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oe in. Ana men asked him ir ha thought he wet authorised by Christ to i preach—this offended the priest, and he withdrew. Paine remarked that he i much preferred the priest to himself 1 but fearing hie being in an error, might• be an injury to others. The last visit she made him. on entering the door* she perceived him to be in supplication/ she usually found him in prayer or, writing, and turning to go out; but hit i nurse spoke to him, and said there wae• a friend from Mr. Hicks come to tee• him. He paused end asked her to , walk in ana come near him, saying, Ihope you are a friend to Cod and to Christ—and after another pause asked t her if she had ever read any of Paine’#• writings. She replied she had, when , she was very young. He queried what ‘ she thought of them. She replied,• dost thou really wiah to know what I thought He replied, 1 trust you are I one who has bought the truth, andwould not sell it to please such a vaga. bond at I atn. She then told him, that for days after perusing it, she couldjpot think a good thought but some or hie reasonings would twine round and repel it; and seeing tbe other children of the family eager to take it up, sbecould 5 find no peace until the committed it to the (lames. He then made an eKclama* 1 ti.in denoting the horror of his mind, saying it had been better for my soul at• the present day, if all the world had, like you, destroyed them. But the• world was glad to have it so adding, if ever Satan had an instrument upon the earth to lead into the ways of darkness, I have been one 1 have passedf many sleepless nights in endeavoring to prevent the right way And when f she took her leave of him, he requested her to ask Mr. Hicks to come and sea him, saying I love to have him by me, for when he sita by my side, although t he atyi but little, it seems as though the devil himself was silenced, and f feel as though 1 could do nothing but pour out my eriesand tears before God,, At another time, when some of Willet Hicks’ family were there, one of Paine’s i former friends and adherents came and ( opened the door, but on seeing them ha called out roughly, “Paine ! have heard five lies about you one is that you are dead—another, that you have recanted end turned quaker—as you havt 1 lived like a man, I hope you will die \ like one ” Paine said, you see how I ; have lived ; this has been my heaven;1 these my friends, can do nothing now 1 but afflict me. He wished Willet 1 Hicks to endeavour to obtain permission for his interment in Friend's bury, ing ground. Willet let him know he hardly thought it probable it would be granted, stating his reasons; and on applying, found Friend’s setiments ae , he expected, of which be Informed Paine. He wae affected with the result, but thought it just; afterwards left directions to be interred on bis own farm at New Rochelle, giving the field, by will, for the place of interment for poor strangers.”(A true eopy, taken from Thoatlf Wickersbam’t manuscript)FiUage tfsewfc
Newspaper Details
Gettysburg Adams Centinel
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, US
Wed, Oct 20, 1819
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Mark R.
USA 22 Oct 2024
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