Yes, he’s dead again (but not really)…

March 13, 2010 by  
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Given that newspaper reporting from the 18th and 19th centuries was as much hearsay as factual, it was not uncommon for many reports to be refuted in the same newspaper a few days later. This included deaths as well.  I suspect all of us collectors have found false reports deaths of someone notable.

The “New York Tribune” was not immune to this problem, and even seemed to make light of it in their front page headlines when they reported the Battle of Antietam in their Sept. 20, 1862 issue. Among the heads is “Stonewall Jackson Dead Again” (see photo).  But they only rubbed salt in their own wound—he (Stonewall Jackson) actually didn’t die until seven months later, the result of being shot at the battle of Chancellorsville (by one of his own soldiers).

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Comments

One Response to “Yes, he’s dead again (but not really)…”

  1. carl cripps on March 16th, 2010 12:41 pm

    it was not only 18th and 19th centurys that made these mistakes on someones death. i have a saturday july 6th 1974 cleveland press mold already to be printed saying sniper fires at gerald ford hits police car near dallas when in actual fact it was stones flying up and putting the windshield out. report goes on to say sniper is still at large

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