them. They are always talking about reason, andfacts, and experience. They are filled with sophistryand should be avoided.Question. Should Christians pray for the con-version of infidels?Answer. Yes; but such prayers should be madein public and the name of the infidel should be givenand his vile and hideous heart portrayed so that theyoung may be warned.Question. Whom do you regard as infidels?Answer. The scientists—the geologists, the as-tronomers, the naturalists, the philosophers. No onecan overestimate the evil that has been wrought441by Laplace, Humboldt, Darwin, Huxley, Haeckel,Renan, Emerson, Strauss, Bikhner, Tyndall, andtheir wretched followers. These men pretended toknow more than Moses and the prophets. Theywere "dogs baying at the moon." They were"wolves" and "fools." They tried to "assassinate"God," and worse than all, they actually laughedat the clergy,Question. Do you think they did, and are doinggreat harm?Answer. Certainly. Of what use are all thesciences, if you lose your own soul? People in hellwill care nothing about education. The rich mansaid nothing about science, he wanted water.Neither will they care about books and theoriesin heaven. If a man is perfectly happy, it makesno difference how ignorant he is.Question. But how can he answer these scientists?Answer. Well, my advice is to let their argu-ments alone. Of course, you will deny all theirfacts; but the most effective way is to attack theircharacter.Question. But suppose they are good men,—what then?Answer. The better they are, the worse they are.442We cannot admit that the infidel is really good. Hemay appear to be good, and it is our duty to stripthe mask of appearance from the face of unbelief. Ifa man is not a Christian, he is totally depraved, andwhy should we hesitate to make a misstatementabout a man whom God is going to make miserableforever?Question. Are we not commanded to love ourenemies?Answer. Yes, but not the enemies of God.Question. Do you fear the final triumph of infi-delity?Answer. No. We have no fear. We believethat the Bible can be revised often enough to agreewith anything that may really be necessary to thepreservation of the church. We can always relyupon revision. Let me tell you that the Bible is themost peculiar of books. At the time God inspired hisholy prophets to write it, he knew exactly what thediscoveries and demonstrations of the future wouldbe, and he wrote his Bible in such a way that thewords could always be interpreted in accordance withthe intelligence of each age, and so that the wordsused are capable of several meanings, so that, nomatter what may hereafter be discovered, the Bible443will be found to agree with it,—for the reason thatthe knowledge of Hebrew will grow in the exactproportion that discoveries are made in other depart-ments of knowledge. You will therefore see, that allefforts of infidelity to destroy the Bible will simplyresult in giving a better translation.Question. What do you consider is the strongestargument in favor of the inspiration of the Scrip-tures?Answer. The dying words of Christians.Question. What do you consider the strongestargument against the truth of infidelity?Answer. The dying words of infidels. You knowhow terrible were the death-bed scenes of Hume,Voltaire, Paine and Hobbes, as described by hundredsof persons who were not present; while all Christianshave died with the utmost serenity, and with theirlast words have testified to the sustaining power offaith in the goodness of God.Question. What were the last words of JesusChrist?Answer. "My God, my God, why hast thou for-"saken me?"A VINDICATION OF THOMAS PAINE."To argue with a man who has renounced the use andauthority of reason, is like administeringmedicine to the dead."—Thomas Paine.Peoria, October 8, 1877.To the Editor of the N Y. Observer:Sir: Last June in San Francisco, I offered athousand dollars in gold—not as a wager, but as agift—to any one who would substantiate the absurdstory that Thomas Paine died in agony and fear,frightened by the clanking chains of devils. I alsooffered the same amount to any minister who wouldprove that Voltaire did not pass away as serenely asthe coming of the dawn. Afterward I was informedthat you had accepted the offer, and had called uponme to deposit the money. Acting upon this inform-ation, I sent you the following letter:Peoria, Ill., August 31st, 1877.To the Editor of the New York Observer:I have been informed that you accepted, in yourpaper, an offer made by me to any clergyman inSan Francisco. That offer was, that I would pay448one thousand dollars in gold to any minister in thatcity who would prove that Thomas Paine died interror because of religious opinions he had ex-pressed, or that Voltaire did not pass away serenelyas the coming of the dawn.For many years religious journals and ministershave been circulating certain pretended accounts ofthe frightful agonies endured by Paine and Voltairewhen dying; that these great men at the moment ofdeath were terrified because they had given theirhonest opinions upon the subject of religion to theirfellow-men. The imagination of the religious worldhas been taxed to the utmost in inventing absurdand infamous accounts of the last moments of theseintellectual giants. Every Sunday school paper,thousands of idiotic tracts, and countless stupiditiescalled sermons, have been filled with these calumnies.Paine and Voltaire both believed in God—bothhoped for immortality—both believed in specialprovidence. But both denied the inspiration of theScriptures—both denied the divinity of Jesus Christ.While theologians most cheerfully admit that mostmurderers die without fear, they deny the possibilityof any man who has expressed his disbelief in theinspiration of the Bible dying except in an agony ofterror. These stories are used in revivals and in449Sunday schools, and have long been considered ofgreat value.I am anxious that these slanders shall cease. Iam desirous of seeing justice done, even at this lateday, to the dead.For the purpose of ascertaining the evidence uponwhich these death-bed accounts really rest, I maketo you the following proposition:—First.