|
Ibsen to
Murders and Other Sociopaths |
| Ibsen,
Henrik (1828-1906) |
|
"On the contrary." |
|
Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright who achieved international
recognition for such classics as A Doll's House and Hedda Gabler.
Ibsen suffered a stroke in 1900 and spent the last years of his life confined
to bed. One day, he heard his nurse remark to a visitor that he was
feeling better. "On the contrary," cut in Ibsen just before he died. |
|
For more information:
The Ibsen
Center |
 |
Recommended reading:
Four
Major Plays (A Doll's House, Ghosts, Hedda Gabler, The Master Builder)
by Henrik Ibsen |
| Jackson,
Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" (1824-1863) |
|
"Order A.P. Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry
to the front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks. . . . Let us cross
over the river and sit under the shade of the trees." |
|
Stonewall Jackson was one of the premier Confederate generals of the
American Civil War. He was mistakenly wounded by his own men on 2
May 1863 during the battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia, and his left
arm had to be amputated. General Robert E. Lee decided that Jackson
should recuperate in a safe refuge and ordered that Jackson be transported
to Guinea Station about 30 miles from the front lines. Jackson endured
the ambulance ride well and was expected to eventually recover. Pneumonia
set in, however, and by Sunday, 10 May, it became clear that Jackson would
not last through the day. Jackson remarked to his physician, "I have
always desired to die on Sunday," and lapsed into delirium before he died
at 3:15 p.m. |
|
Jackson's chaplain, B. Tucker Lacy, who attended to the general at
Guinea Station reported that during the ordeal General Lee spoke to him
of Jackson, "He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right arm." |
|
For more information:
VMI Archives: Stonewall
Jackson Papers
Death
and Life of Stonewall Jackson |
|
Recommended reading:
Stonewall
Jackson: The Man, the Soldier, the Legend by James I. Robertson,
Jr. |
| Jefferson,
Thomas (1743-1826) |
|
"This is the Fourth?" |
|
Both Thomas Jefferson and his old friend and rival John
Adams died on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
On the evening of 3 July 1826, Jefferson roused from semi-consciousness
on his deathbed and asked an attendant, "This is the Fourth?" To
comfort Jefferson, the man replied that it was. Jefferson smiled
with satisfaction and returned to sleep. He died just after noon
on the following day. |
|
For more information;
Interpreting Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson Online |
|
Recommended readings:
Thomas
Jefferson: A Life by Willard Sterne Randall
The
Portable Thomas Jefferson edited by Merrill D. Peterson |
 |
Recommended viewing:
Thomas
Jefferson by Ken Burns |
| Jesus
of Nazareth (4 B.C.?-30 A.D.?) |
|
"It is finished." per John 19:30
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!" per Mark 15:34-5
and Matthew 27:46
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." per Luke 23:46 |
|
Jesus of Nazareth was a 1st century Jewish teacher who was crucified
by the Romans. Jesus is believed by Christians to be the Christ through
whom God revealed himself to the world and whose death reconciles
the world with God. |
|
Recommended reading:
Meeting
Jesus Again for the First Time: The Historical Jesus & the Heart of
Contemporary Faith by Marcus J. Borg |
| Joan
of Arc, Saint (1412-1431) |
|
"Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!" |
|
Joan was the youngest of five children of Jacques d'Arc, a peasant
farmer from Domremy. She began to hear "voices" when she was thirteen
that told her she was to serve the Dauphin and save France. Joan
was repeatedly rebuffed in her attempts to join the French army until she
successfully predicted its defeat at the Battle of Herrings in 1429.
