over moss
covered ledgr and disappeared in n
thicket ~ alders not far distant Two
bridges spanning the brook gave acces~
To the hous- at front and side
On one side of the house. facing the
marble shaft. which was erected hy pub
lie subscription sev"nty-t~o years ago.
was the study IN which Paine was seated
"n Christmas eve. isoS, when bullet
fired 10y a would-he assassin whizzcd by
his head and lodged in the rcar wall
The attempt on Painss life was made
by a drunken. irresponsible negro. whom
Paine (author % the first plea ever made
for the abolition Of negro slavery and the
eman ancipation Of all the slaves then in
bDtWiaArl TNfu-ri w lVurcChNN
On the other side Of the house was the
kitchen. its homely. simple Furnishings
remaining untouched since the time II
Paines occupancy. The little veranda
facing the lake with it's low rail and
broad steps hanked by two massive
columns presents the appearance that il
did almost a century ago.
Only one thing was lacking. the com
~ -. NJ
to sit on summer evenings writing in
termittently. -as the spirit moved him
This old chair il now in room on the
second floor. a room that was in all prob
ability Paines bedroom. Tho visitors.
ascending the quaint old stairway and
peering in at the door were startled hy
what NJ first glance appeared To- be the
very man who occupied the room four
acore years ago There in Paine's own
chair. his favorite resting place. sat what
was To- all appearances Paine himself in
actual feeh and blood.
The figure WIS dressed in the pic
turesqI- garb Of the Revolutionary period.
the blue and bun of the signers Of th.
Declaration. His head rested on his left
hand. his elbow supported by a low table
covered with am American flag and lit
tered with books and T'aper- A quill
pen was grasp-d bv the fingers Of his
right hand. reS,las on his knee A. hls
elbow were inkwall and -indboN
Near the ssndboN rested a Ciudia>ticN
the Identical "andis--fick cIrri.I hV
Pane when he ssC-nt'-i the stairs ~ hIz !
room for ,h- last tim. Aud Vet Tor all
the ig,fr-'- appearance of animation. TIA. .
hfelikc appearan,,e Of the waving HAIR .
drawn together Ia qII.u. at th.. back of .
his neck. the natural cOloring of the face
and hands outlined against the -potls-Ss
stock and the r1ifIie- At las wrists. there
Was stiffness amt immobility that L..
trayed the fact made apparent by closer
inspection that It was after all merely a
wonderfully clever waXwork
TN u side wall Of the little second floor
room 10 an original copy OF the famous
steel plate engraving made by Sharpe
from the still more famous portrait Oi
PANE painted by Romney The framed
title page and prefac- II the Age of
Reason also occupy prominent position.
Near them is a collection OF portraits of
Paine. n various ages all framed --pa-
rateN