—As to Thomas Paine: I will deposit withthe First National Bank of Peoria, Illinois, one thou-sand dollars in gold, upon the following conditions:This money shall be subject to your order whenyou shall, in the manner hereinafter provided, sub-stantiate that Thomas Paine admitted the Bible to bean inspired book, or that he recanted his Infidelopinions—or that he died regretting that he had dis-believed the Bible—or that he died calling uponJesus Christ in any religious sense whatever.In order that a tribunal may be created to try thisquestion, you may select one man, I will selectanother, and the two thus chosen shall select a third,and any two of the three may decide the matter.As there will be certain costs and expenditures onboth sides, such costs and expenditures shall be paidby the defeated party.In addition to the one thousand dollars in gold, I450will deposit a bond with good and sufficient securityin the sum of two thousand dollars, conditioned forthe payment of all costs in case I am defeated. Ishall require of you a like bond.From the date of accepting this offer you mayhave ninety days to collect and present your testi-mony, giving me notice of time and place of takingdepositions. I shall have a like time to take evi-dence upon my side, giving you like notice, and youshall then have thirty days to take further testimonyin reply to what I may offer. The case shall thenbe argued before the persons chosen; and theirdecisions shall be final as to us.If the arbitrator chosen by me shall die, I shallhave the right to choose another. You shall havethe same right. If the third one, chosen by our two,shall die, the two shall choose another; and all va-cancies, from whatever cause, shall be filled upon thesame principle.The arbitrators shall sit when and where a major-ity shall determine, and shall have full power to passupon all questions arising as to competency ofevidence, and upon all subjects.Second.—As to Voltaire: I make the same prop-osition, if you will substantiate that Voltaire diedexpressing remorse or showing in any way that he451was in mental agony because he had attacked Catholi-cism—or because he had denied the inspiration of theBible—or because he had denied the divinity of Christ.I make these propositions because I want youto stop slandering the dead.If the propositions do not suit you in any particu-lar, please state your objections, and I will modifythem in any way consistent with the object in view.If Paine and Voltaire died filled with childish andsilly fear, I want to know it, and I want the world toknow it. On the other hand, if the believers insuperstition have made and circulated these cruelslanders concerning the mighty dead, I want theworld to know that.As soon as you notify me of the acceptance ofthese propositions I will send you the certificate ofthe bank that the money has been deposited uponthe foregoing conditions, together with copies ofbonds for costs. Yours truly,R. G. Ingersoll.In your paper of September 27, 1877, you acknowl-edge the receipt of the foregoing letter, and aftergiving an outline of its contents, say: "As not oneof the affirmations, in the form stated in this letter,was contained in the offer we made, we have nooccasion to substantiate them. But we are prepared452to produce the evidence of the truth of our ownstatement, and even to go further; to show not onlythat Tom Paine 'died a drunken, cowardly, andbeastly death,' but that for many years previous, andup to that event he lived a drunken and beastly life."In order to refresh your memory as to what youhad published, I call your attention to the following,which appeared in the N. Y. Observer, July 19, 1877:"Put Down the Money."Col. Bob Ingersoll, in a speech full of ribaldryand blasphemy, made in San Francisco recently, said:"I will give $1,000 in gold coin to any clergymanwho can substantiate that the death of Voltaire wasnot as peaceful as the dawn; and of Tom Paine whomthey assert died in fear and agony, frightened by theclanking chains of devils—in fact frightened to deathby God. I will give $1,000 likewise to any one whocan substantiate this 'absurd story'—a story withouta word of truth in it.""We have published the testimony, and the wit-nesses are on hand to prove that Tom Paine died adrunken, cowardly and beastly death. Let the Colo-nel deposit the money with any honest man, and theabsurd story, as he terms it, shall be shown to be anower true tale. But he wont do it. His talk is Infi-del 'buncombe' and nothing more."453On the 31st of August I sent you my letter, andon the 27th of September you say in your paper:"As not one of the affirmations in the form statedin this letter was contained in the offer we made, wehave no occasion to substantiate them."What were the affirmations contained in the