I mentioned here earlier that Buckey O'Neill's alleged last words‚ "that the Spanish bullet has not been made. . ." are not backed up by history. According to the definitive work by Charles Herner "Arizona Rough Riders" pp 158-159 indicates that Capt. McClintock "implied he never quite believed the story." Herner also points out that Pvts Webb and Tuttle who were eyewitnesses to the death made no reference to the quote. Well, I just got this from Mark Lee Gardner:
Thought you might be interested in what James D. Raudebaugh, a member of O'Neill's Troop A, had to say about his captain's final words. He was just twenty feet away when O'Neill was killed by a sniper. Raudebaugh recorded his captain's words in a letter to his uncle dated July 8, 1898, and published in The Coconino Sun of July 23, 1898. See the attached.
—Mark Lee Gardner
Well, that's pretty convincing to me. Watch for Mark's next book which will be on Teddy Roosevelt.
"The Spanish bullet was not moulded yet that could kill [me]."
—Buckey O'Neill as quoted by James D. Raudebaugh
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