FAMOUS LAST WORDS

[paranoid dxer]

CRIMINALS

1)
Billy the Kid (alias - William Bonney; real name - Henry McCarty) (1859-1881)
"Who is it?"

2)
Booth, John Wilkes (1839-1865)
"Tell mother, tell mother, I died for my country. . . . useless . . . useless . . ."

3)
Crowley, Francis "Two Gun" (1900-1931)
"You sons of bitches. Give my love to Mother."

4)
Czolgosz, Leon (1873-1902)
"I killed the President because he was the enemy of the good people, the good working people. I am not sorry for my crime."

5)
Flegensheimer, Arthur "Dutch Schultz" (?-1935)
"Mother is the best bet."

6)
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."

7)
Loeb, Richard A. (1906-1936)
"I think I'm going to make it."


Appel, George - 1928
"Well, gentlemen, you are about to see a baked apple."

9)
Barney, Jeffrey
"I'm tingling all over."

10)
French, James - 1966
"How about this for a headline? French fries."

11)
Gilmore, Gary - 1977
"Let's do it."

12)
Grasso, Thomas J. - 1995
"I did not get my Spaghetti-Os. I got spaghetti. I want the press to know this."

13)
Johnson, Edward E. - 1986
"I guess no one's going to call."

14)
Parks, Roby Leroy - 1992
"I'm still awake."

15)
Roges, James
"Why yes, a bullet proof vest."

16)
Spenkelink, John - 1979
"Capital punishment; them without the capital get the punishment."

17)
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

18)
Oswald, Lee Harvey - 1963
"I will be glad to discuss this proposition with my attorney, and that after I talk with one, we could either discuss it with him or discuss it with my attorney if the attorney thinks it is a wise thing to do, but at the present time I have nothing more to say to you."

19)
Rothstein, Arnold "Mr. Big" (?-1928)
"Me mudder did it."

20)
Surratt, Mary (1823-1865)
"Please don't let me fall." Mary Surratt, one of the Lincoln assassination conspirators, was the first woman ever executed by the United States government. She was hanged on July 7, 1869.

 

[John Poet]

Don't forget the immortal words of Socrates, who said
"I drank what?"

[paranoid dxer]

POLITICAL


1)
John Adams (USA) (1735-1826)
"Thomas Jefferson still survives."

2)
John Quincey Adams (USA) (1767-1848)
"This is the last of earth! I am content"

3)
Joseph Addison (UK) (1672-1719)
"See in what peace a Christian can die."

4)
Lady Nancy Astor (UK) (1879-1964)
"Am I dying or is is this my birthday?"

5)
Massimo Azeglio (Italy) (1798-1866)
"Ah, Luisa, you always arrive just as I am leaving."

6)
Buchanan, James (US)(1791-1868)
"Whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that at least I meant well for my country."

7)
John Calhoun (US)(1782-1850)
"The South! The poor South! God knows what will become of her."


Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield (UK) (1694-1773)
"Give Daylores a chair."

9)
Steven Grover Cleveland (US) (1837-1908)
"I have tried so hard to do right."

10)
Oliver Cromwell (UK) (1599-1658)
"My design is to make what haste I can to be gone."

11)
Georges Jacques Danton (France) (1759-1794)
"Show my head to the people. It is worth seeing."

12)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (US) (1890-1969)
"I've always loved my wife, my children, and my grandchildren, and I've always loved my country. I want to go. God, take me"

13)
Adolf Fischer (US) (1859-1887)
"This is the happiest moment of my life."

14)
James Forrestal (US) (1892-1949)
"Frenzy hath seized thy dearest son, Who from thy shores in glory came The first in valor and in fame; Thy deeds that he hath done Seem hostile all to hostile eyes. . . . Better to die, and sleep The never waking sleep, than linger on, and dare to live, when the soul's life is gone."

15)
Charles James Fox (UK) (1749-1806)
"I die happy."

16)
James A. Garfield (US) (1831-1881)
"Swain, can't you stop this (pain)? Swain!"

17)
Che Guevara (Argentina) (1928-1967)
"I know you have come to kill me. Shoot, coward. You are only going to kill a man."