Afterwards, a local commander sent her to the Dauphin. When she recognized
the disguised Dauphin hiding in a group of courtiers, he sent her to be
examined by group of theologians at Poitiers. After three weeks of
questioning, they proclaimed that her voices were genuine. |
|
The Dauphin then sent her to serve with the Army as it fought to lift
the siege of Orleans. There, clad in a suit of armor, she led her
men and saved the city by capturing several English forts. Later
that year she led the French army to an even more important victory at
Troyes. This allowed the Dauphin to be crowned Charles VII at Reims,
and Joan stood at his side during the ceremony. She continued to
lead the army until she was captured by Burgundians at Compiegne and turned
over to the English. Charles made no effort to save her, and in fact,
some have suggested that he helped arrange her capture as part of a secret
deal with the Burgundians. |
|
Joan was tried in a religious court for heresy and witchcraft, and
although she defended herself well, she was forced or tricked into denying
her "voices" and promising never again to wear men's clothes. Later,
she once more dressed as a man and was declared a heretic. She was
burned at the stake in the Rouen marketplace, and her ashes were thrown
into the Seine. Twenty-five years later, her case was reopened by
Pope Callistus III, and she was found innocent. Joan was canonized
by Pope Benedict XV in 1920. |
|
For more information:
Joan
of Arc
Joan's
Letter to the King of England before the Battle of Orleans |
|
Recommended readings:
An
Army of Angels: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Pamela Marcantel
Joan
of Arc: In Her Own Words compiled by Willard R. Trask |
|
Recommended viewing:
Joan
of Arc starring Ingrid Bergman |
| Jones,
Henry Arthur (1851-1924) |
|
"The prettier. Now fight for it." |
|
Henry Jones was a successful English playwright during the last quarter
of the 19th century. On his deathbed, his nurse and his niece asked
him whom he would prefer to have at his side during the evening.
"The prettier," he said, "Now fight for it." |
| Kafka,
Franz (1883-1924) |
|
"Kill me, or else you are a murderer!" |
|
Franz Kafka, born in Prague in 1883, became one of the most influential
writers of the 20th century. As Kafka lay dying of tuberculosis,
he begged his physician for an overdose of morphine to end his suffering.
While alive, Kafka only published a very few selections of his short fiction
including "The Metamorphosis," a story about
a young man who, symbolically, is transformed into a huge disgusting insect.
Following his death, friends published the bulk of Kafka's work, including
The
Castle and The Trial, despite his final instructions that they
destroy the manuscripts, "Dearest Max, my last request: Everything I leave
behind me ... in the way of diaries, manuscripts, letters (my own and others'),
sketches, and so on, to be burned unread." |
|
For more information:
Joseph K's Franz Kafka
Homepage |
|
Recommended reading:
The
Castle
The
Metamorphosis
The
Trial |
| Kelly,
George (1887-1974) |
|
"My dear, before you kiss me good-bye, fix you hair. It's a mess." |
|
George Kelly was an American playwright and the uncle of Grace Kelly.
On his death bed he was visited by a different niece, who leaned forward
to kiss him farewell. |
| Ker,
William Paton (1855-1923) |
|
"I thought this was the most beautiful spot in the world, and now
I know it." |
|
William Ker was a British scholar and professor of English at University
College, London, for over thirty years. He was an accomplished mountain
hiker and returned to the Italian alps in 1923. As he was walking
up the the Pizzo Bianco at Macugnaga, he turned to his companions, uttered
his last words, and suffered a fatal heart attack. |
| Knox,
Ronald (1888-1957) |
|
"No . . . . Awfully jolly of you to suggest it, though." |
|
Ronald Knox was a British priest and author who served as the Catholic
chaplain at Oxford for many years. For several days before his death
from liver cancer, he lay comatose, attended by close friends. Shortly
before his death, Lady Elton noticed that he had stirred slightly and asked
if he would like her to read from his own translation of the New Testament. |
| Lawrence,
Saint (?-258) |
|
"Turn me. I am roasted on one side." |
|
Saint Lawrence is one of the most celebrated Roman martyrs. A
church deacon during the time Emperor Valerian was vigorously persecuting
christians, Lawrence also served as the keeper of the church's treasures.