offeryou made? I had offered a thousand dollars in goldto any one who would substantiate "the absurd story"that Thomas Paine died in fear and agony,frightenedby the clanking chains of devils—in fact, frightened todeath by God.In response to this offer you said: "Let the Colo-nel deposit the money with an honest man and the'absurd story' as he terms it, shall be shown to bean 'ower true tale.' But he won't do it. His talkis infidel 'buncombe' and nothing more."Did you not offer to prove that Paine died in fearand agony, frightened by the clanking chains ofdevils? Did you not ask me to deposit the moneythat you might prove the "absurd story" to be an"ower true tale" and obtain the money? Did younot in your paper of the twenty-seventh of Septemberin effect deny that you had offered to prove this"absurd story"? As soon as I offered to depositthe gold and give bonds besides to cover costs, didyou not publish a falsehood?454You have eaten your own words, and, for mypart, I would rather have dined with Ezekiel thanwith you.You have not met the issue. You have know-ingly avoided it. The question was not as to thepersonal habits of Paine. The real question wasand is, whether Paine was filled with fear and horrorat the time of his death on account of his religiousopinions. That is the question. You avoid this.In effect, you abandon that charge and make others.To you belongs the honor of having made themost cruel and infamous charges against ThomasPaine that have ever been made. Of what youhave said you cannot prove the truth of one word.You say that Thomas Paine died a drunken,cowardly and beastly death.I pronounce this charge to be a cowardly andbeastly falsehood.Have you any evidence that he was in a drunkencondition when he died?What did he say or do of a cowardly characterjust before, or at about the time of his death?In what way was his death cowardly? You mustanswer these questions, and give your proof, or allhonest men will hold you in abhorrence. You havemade these charges. The man against whom youVindication of thomas paine.455make them is dead. He cannot answer you. Ican. He cannot compel you to produce your testi-mony, or admit by your silence that you havecruelly slandered the defenceless dead. I can and Iwill. You say that his death was cowardly. Inwhat respect? Was it cowardly in him to hold theThirty-Nine Articles in contempt? Was it cowardlynot to call on your Lord? Was it cowardly not tobe afraid? You say that his death was beastly.Again I ask, in what respect? Was it beastly tosubmit to the inevitable with tranquillity? Was itbeastly to look with composure upon the approachof death? Was it beastly to die without a com-plaint, without a murmur—to pass from life withouta fear?Did Thomas Paine Recant?Mr. Paine had prophesied that fanatics wouldcrawl and cringe around him during his last mo-ments. He believed that they would put a lie inthe mouth of Death.When the shadow of the coming dissolution wasupon him, two clergymen, Messrs. Milledollar andCunningham, called to annoy the dying man. Mr.Cunningham had the politeness to say, "You havenow a full view of death you cannot live long, andwhosoever does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ456will asuredly be damned." Mr. Paine replied, "Letme have none of your popish stuff. Get away withyou. Good morning."On another occasion a Methodist minister ob-truded himself when Willet Hicks was present.This minister declared to Mr. Paine "that unless herepented of his unbelief he would be damned."Paine, although at the door of death, rose in his bedand indignantly requested the clergyman to leavehis room. On another occasion, two brothers bythe name of Pigott, sought to convert him. He wasdispleased and requested their departure. After-ward Thomas Nixon and Captain Daniel Peltonvisited him for the express purpose of ascertainingwhether he had, in any manner, changed his relig-ious opinions. They were assured by the dyingman that he still held the principles he had expressedin his writings.Afterward, these gentlemen hearing that WilliamCobbett was about to write a life of Paine, sent himthe following note:New York, April 24, 1818."Sir: We have been informed that you have a de-sign to write a history of the life and writings ofThomas Paine. If you have been furnished withmaterials in respect to his religious opinions, or457rather of his recantation of his former opinions beforehis death, all you have heard of his recanting is false.Being aware that such reports would be raised afterhis death by fanatics who infested his house at thetime it was expected he would die, we, the subscrib-ers, intimate acquaintances of Thomas Paine sincethe year 1776, went to his house. He was sittingup in a chair, and apparently in full vigor and use ofall his mental faculties. We interrogated him uponhis religious opinions, and if he had changed hismind, or repented of anything he had said or wroteon that subject. He answered, "Not at all," andappeared rather offended at our supposition that anychange should take place in his mind. We tookdown in writing the questions put to him and hisanswers thereto before a number of persons then inhis room, among whom were his doctor, Mrs.Bonneville, etc. paper is mislaid and cannotbe found at present, but the above is the substancewhich can be attested by many living witnesses."Thomas Nixon.Daniel Pelton.Mr. Jarvis, the artist, saw Mr. Paine one or twodays before his death. To Mr. Jarvis he expressedhis