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| Narvaez,
Ramon Maria (1800-1868) |
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"I do not have to forgive my
enemies. I have
had them all
shot." |
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Ramon Narvaez was a Spanish politician and
general who
served repeated
terms as prime minister during the mid-18th century.
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| Nazi
War Criminals (various-16 October 1946) |
|
01:11 a.m. Joachim von Ribbentrop - "My
last wish
is that Germany
realize its entity and that an understanding be reached between East
and
West. I wish peace to the world." |
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01:?? a.m. Field Marshal Keitel - "I
call on God
Almighty to have
mercy on the German people. More than two million German soldiers
went to their death for the fatherland before me. I follow now my
sons--all for Germany." |
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01:36 a.m. Ernest Kaltenbrunner - "I
have loved my
German people
and my fatherland with a warm heart. I have done my duty by the
laws
of my people and I am sorry this time my people were lead by men who
were
not soldiers and that crimes were committed of which I had no
knowledge.
Germany, good luck." |
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01:47 a.m. Alfred Rosenberg - "No."
(when asked
if he had any
last words) |
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01:?? a.m. Hans Frank - "I am thankful
for the kind
treatment during
my captivity and I ask God to accept me with mercy." |
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02:05 a.m. Wilhelm Frick - "Long live
eternal
Germany." |
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02:12 a.m. Julius Streicher - "Heil
Hitler!" ("Ask
the man his
name.") "You know my name well. Julius Streicher! . . .
Now it goes with God. . . . Purim Fest 1946! . . . The Bolsheviks will
hang you one day! . . . I am with God. Adele, my dear wife." |
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02:20 a.m. Fritz Sauckel - "I am dying
innocent. The sentence
is wrong. God protect Germany and make Germany great again.
Long live Germany! God protect my family!" |
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02:?? a.m. Alfred Jodl - "My greetings
to you, my
Germany." |
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02:38 a.m. Artur Seyss-Inquart - "I
hope that this
execution is
the last act of tragedy of the Second World War and that the lesson
taken
from this world war will be that peace and understanding should exist
between
peoples. I believe in Germany." |
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For more information:
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| Nelson,
Horatio, Vice Admiral the Viscount (1758-1805) |
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"God bless you, Hardy." |
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Horatio Nelson is the most famous of all
British
admirals. He
was appointed as commander of the Mediterranean forces at the beginning
of the Napoleonic wars and lost an eye at Calvi and and arm at
Tenerife.
After destroying the French fleet at the Nile, he rested in Naples were
he began a scandalous affair with the wife of a British envoy, Lady
Emma
Hamilton. He was victorious once more at the battle of
Copenhagen,
and when a revitalized French fleet broke through a blockade at Toulon,
he crushed them again at Trafalgar. During the battle, Nelson was
mortally wounded, but not before sending his famous last signal to the
fleet, "England expects every man will do his duty." Taken below
deck, Nelson lingered in pain for several hours. He summoned the
Captain of his flagship, Thomas Hardy, and ordered "Don't throw me
overboard.
. . .Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy; take care of poor Lady
Hamilton. Kiss me, Hardy." Hardy knelt down and kissed
Nelson's
cheek. "Now I am satisfied," said Nelson, "Thank God, I have done
my duty." Hardy knelt once more and kissed Nelson's
forehead.
Nelson looked up, blessed Hardy, and died. |
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The surgeon who treated Nelson for his
wounds recorded
his last words
as: "And take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, Hardy. Take care of
poor Lady Hamilton. Kiss me, Hardy. . . . Remember that I
leave
lady Hamilton and my daughter, Horatia, as a legacy to my country--and
never forget Horatia." |
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For more information:
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| Nostradamus
(Michel de Notre Dame) 1503-1566 |
|
"Tomorrow, I shall no longer be here." |
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Nostradamus was a cryptic prophet whose
verse has been
credited by
some as foretelling future events despite its vague language and
lack of any chronological reference. His predictions achieved
local
recognition after he claimed to have discovered a cure for the
plague.
Word of one of his prophesies eventually reached Catherine de Medici,
the
superstitious
wife of Henry II, who believed it was about her husband: "The
young
lion will surpass the old one in national field by a single duel.
He will pierce his eyes in a golden cage two blows at once, to die a
grievous
death." After Henry was killed in 1559 during a tournament when a
lance, yielded by a younger opponent, pierced his eye, Nostradamus
achieved
true fame. |
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One evening, in 1566, Nostradamus's
assistant found him
writing at
his bench and bid him good night saying "Tomorrow, master?" After
Nostradamus replied, the assistant left the room. When he
returned
the next day, he found Nostradamus dead and a note on the desk: "Upon
the
return of the Embassy, the King's gift put in place, Nothing more will
be done. He will have gone to God's nearest relatives, friends,
blood
brothers, Found quite dead near bed and bench." |
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For more information:
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| Oates,
Lawrence Edward Grace, Captain (?-1912) |
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"I am just going outside and may be
some time." |
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Captain Oates was a member of Captain
Robert
Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole in
1911-12.
