Thursday, April 28, 2011

Ben McCulloch

Ben McCulloch is finally dead.  This time there is no mistake.  The fact is confessed by his own friends, and made the subject of a special order.  His “last moments” are described as having been ludicrously tragic.  He would not believe that his time had come – swore and raved terribly – vowed that it wasn’t in the power of the Yankees to kill him.  Finally feeling himself going, and being told he had but a few minutes to live, he exclaimed, “Ho, Hell,” turned his face away and expired.

His death rids the earth of a great scourge.  He was a man of infamous principles and infamous life.  Few had done more to foster lawlessness – few had done more to corrupt the people.  He was one of the leading spirits of the rebellion in the Southwest; and his voice and example were potent in spurring his half savage followers to deeds of violence and brutality.

And yet we are told he had little of the ruffian in his appearance.  In his normal moods he was the

 – “Mildest mannered man
That ever scuttled ship or cut a throat.”

He was soft of speech, [illegible] and could enact the polished gentleman to the life.  It was only when his passions were aroused that the desperado shone forth. – Albany Evening Journal.

– Published in The Cedar Falls Gazette, Cedar Falls, Iowa, Friday, April 11, 1862, p. 1

1 comment:

Jim Miller said...

The copy of this newspaper is a bad digital scan of a bad microfilm copy and consequently it hard to read.

The first sentence of the last paragraph is difficult to read, and what appears in this post is my best guess as to what the text says.