belief in his written opinions upon the subject ofreligion. B. F. Haskin, an attorney of the city of458New York, also visited him and inquired as to hisreligious opinions. Paine was then upon the thresh-old of death, but he did not tremble. He was not acoward. He expressed his firm and unshaken beliefin the religious ideas he had given to the world.Dr. Manley was with him when he spoke his lastwords. Dr. Manley asked the dying man if he didnot wish to believe that Jesus was the Son of God,and the dying philosopher answered: "I have nowish to believe on that subject." Amasa Woodsworthsat up with Thomas Paine the night before hisdeath. In 1839 Gilbert Vale hearing that Mr.Woodsworth was living in or near Boston, visitedhim for the purpose of getting his statement. Thestatement was published in the Beacon of June 5,1839, while thousands who had been acquainted withMr. Paine were living.The following is the article referred to."We have just returned from Boston. One ob-ject of our visit to that city, was to see a Mr. AmasaWoodsworth, an engineer, now retired in a hand-some cottage and garden at East Cambridge, Boston.This gentleman owned the house occupied by Paineat his death—while he lived next door. As an actof kindness Mr. Woodsworth visited Mr. Paine everyday for six weeks before his death. He frequently459sat up with him, and did so on the last two nights ofhis life. He was always there with Dr. Manley, thephysician, and assisted in removing Mr. Paine whilehis bed was prepared. He was present when Dr.Manley asked Mr. Paine "if he wished to believethat Jesus Christ was the Son of God," and he de-scribes Mr. Paine's answer as animated. He saysthat lying on his back he used some action and withmuch emphasis, replied, "I have no wish to believeon that subject." He lived some time after this, butwas not known to speak, for he died tranquilly. Heaccounts for the insinuating style of Dr. Manley'sletter, by stating that that gentleman just after itspublication joined a church. He informs us that hehas openly reproved the doctor for the falsity con-tained in the spirit of that letter, boldly declaring be-fore Dr. Manley, who is yet living, that nothingwhich he saw justified the insinuations. Mr. Woods-worth assures us that he neither heard nor saw any-thing to justify the belief of any mental change inthe opinions of Mr. Paine previous to his death; butthat being very ill and in pain chiefly arising fromthe skin being removed in some parts by long lying,he was generally too uneasy to enjoy conversationon abstract subjects. This, then, is the best evidencethat can be procured on this subject, and we publish460it while the contravening parties are yet alive, andwith the authority of Mr. Woodsworth.Gilbert Vale.A few weeks ago I received the following letterwhich confirms the statement of Mr. Vale:Near Stockton, Cal., Green-wood Cottage, July 9, 1877.Col. Ingersoll: In 1842 I talked with a gentle-man in Boston. I have forgotten his name; but he wasthen an engineer of the Charleston navy yard. I amthus particular so that you can find his name on thebooks. He told me that he nursed Thomas Painein his last illness, and closed his eyes when dead. Iasked him if he recanted and called upon God tosave him. He replied, "No. He died as he hadtaught. He had a sore upon his side and when weturned him it was very painful and he would cry out'O God!' or something like that." "But," saidthe narrator, "that was nothing, for he believed in aGod." I told him that I had often heard it assertedfrom the pulpit that Mr. Paine had recanted in hislast moments. The gentleman said that it was nottrue, and he appeared to be an intelligent, truthfulman. With respect, I remain, etc.Philip Graves, M. D.461The next witness is Willet Hicks, a Quakerpreacher. He says that during the last illness ofMr. Paine he visited him almost daily, and thatPaine died firmly convinced of the truth of the relig-ious opinions he had given to his fellow-men. Itwas to this same Willet Hicks that Paine applied forpermission to be buried in the cemetery of theQuakers. Permission was refused. This refusalsettles the question of recantation. If he had re-canted, of course there could have been no objectionto his body being buried by the side of the besthypocrites on the earth.If Paine recanted why should he be denied "alittle earth for charity"? Had he recanted, itwould have been regarded as a vast and splendidtriumph for the gospel. It would with much noiseand pomp and ostentation have been heraldedabout the world.I received the following letter to-day. Thewriter is well know in this city, and is a man ofhigh character:Peoria, Oct. 8th, 1877.Robert G. Ingersoll, Esteemed Friend: Myparents were Friends (Quakers). My father diedwhen I was very young. The elderly and middle-aged Friends visited at my mother's house. We462lived in the city of New York. Among the numberI distinctly remember Elias Hicks, Willet Hicks,and a Mr.