Despite broken equipment and severe weather, Scott and his party
reached
the South Pole on 18 January only to find that Roald Amundsen had
reached
it a month sooner. Severe weather and lack of food and water
threatened
the return trip to the base camp. Oates will always be remembered
as the man who left the party and walked willingly to his death
in
order that his comrades might have a better chance to live. No
member
of Scott's expedition survived. |
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For more information:
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| O'Neill,
Eugene (1888-1953) |
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"Born in a hotel room--and God damn
it--died in a
hotel room." |
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Eugene O'Neill, thought by many critics to
have been
the most important
American dramatist, earned one Nobel and four Pulitzer Prizes during
his
lifetime. He was born in a New York City Broadway hotel room, the
son of an Irish-American actor. For much of his life he suffered
from a debilitating Parkinson's-like disease. When he died in
1953,
it was--much to his chagrin--also in a hotel room. |
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For more information:
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| O'Neill,
William "Buckey" (?-1998) |
|
"Sergeant, the Spanish bullet isn't
made that will
kill me." (See
John Sedgwick) |
|
Buckey O'Neill was a Arizona lawyer,
miner, cowboy,
gambler, newspaperman,
sheriff, and congressman. He was also one of the most important
members
of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War,
having
recruited many of the volunteers and supervised their training while in
San Antonio waiting to be deployed. |
|
Just prior to the famous charge up Kettle
(not San
Juan) Hill, O'Neill
was standing up, smoking a cigarette, and joking with his troops while
under withering fire from the ridge. One of his sergeants shouted
to him above the noise, "Captain, a bullet is sure to hit you!" to
which
O'Neill shouted back his reply. O'Neill then calmly turned to
another
officer. As he started to speak, a bullet struck him in the
mouth.
Private Tuttle, who was standing nearby, later recalled, "I heard the
bullet.
You usually can if you're close enough, you know. It makes a sort
of 'spat.' He was dead before he hit the ground." |
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For more information:
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| Oswald,
Lee Harvey |
|
"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 thinnks it is a wise thing to do,
but
at the present time I have nothing more to say to you." |
|
On 22 November 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald
shot and killed President
Kennedy from a window of the Texas Book Depository in Dallas.
Later that afternoon, he shot Officer Trippit of the Dallas Police and
was shortly thereafter apprehended inside the Texas Theater. Two
days later, he addressed his last words to Inspector Thomas Kelly of
the
U.S. Secret Service just before he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby. |
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For more information:
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| Perugino,
Pietro (Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci) (1446-1523) |
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"I am curious to see what happens in
the next world
to one who dies
unshriven." |
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Perugino was one of the Italian master
painters who was
hired to paint
the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel. His most famous pupil was
Raphael.
On his deathbed, Perugino refused to send for a priest to administer
the
last rites.
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| Picasso,
Pablo (1881-1973) |
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"Drink to me!" |
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Pablo Picasso was a Spanish painter,
sculptor, and
ceramist, who developed
Cubism, one of the most influential modern painting styles. |
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For more information
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| Pitt,
William (1759-1806) |
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"Oh, my country! how I leave my
country!" |
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William Pitt was a British Prime Minister,
and faced
repeated crises
in India and Ireland. He lead the diplomatic offensive against
revolutionary
France and Napoleon. He died in office, primarily as a result of
overwork, desperately aware of England's perilous situation
following
Napoleon's victory at Austerlitz. |
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Pitt's last words were also recorded as
"Oh, my
country, how I love
my country," and "I think I could eat one of Bellamy's veal
pies."
Bellamy was, I believe, a House of Commons courier.
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| Poe,
Edgar Allan (1809-1849) |
|
"Lord help my poor soul." |
|
Edgar Allan Poe was a famous American poet
and
author. He achieved
national fame after publishing The Raven in 1845 and wrote many
excellent and macabre short stories. His chronically poor health
was compounded by alcohol abuse, and he suffered what some considered
to
be a nervous breakdown after the death of his wife in 1847. |
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Poe's last word has also been recorded as
"Nevermore"
in answer to
a deathbed question, "Would you like to see your friends?" |
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For more information:
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| Pompadour,
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, Marquise d'Etoiles (1721-1764) |
|
"Wait a second." |
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Madame de Pompadour was a lady of the
French court and
mistress to
Louis XV. She was a major influence on French politics of the
mid-18th
century. As she died, Madame de Pompadour called on God to "Wait
a second." When He did, she quickly applied rouge to her cheeks.
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