He was arrested and told that to save himself he must give the church treasures
to the government. Lawrence readily agreed and told the official
that it would take at least eight days to assemble them. On the eighth
day, Lawrence returned to the prefect and presented him with hundreds of
poor and disabled men, women, and children. "These," he said, "are
the riches of the church." The enraged official then ordered Lawrence
to be stripped, tied face down on a gridiron suspended over a bed of coals,
and slowly burned to death. Lawrence maintained a cheerful appearance
through out the ordeal and, when asked if he had any last request, responded
with his last words. His behavior was said to have been so impressive that
several Roman senators converted to Christianity on the spot, and hundreds
of citizens did the same the following day. |
| Lawrence,
James (1781-1813) |
|
"Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship; fight
her till she sinks." |
|
James Lawrence was a U.S. Navy officer who commanded the frigate Chesapeake
in a naval battle during the War of 1812. Mortally wounded, he was
carried below. His last words are often shortened to simply "Don't
give up the ship." |
|
For more information:
The Captain
James Lawrence House |
| Leary,
Timothy (1920-1996) |
|
"Why not? Why not? Why not? Why not? Yeah." |
|
Timothy Leary, a Harvard psychologist who was fired after supplying
students with drugs, was one of the most controversial personalities of
the 1960s. Leary advocated the widespread use of LSD and urged American
youth to "Turn on, tune in, and drop out." |
|
For more information:
Leary
"tunes in" to the hereafter - CNN obituary |
|
Recommended reading:
High
Priest by Timothy Leary |
| Lee,
Robert E. (1807-1870) |
|
"Strike the tent." |
|
Robert E. Lee was a distinguished U.S. Army officer who gave up his
federal commission to lead the the Army of Northern Virginia during the
American Civil War. |
|
For more information:
Robert E. Lee |
|
Recommended reading:
Robert
E. Lee: A Biography by Emory M. Thomas |
| Lewis,
Meriwether (1774-1809) |
|
"I am not coward, but I am so strong. It is hard to die." |
|
Meriwether Lewis was appointed the first governor of Upper Louisiana
by Thomas Jefferson following his return from his famous expedition to
the Pacific Ocean. He was a poor administrator and decided to travel
to Washington to square some unreimbursed expense reports that had left
him deep in debt. He departed Saint Louis with $200 in his pockets
for New Orleans, where he planned to finish his journey by boat.
In route, he suffered a breakdown near what today is Memphis, Tennessee.
He recuperated there for several weeks and again set out, this time overland.
While stopped just south of Nashville at the home of Ms. Robert Grinder,
whose husband was away, Lewis was said to have become very agitated about
his personal affairs. Ms Grinder later reported that during the night
she heard a gunshot followed by the cry of "Oh, Lord," which was followed
by a second shot. A few minutes later, Lewis staggered to her door
and pleaded, "Oh, madam! Give me some water and heal my wounds."
Ms. Grinder was too frightened to open the door until morning when she
sought out Lewis's servants, and together they found him alive and intense
pain with his skull shattered and brain exposed. Ms. Grinder claimed
that although he then begged her to kill him, she refused. Lewis's
death was never investigated, and while many believed it to have been a
suicide, an equal number suggested that he was killed while being robbed
by his servants, Ms. Grinder, her husband, or others. Lewis's $200
was never found. |
|
For more information:
The
Death of Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis:
Murder or Suicide
Discovering Lewis and Clark |
|
Recommended Reading:
The
Journals of Lewis and Clark
Undaunted
Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American
West by Stephen E. Ambrose |
| Lincoln,
Abraham |
|
(Laughter) |
|
As Abraham Lincoln was watching the play, Our American Cousin,
on the night of his assassination at Ford's Theater, one of the actresses
called for a shawl to protect her from the draft. One of the actors ad-libbed
a reply, "You are mistaken, Miss Mary, the draft has already been stopped
by order of the President!" Lincoln shared his last laugh with the
rest of the audience. |
|
You may have heard that Lincoln, on his deathbed, addressed his last
words to the legendary inventor of baseball, General Abner Doubleday, "Keep
baseball going. The country needs it." This is simply not true.