-Day, who was a bookseller in Pearlstreet. There were many others, whose names Ido not now remember. The subject of the recanta-tion by Thomas Paine of his views about the Biblein his last illness, or at any other time, was dis-cussed by them in my presence at different times.I learned from them that some of them had attendedupon Thomas Paine in his last sickness and minis-tered to his wants up to the time of his death.And upon the question of whether he did recantthere was but one expression. They all said thathe did not recant in any manner. I often heardthem say they wished he had recanted. In fact,according to them, the nearer he approached deaththe more positive he appeared to be in his con-victions.These conversations were from 1820 to 1822. Iwas at that time from ten to twelve years old, butthese conversations impressed themselves upon mebecause many thoughtless people then blamed theSociety of Friends for their kindness to that "archInfidel," Thomas Paine..Truly yours,A. C. Hankinson.463A few days ago I received the following letter:Albany, New York, Sept. 27, 1877.Dear Sir: It is over twenty years ago that pro-fessionally I made the acquaintance of John Hogeboom,a Justice of the Peace of the county ofRensselaer, New York. He was then over seventyyears of age and had the reputation of being a manof candor and integrity. He was a great admirer ofPaine. He told me that he was personally ac-quainted with him, and used to see him frequentlyduring the last years of his life in the city of NewYork, where Hogeboom then resided. I asked himif there was any truth in the charge that Paine wasin the habit of getting drunk. He said that it wasutterly false; that he never heard of such a thingduring the life-time of Mr. Paine, and did not believeany one else did. I asked him about the recantationof his religious opinions on his death-bed, and therevolting death-bed scenes that the world had heardso much about. He said there was no truth inthem, that he had received his information frompersons who attended Paine in his last illness, "andthat he passed peacefully away, as we may say, inthe sunshine of a great soul."...Yours truly,W. J. Hilton,464The witnesses by whom I substantiate the factthat Thomas Paine did not recant, and that he diedholding the religious opinions he had published, are:First—Thomas Nixon, Captain Daniel Pelton,B. F. Haskin. These gentlemen visited him duringhis last illness for the purpose of ascertaining whetherhe had in any respect changed his views upon relig-ion. He told them that he had not.Second—James Cheetham. This man was themost malicious enemy Mr. Paine had, and yet headmits that "Thomas Paine died placidly, and al-most without a struggle." (See Life of ThomasPaine, by James Cheetham).Third—The ministers, Milledollar and Cunning-ham. These gentlemen told Mr. Paine that if hedied without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ hewould be damned, and Paine replied, "Let me havenone of your popish stuff. Good morning." (SeeSherwin's Life of Paine, p. 220).Fourth—Mrs. Hedden. She told these samepreachers when they attempted to obtrude them-selves upon Mr. Paine again, that the attempt toconvert Mr. Paine was useless—"that if God did notchange his mind no human power could."Fifth—Andrew A. Dean. This man lived uponPaine's farm at New Rochelle, and corresponded465with him upon religious subjects. (See Paine'sTheological Works, p. 308.)Sixth—Mr. Jarvis, the artist with whom Painelived. He gives an account of an old lady comingto Paine and telling him that God Almighty hadsent her to tell him that unless he repented and be-lieved in the blessed Savior, he would be damned.Paine replied that God would not send such a foolishold woman with such an impertinent message. (SeeClio Rickman's Life of Paine.)Seventh—Wm. Carver, with whom Paine boarded.Mr. Carver said again and again that Paine did notrecant. He knew him well, and had every opportun-ity of knowing. (See Life of Paine by Gilbert Vale.)Eighth—Dr. Manley, who attended him in his lastsickness, and to whom Paine spoke his last words.Dr. Manley asked him if he did not wish to believe inJesus Christ, and he replied, "I have no wish tobelieve on that subject."Ninth—Willet Hicks and Elias Hicks, who werewith him frequently during his last sickness, andboth of whom tried to persuade him to recant. Ac-cording to their testimony, Mr. Paine died as he hadlived—a believer in God, and a friend of man.Willet Hicks was offered money to say somethingfalse against Thomas Paine. He was even offered466money to remain silent and allow others to slanderthe dead. Mr. Hicks, speaking of Thomas Paine,said: "He was a good man—an honest man."(Vale's Life of Paine.)Tenth—Amasa Woodsworth, who was with himevery day for some six weeks immediately precedinghis death, and sat up with him the last two nights ofhis life. This man declares that Paine did not recantand that he died tranquilly. The evidence of Mr.Woodsworth is conclusive.Eleventh—Thomas Paine himself. The will ofThomas Paine, written by himself, commences asfollows:"The last will and testament of me, the subscriber,Thomas Paine, reposing confidence in my creatorGod, and in no other being, for I know of no other,nor believe in any other;" and closes in these words;"I have lived an honest and useful life to mankind;my time has been spent in doing good, and I die inperfect composure and resignation to the will of mycreator God."Twelfth—If Thomas Paine recanted, why do youpursue him? If he recanted, he died substantiallyin your belief, for what reason then do you denouncehis death as cowardly? If upon his death-bed herenounced the opinions he had published, the busi-467ness of defaming him should be done by Infidels, notby Christians.I ask you if it is honest to throw away the testi-mony of his friends—the evidence of fair and honor-able men—and take the putrid words of avowed andmalignant enemies?When Thomas Paine was dying, he was infestedby fanatics—by the snaky