18)
Charles Guiteau (US) (1841-1882)
"Glory hallelujah! I am with the Lord, Glory, ready, go!"

19)
Alexander Hamilton (US) (1757-1804)
"This is a mortal wound, doctor."

20)
Thomas Jefferson, (US) (1743-1826)
"This is the Fourth?"

21)
John F.Kennedy (US) (1917-1963)
"That's obvious."

22)
Meriwether Lewis (US) (1774-1809)
"I am not coward, but I am so strong. It is hard to die."

23)
Lincoln, Abraham (US)
"Laughter"

24)
Huey P.Long (The Kingfish) (US) (1893-1935)
"I wonder why he shot me."

25)
Jean-Paul Marat (France) (1743-1793)
"They shall all be guillotined."

26)
William McKinley (US) (1843-1901)
"We are all going."

27)
Ramon Maria Narvaez (Spain) (1800-1868)
"I do not have to forgive my enemies. I have had them all shot."

28)
William Pitt (UK) (1759-1806)
"Oh, my country! how I leave my country!"

29)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (US) (1882-1945)
"I have a terrific headache."

30)
Leon Trotsky (Russia) (1879-1940)
"I feel this time they have succeeded. I do not want them to undress me. I want you to undress me."

31)
George Washington (US) (1732-1799)
"'Tis well."

32)
Daniel Webster (US) (1782-1852)
"I still live."

33)
Allen, Ethan (1738-1789)
"Waiting are they? Waiting are they? Well--let 'em wait."

34)
Bailly, Jean Sylvain (1736-1793)
"Only from the cold, my friend." Jean Bailly, a member of the French Academy of Sciences, became the first revolutionary mayor of Paris in 1789. Eventually, however, the reign of terror ensnared him and he was sentenced to death. On the scaffold, awaiting the guillotine, he was heckled by a spectator who noticed that he was trembling

35)
Caesar, Julius Gaius (100-44 B.C.)
"You too, Brutus?" Although Marcus Junius Brutus was a trusted young friend of Caesar's, he was also one of the conspirators who murdered him on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. When Caesar entered the Senate that day, all of the senators stood to show respect. Some of the conspirators snuck behind Caesar's chair while others moved forward as if to greet him. As one grabbed Caesar's robe to signal the beginning of the attack, another struck a glancing blow to his neck. Each of the attackers then bared their knives and closed around Caesar in a tightening circle. Caesar attempted to fight the assassins until he saw his trusted friend, Brutus approach, dagger in hand. In surprised resignation Caesar uttered his famous last words, fell to the floor, and pulled his robe up over his face. Brutus then stabbed Caesar in the groin and all of the attackers joined in. In the frenzy, Caesar was pushed against a statue of his old enemy, Pompey, which soon became drenched in blood. All told, the attackers stabbed Caesar twenty-three times. Most people know that the Latin translation of "You too, Brutus?" is "Et tu, Brute?" and many will recall that in Shakespeare's play, the bard adds a final English sentence to these Latin words, "Then fall, Caesar!" However, some have suggested that the famous phrase was probably spoken--if it was spoken at all--in the Greek that was commonly used by Roman officials. The Greek version of Caesar's last words is "Kai su, teknon?" or "You too, my son?"

36)
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.

[Ragnar]

hmmm.
 I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my Grandfather.

    not screaming in terror like his passengers.

rd

[Pigmeat]

"Hey Ron! Watch this!" Al Fansome  ? - 2011

[Zoidberg]

"That picture looks awful dusty."
--Jesse James,  April 3, 1882

And the most awesome, brass balls final words, ever:
"Are you guys ready? Let's roll."
--Todd Beamer, passenger on United Flight 93, September 11, 2001.

[The Radical]

General George Custer:
    "We'll make this one last stand and then  we'll all go home."

[The Radical]

I read about these a long time ago.   

     General John Sedgewick:
     
        "They couldn't hit an elephant at this distance."
     
      Sedgewick was a Union general that underestimated the accuracy of Confederate sharpshooters.  He was wrong in the worst way!