The fabrication was made up by a popular CBS sports announcer, Bill Stern,
who hosted the "Colgate Sports Newsreel" during the 1930s and 1940s. |
|
For more information:
Abraham Lincoln's
Assassination |
|
Recommended reading:
The
Day Lincoln Was Shot by Jim Bishop
A.
Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours by W. Emerson Reck |
| Loeb,
Richard A. (1906-1936) |
|
"I think I'm going to make it." |
|
Richard Loeb was the son of a Sears Vice President and the youngest
person ever to graduate from the University of Michigan. He also
led his close nineteen year old friend, Nathan Leopold, in the kidnapping
and murder of a fourteen year old boy in 1924. After the murderers
were tied to the crime scene by a pair of specially designed eyeglasses
that Leopold dropped while hiding the body, both confessed, and the subsequent
trial became the first "trial of the century." Clarence Darrow defended
the pair and persuaded the judge to sentence them to life in prison rather
than death. Loeb was eventually killed in a prison shower room fight,
slashed 56 times with a razor after he allegedly made sexual advances to
another inmate. |
|
For more information:
Leopold
and Loeb Trial Homepage |
|
Recommended reading:
Compulsion
by Meyer Levin |
|
Recommended viewing:
Compulsion
starring Orson Wells as Jonathon Wilk (Clarence Darrow) |
| Long,
Huey P., Jr. (The Kingfish) (1893-1935) |
|
"I wonder why he shot me." |
|
Huey P. Long was a Democrat politician who, while governor of Louisiana
from 1928 to 1932, created a powerful political machine and ruled the state
as a dictator. He was sent to the Senate in 1932, where he promoted
a "share-our-wealth" program that promised to take money from those who
had it and redistribute it to those who did not. Long developed considerable
support among the poor and was seen as a possible third-party threat to
the Roosevelt presidential campaign. He was shot and killed by the
son-in-law of a former political opponent. |
|
Long's story was fictionalized in 1947 in the novel, All the King's
Men. It was made into a movie two years later, and Long's character,
Willie
Stark, was played by Broderick Crawford |
|
For more information:
The Kingfishery |
|
Recommended reading:
All
the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
The
Kingfish and His Realm: The Life and Times of Huey P. Long by William
Ivy Hair |
|
Recommended viewing:
All
the King's Men |
| Marat,
Jean-Paul (1743-1793) |
|
"They shall all be guillotined." |
|
Jean-Paul Marat was one of the most radical and bloodthirsty of all
the leaders of the French Revolution. His extreme positions had isolated
him from most of his colleagues by 1793, but he continued to publish his
views in his newspaper, L'Ami du Peuple, which he edited from his
bathtub where he soaked for most of each day to relieve the itching and
pain of a chronic skin infection. On 13 July, a woman named Charlotte
Corday asked the guard at his apartment door if she could deliver information
about a counter-revolutionary group to Marat. Marat granted her entry,
and she sat in a chair next to his tub and handed him a list of conspirators.
After reading the list, Marat remarked, "They shall all be guillotined."
As he did, Corday pulled a long-bladed kitchen knife from her dress and
drove it into Marat's left chest; she had actually come to avenge the execution
of a friend. Marat called the name of his common law wife as he collapsed
and died in the tub. Charlotte Corday was caught and executed four
days later. Despite his unpopularity, thousands of Parisians flocked
to view Marat's heart when it was later displayed by his allies. |
|
For more information:
History
of the Death of Marat |
| Marx,
Karl (1818-1883) |
|
"Go on, get out! Last words are for fools who haven't said
enough!" |
|
Karl Marx was the German economist, philosopher, and revolutionary
who, with the aid of Friederich Engles, produced most of the theory of
modern socialism and communism. As he lay in bed shortly before his
death, his housekeeper foolishly asked if he had any last words. |
|
For more information:
The Marx/Engels Internet Archive
Stec's Commie-Pinko
Homepage: Workers of the World Unite |
|
Recommended reading:
Communist
Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels |
| McKinley,
William B. (1843-1901) |
|
"We are all going." |
|
William McKinley, a U.S. President, was assassinated by an anarchist,
Leon
Czolgosz, at the Pan American Exposition in 1901. He died after
lingering painfully for several days. His wife, at his bedside as
he died, cried, "I want to go too, I want to go too!" McKinley answered
her plea before he expired. |
|
McKinley's last words have also been recorded as "It's God's way.