spies of bigotry. In theshadows of death were the unclean birds of preywaiting to tear with beak and claw the corpse of himwho wrote the "Rights of Man." And there lurk-ing and crouching in the darkness were the jackalsand hyenas of superstition ready to violate his grave.These birds of prey—these unclean beasts are thewitnesses produced and relied upon by you.One by one the instruments of torture have beenwrenched from the cruel clutch of the church, untilwithin the armory of orthodoxy there remains butone weapon—Slander.Against the witnesses that I have produced youcan bring just two—Mary Roscoe and Mary Hins-dale. The first is referred to in the memoir ofStephen Grellet. She had once been a servant in hishouse. Grellet tells what happened between thisgirl and Paine. According to this account Paineasked her if she had ever read any of his writings,468and on being told that she had read very little ofthem, he inquired what she thought of them, addingthat from such an one as she he expected a correctanswer.Let us examine this falsehood. Why would Paineexpect a correct answer about his writings from onewho had read very little of them? Does not such astatement devour itself? This young lady furthersaid that the "Age of Reason" was put in her handsand that the more she read in it the more dark anddistressed she felt, and that she threw the book intothe fire. Whereupon Mr. Paine remarked, "I wishall had done as you did, for if the devil ever had anyagency in any work, he had it in my writing that book."The next is Mary Hinsdale. She was a servantin the family of Willet Hicks. She, like Mary Ros-coe, was sent to carry some delicacy to Mr. Paine.To this young lady Paine, according to her account,said precisely the same that he did to Mary Roscoe,and she said the same thing to Mr. Paine.My own opinion is that Mary Roscoe and MaryHinsdale are one and the same person, or the samestory has been by mistake put in the mouth of both.It is not possible that the same conversation shouldhave taken place between Paine and Mary Roscoe,and between him and Mary Hinsdale.469Mary Hinsdale lived with Willet Hicks and hepronounced her story a pious fraud and fabrication.He said that Thomas Paine never said any suchthing to Mary Hinsdale. (See Vale's Life ofPaine.)Another thing about this witness. A woman bythe name of Mary Lockwood, a Hicksite Quaker,died. Mary Hinsdale met her brother about thattime and told him that his sister had recanted, andwanted her to say so at her funeral. This turnedout to be false.It has been claimed that Mary Hinsdale made herstatement to Charles Collins. Long after the allegedoccurrence Gilbert Vale, one of the biographers ofPaine, had a conversation with Collins concerningMary Hinsdale. Vale asked him what he thoughtof her. He replied that some of the Friends be-lieved that she used opiates, and that they did notgive credit to her statements. He also said that hebelieved what the Friends said, but thought thatwhen a young woman, she might have told thetruth.In 1818 William Cobbett came to New York.He began collecting materials for a life of ThomasPaine. In this he became acquainted with MaryHinsdale and Charles Collins. Mr. Cobbett gave a470full account of what happened in a letter addressedto the Norwich Mercury in 1819. From this ac-count it seems that Charles Collins told Cobbett thatPaine had recanted. Cobbett called for the testi-mony, and told Mr. Collins that he must give time,place, and the circumstances. He finally brought astatement that he stated had been made by MaryHinsdale. Armed with this document Cobbett, inOctober of that year, called upon the said MaryHinsdale, at No. 10 Anthony street, New York, andshowed her the statement. Upon being questionedby Mr. Cobbett she said, "That it was so long agothat she could not speak positively to any part of thematter—that she would not say that any part of thepaper was true—that she had never seen the paper—and that she had never given Charles Collinsauthority to say anything about the matter in hername." And so in the month of October, in theyear of grace 1818, in the mist and fog of forgetful-ness disappeared forever one Mary Hinsdale—thelast and only witness against the intellectual honestyof Thomas Paine.Did Thomas Paine live the life of a drunken beast,and did he die a drunken, cowardly and beastly death?Upon you rests the burden of substantiating theseinfamous charges.471You have, I suppose, produced the best evidencein your possession, and that evidence I will now pro-ceed to examine. Your first witness is Grant Thor-burn. He makes three charges against ThomasPaine, 1st. That his wife obtained a divorce fromhim in England for cruelty and neglect. 