[paranoid dxer]

FAMOUS LAST WORDS
RELIGIOUS FIGURES


1)
Becket, Thomas (1118?-1170)
"For the name of Jesus and the protection of the church I am ready to embrace death."
Thomas Becket was appointed as chancellor of England by Henry II in 1154. He was a skillful, loyal, and ambitious administrator who became a favorite of the king. When the archbishop of Canterbury died in 1161, King Henry arranged for Becket to assume the position in order to bring the Church under royal control. Becket, however, took his appointment seriously, became an energetic religious leader, and frequently opposed the king. In 1164, after an especially ugly dispute, Becket fled to exile in France and lived there for the next six years. Henry eventually was forced to reconcile with Becket, and the archbishop returned to England. Becket continued to clash with the king, and one day Henry was overheard to say that he wished he were rid of the troublesome priest. Four of his knights took him literally, rode to Canterbury, and hacked Becket to death in the cathedral. The atrocity shocked all of Europe, and the Church quickly declared Becket a martyr. Threatened with excommunication, Henry was forced to do public penance to keep his throne. Becket's last words have also been recorded as "I commend myself to God, the Blessed Mary, St. Denis, and the patron saints of this Church," "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."

2)
Beecher, Henry Ward (1813-1887)
"Now comes the mystery." Henry Ward Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, was a fervent abolitionist and one of the most influential American clergymen of the 1800's. His down-to-earth sermons and outspoken moral earnestness helped make him a national figure. His popularity lasted throughout his life, surviving a sensational adultery trial in 1875 that ended in a hung jury, an acceptance of Darwinism, and even his eventual rejection of the divinity of Jesus.

3)
Cranmer, Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury (1489-1556)
"I see Heaven open and Jesus on the right hand of God." Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley (the Bishop of London), and Hugh Latimer (the Bishop of Worcester) were forced to stand trial as Protestant heretics after Queen Mary reestablished the Catholic faith as the official religion of England. All three were convicted and sentenced to be burned at the stake. Cranmer's case was appealed to the Pope, and while he awaited a response, Ridley and Latimer were executed. Cranmer was forced to watch their burning just prior to which Latimer allegedly announced, "Be of good comfort, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out." While awaiting a decision on his appeal, Cranmer recanted six times, some of them in writing. It was, of course, to no avail. On 21 March 1556, Cranmer was taken to St. Mary's in the center of Oxford and, following a sermon, was ordered to publicly recant. To everyone's surprise, he repudiated his recantations, "And forasmuch as my hand offended in writing contrary to my heart, therefore my hand shall first be punished; for if I may come to the fire it shall be first burned." After he was taken to the stake and the fire started, Cranmer held his right hand directly into the flame and cried out his last words for everyone to hear. Cranmer's last words at the stake have also been recorded as "This is the hand that wrote it, and therefore shall it suffer first punishment," and "I have sinned, in that I signed with my hand what I did not believe with my heart. When the flames are lit, this hand shall be the first to burn."

4)
Gregory, VII, Pope (1020?-1085)
"I have loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore I die in exile." Gregory is remembered as one of the great medieval reform popes. Unconcerned about politics, Gregory attacked the practice of investiture or the right of lay kings to grant church officials the symbols of their authority. This brought him into direct conflict with the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV. Henry attempted to subvert the pope and, unsuccessfully, attempted to have him kidnapped while conducting Christmas Mass. Henry continued to attack the pope in letters and speeches, and Gregory finally excommunicated him. In response, Henry launched his forces against the pope and besieged Rome from 1081-1083, finally conquering the city in 1084. Gregory fled to the castle of St. Angelo for safety, and Henry oversaw the crowning of one of his men, Guilbert of Ravena as Pope Clement III. Gregory's ally Robert Guiscard soon rescued the pope from St. Angelo, but much of Rome was destroyed in the process. The destruction infuriated the populace, and Gregory was forced to flee Rome and take refuge in Salerno, where he died the following year.

5)
Huss, John (1372-1415)
"O, holy simplicity!" John Huss was a Czech priest who became the leader of a reform religious movement. With his attacks on the church's wealth and corruption, he antagonized the archbishop and clergy of Prague. He was forbidden to preach and finally excommunicated. He was tricked by the Holy Roman Emperor, Sigismund, into attending a reform council. There, he was arrested, condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake.

6)
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.

7)
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.

9)
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.