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chained_bear commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
Staunton (Va.) Spectator, August 20, 1861:
Mr. E. O. Randolph killed his wife at Middlebrook in this county on Saturday night last by stabbing her in the abdomen and arm. She died on Sunday morning. E.O. Randolph is the same person who was tried here some time since as a spy, who a few weeks since stabbed Dr. McCheaney, and who accidently shot Mr. Jacob Prubeck last week. He is either very unfortunate or a very bad man.
July 30, 2008
reesetee commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
Wait...there's a question?? ;-)
July 31, 2008
sakhalinskii commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
I vote we ship the bastard off to Geneva.
July 31, 2008
bilby commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
He could be careless. Very careless.
July 31, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
Not according to the Staunton (Va.) Spectator, he ain't. He's either very unfortunate, or a very bad man. Those are the options. He is not permitted to be thought of as careless.
July 31, 2008
reesetee commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
And if anyone knows from unfortunate or very bad, by God it's the Staunton (Va.) Spectator.
I guess....
July 31, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
(reesetee's comments make me giggle. that is all.)
July 31, 2008
dontcry commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
He could just be clumsy. Unfortunately clumsy and bad with sharp objects.
July 31, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
No, no. I'm very sorry, but the ONLY options are either very unfortunate or a very bad man. This has been made abundantly clear by the Staunton (Va.) Spectator. The man must be one of these options.
July 31, 2008
bilby commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
That's right dontcry. He could be a circus kife-thrower who's going through a rough patch.
But back to the good stuff, the lead sentence in c_b's original citation is quite firm. "Mr. E. O. Randolph killed his wife at Middlebrook in this county on Saturday night last by stabbing her in the abdomen and arm." That's far more than any modern newspaper can say, who would probably render it "Mr. E. O. Randolph has been charged with homicide over the death of his wife ... " etc. Yet the last sentence then backs right away with "very unfortunate or very bad" and there's no sense (to me) that it fulfills the distancing function of the modern style. It's just tersely ironic.
July 31, 2008
dontcry commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
I hope his defense attorney went with unfortunate.
July 31, 2008
reesetee commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
If he's a circus knife thrower, I'd suggest he stick to knives and lay off the guns.
Also: Can circus knife throwers be spies? Not according to the Staunton (Va.) Spectator. No sir. Very unfortunate or very bad. That is all.
July 31, 2008
sionnach commented on the word either very unfortunate or a very bad man
*Collapsing in helpless mirth*
March 5, 2009