2d. Thathe was a defaulter and fled from England to Amer-ica. 3d. That he was a drunkard.These three charges stand upon the same evidence—the word of Grant Thorburn. If they are not alltrue Mr. Thorburn stands impeached.The charge that Mrs. Paine obtained a divorce onaccount of the cruelty and neglect of her husband isutterly false. There is no such record in the world,and never was. Paine and his wife separated bymutual consent. Each respected the other. Theyremained friends. This charge is without any foun-dation in fact. I challenge the Christian world toproduce the record of this decree of divorce. Accord-ing to Mr. Thorburn it was granted in England. Inthat country public records are kept of all such de-crees. Have the kindness to produce this decreeshowing that it was given on account of cruelty oradmit that Mr. Thorburn was mistaken.Thomas Paine was a just man. Although sepa-rated from his wife, he always spoke of her with472tenderness and respect, and frequently sent hermoney without letting her know the source fromwhence it came. Was this the conduct of a drunkenbeast?The second charge, that Paine was a defaulter inEngland and fled to America, is equally false. Hedid not flee from England. He came to America,not as a fugitive, but as a free man. He came witha letter of introduction signed by another Infidel,Benjamin Franklin. He came as a soldier of Free-dom—an apostle of Liberty.In this second charge there is not one word of truth.He held a small office in England. If he was adefaulter the records of that country will show thatfact.Mr. Thorburn, unless the record can be producedto substantiate him, stands convicted of at least twomistakes.Now, as to the third: He says that in 1802 Painewas an "old remnant of mortality, drunk, bloatedand half asleep."Can any one believe this to be a true account ofthe personal appearance of Mr. Paine in 1802? Hehad just returned from France. He had been wel-comed home by Thomas Jefferson, who had said thathe was entitled to the hospitality of every American.473In 1802 Mr. Paine was honored with a public din-ner in the city of New York. He was called uponand treated with kindness and respect by such menas DeWitt Clinton.In 1806 Mr. Paine wrote a letter to Andrew A.Dean upon the subject of religion. Read that letterand then say that the writer of it was an "old rem-nant of mortality, drunk, bloated and half asleep."Search the files of the New York Observer from thefirst issue to the last, and you will find nothing supe-rior to this letter.In 1803 Mr. Paine wrote a letter of considerablelength, and of great force, to his friend SamuelAdams. Such letters are not written by drunkenbeasts, nor by remnants of old mortality, nor bydrunkards. It was about the same time that hewrote his "Remarks on Robert Hall's Sermons."These "Remarks" were not written by a drunkenbeast, but by a clear-headed and thoughtful man.In 1804 he published an essay on the invasion ofEngland, and a treatise on gunboats, full of valuablemaritime information:—in 1805, a treatise on yellowfever, suggesting modes of prevention. In short, hewas an industrious and thoughtful man. He sympa-thized with the poor and oppressed of all lands. Helooked upon monarchy as a species of physical474slavery. He had the goodness to attack that formof government. He regarded the religion of his dayas a kind of mental slavery. He had the courage togive his reasons for his opinion. His reasons filledthe churches with hatred. Instead of answering hisarguments they attacked him. Men who were notfit to blacken his shoes, blackened his character.There is too much religious cant in the statementof Mr. Thorburn. He exhibited too much anxietyto tell what Grant Thorburn said to Thomas Paine.He names Thomas Jefferson as one of the disreputa-ble men who welcomed Paine with open arms. Thetestimony of a man who regarded Thomas Jeffersonas a disreputable person, as to the character of any-body, is utterly without value. In my judgment, thetestimony of Mr. Thorburn should be thrown asideas wholly unworthy of belief.Your next witness is the Rev. J. D. Wickham, D.D., who tells what an elder in his church said. Thiselder said that Paine passed his last days on his farmat New Rochelle with a solitary female attendant.This is not true. He did not pass his last days atNew Rochelle. Consequently this pious elder didnot see him during his last days at that place. Uponthis elder we prove an alibi. Mr. Paine passed hislast days in the city of New York, in a house upon475Columbia street. The story of the Rev. J. D. Wick-ham, D.D., is simply false.The next competent false witness is the Rev.Charles Hawley, D.D., who proceeds to state thatthe story of the Rev. J. D. Wickham, D.D., is cor-roborated by older citizens of New Rochelle. Thenames of these ancient residents are withheld. Ac-cording to these unknown witnesses, the accountgiven by the deceased elder was entirely correct.But as the particulars of Mr. Paine's conduct "weretoo loathsome to be described in print," we are leftentirely in the dark as to what he really did.While at New Rochelle Mr. Paine lived with Mr.Purdy—with Mr. Dean—with Captain Pelton, andwith Mr. Staple. It is worthy of note that all ofthese gentlemen give the lie direct to the statementsof "older residents" and ancient citizens spoken ofby the Rev. Charles Hawley, D.D., and leave himwith his "loathsome particulars" existing only in hisown mind.The next gentleman you bring upon the stand isW. H. Ladd, who quotes from the memoirs ofStephen Grellet. This gentleman also has the mis-fortune to be dead. According to his account, Mr.Paine made his recantation to a servant girl of hisby the name of Mary Roscoe. To this girl, accord-476ing to the account, Mr. Paine uttered the wish thatall who read his book had burned it. I believe thereis a mistake in the name of this girl. Her name wasprobably Mary Hinsdale, as it was once claimed thatPaine made the same remark to her, but this pointI shall notice hereafter. These are your witnesses,and the only ones you bring forward, to supportyour charge that Thomas Paine lived a drunken andbeastly life and died a drunken, cowardly and beastlydeath. All these calumnies are found in a life ofPaine by a Mr. Cheetham, the