His will, not ours, be done." |
|
For more information:
The
Era of William McKinley |
| Maria
Theresa, Empress of Austria (1717-1780) |
|
"No, but comfortable enough to die." |
|
Maria Theresa was the empress of Austria from 1740 until her death
in 1780. She spent the last several days of her life propped up in
a chair as she was unable to breath lying down. Her son, Joseph,
attempted to comfort her after one especially painful spasm. "Your Majesty
cannot be comfortable like that," he said rushing to her side for support.
"No," replied the empress, "but comfortable enough to die." Maria
Theresa died a few minutes later without any additional suffering. |
| Mather,
Cotton (1663-1728) |
|
"Is this dying? Is this all? Is this what I feared when
I prayed against a hard death? Oh, I can bear this! I can bear
this!" |
|
Cotton Mather was the most famous of the late 17th century New England
ministers and the last of the great Puritan preachers. He found himself
overwhelmed by the advance of secularism and defended the old New England
theocracy in its final losing battles. |
|
For more information:
The Cotton Mather Home
Page |
| Mineo,
Sal (1939-1976) |
|
"Oh God! No! Help! Someone Help!" |
|
Sal Mineo was a movie star best known for his teenage roles in Rebel
Without a Cause and Exodus for which he received Oscar nominations.
Following a feud with John Ford during the filming of Cheyenne Autumn
in
1963, Mineo's film offers fell off sharply, and by the early 1970's he
was acting only in small plays, television roles, and foreign movies.
In 1976, he was living in a small apartment in a rather seedy part of Los
Angeles while he rehearsed a play about a bisexual burglar. One night
as Mineo walked from his carport, a man attacked him, stabbing him in the
heart. Neighbors heard Mineo's cries for help and chased the assailant
away. One tried unsuccessfully to administer CPR. The police
never solved the crime. |
|
For more information:
Pretty Boys
Make Graves: The Sal Mineo Tribute Page |
|
Recommended viewing:
Rebel
Without a Cause
Exodus |
| Mishima
Yukio (1925-1970) |
|
"Human life is limited; but I would like to live forever." |
|
Mishima Yukio was a right-wing Japanese novelist and playwright whose
best known work to Western readers is probably The Sailor Who Fell from
Grace With the Sea. He committed seppuku, or hari-kiri, after
failing to convince the Japanese military to overthrow the civilian government. |
|
For more information:
The
Mishima Yukio Cyber Museum |
|
Recommended reading:
The
Sailor Who Fell from Grace With the Sea by Yukio Mishima |
| Mizner,
Wilson (1876-1933) |
|
"Why should I talk to you? I've just been talking to your
boss." |
|
Wilson Mizner was a U.S. writer and gambler. On his deathbed,
he briefly regained consciousness before dying and found a priest standing
over him. Mizner waved the priest away saying, "Why should I talk
to you? I've just been talking to your boss." |
|
For more information:
The Wilson
Mizner Home Page
Wise Guys,
a Sondheim musical about Wilson and Addison Mizner |
| Monmouth,
Duke of (James Scott) (1649-1685) |
|
"Do not hack me as you did my Lord Russell." |
|
James Scott, the Duke of Monmouth, was an illegitimate son of Charles
II. He led an unsuccessful rebellion against Charles's successor,
James II, and was executed after losing the Battle of Sedgemoor.
