Friday, August 09, 2013

And still another quote

Pancho Villa's dying words, spoken to a journalist after he was shot by assassins in 1923:

"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something."

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe that quote to be apocryphal. Pancho was shot to doll rags. Doubt he said anything but "Oh, shit!"

Biographer Friedrich Katz (definitive) says he died instantly.

Graphic image: http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/mexican-revolution/dead-villa3.gif

And here (that's Villa's secretary Trillo hanging out of the window): http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Mexican%20Revolution%20-%20People/Villa%20Assassination%2001.jpg

Jim Cornelius
www.frontierpartisans.com

Steve Bodio said...

I believe you, Jim-- that he was shot up was my impression too.

The source of that one was interesting, though-- an edition of The Analects of Confucius translated by the great sinologist, anti- Maoist, and historian who writes under the name of Simon Leys.

He is actually a Belgian Jesuit of great age and wit, who used a pseudonym so he could get still into China. His translation of Confucius has notes almost half again as long, full of nuggets like the Villa.

"Print the Legend" ??

Anonymous said...

Ah, indeed... print the legend.

Jim