convicted libeleralready referred to. Mr. Cheetham was an enemyof the man whose life he pretended to write.In order to show you the estimation in which Mr.Cheetham was held by Mr. Paine, I will give you acopy of a letter that throws light upon this point:October 28, 1807."Mr. Cheetham: Unless you make a public apol-ogy for the abuse and falsehood in your paper ofTuesday, October 27th, respecting me, I will prose-cute you for lying."Thomas Paine.In another letter, speaking of this same man, Mr.Paine says: "If an unprincipled bully cannot be re-formed, he can be punished." "Cheetham has beenso long in the habit of giving false information, thattruth is to him like a foreign language."477Mr. Cheetham wrote the life of Paine to gratifyhis malice and to support religion. He was prose-cuted for libel—was convicted and fined.Yet the life of Paine written by this man is referredto by the Christian world as the highest authority.As to the personal habits of Mr. Paine, we havethe testimony of William Carver, with whom helived; of Mr. Jarvis, the artist, with whom he lived;of Mr. Staple, with whom he lived; of Mr. Purdy,who was a tenant of Paine's; of Mr. Burger, withwhom he was intimate; of Thomas Nixon andCaptain Daniel Pelton, both of whom knew himwell; of Amasa Woodsworth, who was with himwhen he died; of John Fellows, who boarded at thesame house; of James Wilburn, with whom heboarded; of B. F. Haskin, a lawyer, who was wellacquainted with him and called upon him during hislast illness; of Walter Morton, a friend; of ClioRickman, who had known him for many years; ofWillet and Elias Hicks, Quakers, who knew him in-timately and well; of Judge Herttell, H. Margary,Elihu Palmer, and many others. All these testifiedto the fact that Mr. Paine was a temperate man. Inthose days nearly everybody used spirituous liquors.Paine was not an exception; but he did not drink toexcess. Mr. Lovett, who kept the City Hotel where478Paine stopped, in a note to Caleb Bingham, declaredthat Paine drank less than any boarder he had.Against all this evidence you produce the story ofGrant Thorburn—the story of the Rev. J. D. Wick-ham that an elder in his church told him that Painewas a drunkard, corroborated by the Rev. CharlesHawley, and an extract from Lossing's history tothe same effect. The evidence is overwhelminglyagainst you. Will you have the fairness to admit it?Your witnesses are merely the repeaters of the false-hoods of James Cheetham, the convicted libeler.After all, drinking is not as bad as lying. Anhonest drunkard is better than a calumniator of thedead. "A remnant of old mortality, drunk, bloatedand half asleep" is better than a perfectly soberdefender of human slavery.To become drunk is a virtue compared with steal-ing a babe from the breast of its mother.Drunkenness is one of the beatitudes, comparedwith editing a religious paper devoted to the defenceof slavery upon the ground that it is a divine insti-tution.Do you really think that Paine was a drunkenbeast when he wrote "Common Sense"—a pamphletthat aroused three millions of people, as people werenever aroused by a pamphlet before? Was he a479drunken beast when he wrote the "Crisis"? Wasit to a drunken beast that the following letter wasaddressed:Rocky Hill, September 10, 1783."I have learned since I have been at this place,that you are at Bordentown.—Whether for the sakeof retirement or economy I know not. Be it foreither or both, or whatever it may, if you will cometo this place and partake with me I shall be exceed-ingly happy to see you at it. Your presence mayremind Congress of your past services to this country;and if it is in my power to impress them, commandmy best exertions with freedom, as they will berendered cheerfully by one who entertains a livelysense of the importance of your works, and who withmuch pleasure subscribes himself,"Your Sincere Friend,"George Washington."Did any of your ancestors ever receive a letterlike that?Do you think that Paine was a drunken beastwhen the following letter was received by him?"You express a wish in your letter to return toAmerica in a national ship; Mr. Dawson, who bringsover the treaty, and who will present you with thisletter, is charged with orders to the captain of the480Maryland to receive and accommodate you back, if youcan be ready to depart at such a short warning. Youwill in general find us returned to sentiments worthyof former times;in these it will be your glory to havesteadily labored and with as much effect as any manliving.That you may live long to continue youruseful labors, and reap the reward in thethankfulnessof nations, is my sincere prayer. Accept the assur-ances of my high esteem and affectionate attachment."Thomas Jefferson.Did any of your ancestors ever receive a letterlike that?"It has been very generally propagated throughthe continent that I wrote the pamphlet 'CommonSense.' I could not have written anything in somanly and striking a style."—John Adams."A few more such flaming arguments as wereexhibited at Falmouth and Norfolk, added to thesound doctrine and unanswerable reasoning con-tained in the pamphlet 'Common Sense,' will notleave numbers at a loss to decide on the propriety ofa separation."—George Washington."It is not necessary for me to tell you howmuch all your countrymen—I speak of the greatmass of the people—are interested in your welfare.481They have not forgotten the history of their ownRevolution and the difficult scenes through which