His last words were addressed to the executioner. |
|
For more information:
Duke of
Monmouth |
| Montagu,
Lady Mary Wortley (1689-1762) |
|
"It has all been most interesting." |
|
Lady Mary, an English writer and world-traveler, was close friends
with many prominent political and literary figures. She is also credited
with first introducing English physicians to the Turkish practice of smallpox
inoculation. |
|
For more information:
The Selected
Prose and Poetry of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (I'm
not sure that the author of this site's introduction is correct in describing
the resistance on the part of British physicians to use inoculations or
implying that they attempted to deny Lady Montagu credit once it became
common practice. See The Age of Agony: The Art of Healing, 1700-1800
by Guy Williams for detailed information.) |
|
Recommended reading:
Selected
Letters by Mary Wortley Montagu
The
Age of Agony: The Art of Healing, 1700-1800 by Guy Williams |
| More,
Thomas, Sir (1478-1535) |
|
"This hath not offended the king." |
|
Sir Thomas More was a prominent English statesman and philosopher whose
most famous work, Utopia, describes an ideal society based upon
reason. More served as the Speaker of the House of Commons and was
a champion of free speech. He became Lord Chancellor in 1529 but
resigned three years later because he disapproved of King Henry VIII's
break with the Catholic Church. More was imprisoned in the Tower
of London in 1535 for refusing to recognize Henry as the leader of the
Church of England. He was found guilty of treason and beheaded later
that year. |
|
Sir Thomas More spoke his last words as he laid his neck on the executioner's
block and carefully arranged his long, gray beard so that it would not
be cut by the sword. |
|
More's last words have also been recorded as, "I pray you, I pray you,
Mr. Lieutenant, see me safe up, and for my coming, down let me shift for
myself." In the 1966 movie, A Man for All Seasons, Thomas
More's (actor Paul Scofield's) last words were "I die the king's good servant,
but God's first." |
|
For more information:
Sir Thomas More |
|
Recommended reading:
A
Man for All Seasons: A Play in Two Acts by Robert Bolt and Erroll
McDonald |
|
Recommended viewing:
A
Man for All Seasons |
| Mulligan,
Colonel James A. (?-1864) |
|
"Lay me down, and save the flag!" |
|
In the late spring and early summer of 1864, the Confederate Army terrorized
Maryland and threatened Washington D.C. from its Shenandoah Valley stronghold.
Union General George Crook was dispatched to eliminate the threat, but
was soundly defeated at the Second Battle of Kernstown, Virginia, on 24
July 1864. Mulligan's division held the center of the Union line
during the battle, but as units on either flank fell back, it became enveloped
by three Confederate divisions. As Mulligan directed his forces,
he was hit with rounds and fell mortally wounded. With Mulligan's
death, the center gave way and the Union army retreated to the Potomac
River. Shortly after the defeat, the Confederate commander, General
Early, sent his cavalry to burn Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, on 30 July. |
|
For more information:
Second
Kernstown |
| Murderers
and Other Unpolitical Sociopaths |
|
Appel, George - 1928 |
"Well, gentlemen, you are about to see a baked
apple." |
|
Barney, Jeffrey |
"I'm tingling all over." |
|
Flegensheimer, Arthur
- 1935 |
"Mother is the best bet." |
|
French, James - 1966 |
"How about this for a headline? French
fries." |
|
Garrett, Johnny
Frank - 1991 |
"I'd like to thank my family for loving me and
taking care of me. And the rest of the world can kiss my ass." |
|
Gilmore, Gary - 1977 |
"Let's do it." |
|
Grasso, Thomas J. - 1995 |
"I did not get my Spaghetti-Os. I got spaghetti.
I want the press to know this." |
|
Johnson, Edward E. - 1986 |
"I guess no one's going to call." |
|
Loeb, Richard A. - 1936 |
"I think I'm going to make it." |
|
McCarty, Henry
- 1881 |
"Who is it?" |
|
Parks, Roby Leroy - 1992 |
"I'm still awake." |
|
Roges, James |
"Why yes, a bullet proof vest." |
|
Spenkelink, John - 1979 |
"Capital punishment; them without the capital
get the punishment." |
|
Tucker,
Karla Fay - 1998 |
"I am going to be face to face with Jesus now.
. . . I will see you all when you get there. I will wait for
you |
|
