Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-03-05
From the Lynchburg yirginian.
MORE MIRACLEStt

The human mind is ever prone to ascribe sin.
| gular events 10 miraculous causes and hence
we have not been astonished TO see the studied
effort which has been made to impress the pub
| lie mind with the belief that the failure OF the
attempt TO assassnate the President was the re-
suit OF special inteTposition Of Providence in
his favor, aud still less to witness the ready Gre
| duiity which embraces the idea. But, il the
preservation Of the Presidents life was a mira
Gle, what shall be said Of fhe following cases ~
The first is copied from the Newburgh IN. "
| Gazette.
" A few days since, Mr.. Richard Coffin, coop.
er, in The employ of the Newbureh Whaling
Company, discharged workman by the name
OF Henry Hunt, an Englishman, having previ.
ously given him note for a sum Of money nav =
able on the first day of April next. Ga Tues
day last, Hunt entered the door of Mr. c. with
loaded gun, and demanded imm ed late paymcn nj
oil the note, and without waiting for n reply, le-
| yelled the gun at Mr.. c., with the ayowed in
=, ten.ion of shooting him. Fortunately it snap
ped wi,.eout igniting the printing. Mr.. c. i'm
mediately r. .rcated and succeeded IN GLIDING
the villain, who tnrsued him for some distance.
lie was soon after arrc-ted, taken before Justice
| Galley and committed having as we under
stood declared to the magistrate hat II had been
and still was his determination TO ta%e the life
| OF Mr.. Coffin. He will probably be tried 1t the
court IN tins village next week. The gun " SS
subsequently fired without difficulty, and found
W DC wen lOiuSu win Two DallS.'
Was this miracle in behalf of Mr. Richard
Coihn: We see no great difference except in
the fact that Mr.. c. is not President of the Uni.
ted States, or rather, the head Of devoted par.
ty But, here is another case, pat to the PURPOSE
copied from the late n. Y. Police Reports:
con Wednesday night seaman named Will
liam Dnrbin, born in England, who had been in
the British service, and more recently in that of
the United States, in the Constellation frigatc in
her last cruise, was brought up for assaulting and
attempting 10 shoot with pistol, a colored man
named Aaron Jacobs, the keeper of a refectory
at the corner of Catharinc and Cherry street.
Dnrbin, short time since. after leaving the Con
stellatlon at Norfolk Virginia, came to this city
with his wages, and commenced a course Of dis
sipatIon which soon wasted his means Some
person having passed on him a bill of SO on the
Franklin Bank of New Jersey which long since
iailcd, he determined to palm it off on Jacob
w ynt1i nc yea a2rudge. Obtaining of him a
shillins's worth of eatables he rendered in paw
ment the three dollar bill in question, which ia.
GODS ascertainlns was worthless, refused 10 re.
celve (the money not being paid) but retained il
III his possession while he demanded of Durbn
topay IN other money for what he had eaten
which he refused TO give, asserting that he had
no other. Durbin then demanded the bill back
which jacobs refused 10 give him, unit he should
pay the shilling due. Highly cxasperated at the
refusal OF Jacobs, Durbn threatened TO take his
iiie, unless he handed him back his bill, which
being refused, Durbin rushed upon Jacobs, and
pulled the trigger. The percussion cap explod.
cd with considerable noise, but did not ignite
the powder, and the life of Jacobs, like that of
the President was providentially saved. Durbin
furious at not destroying his intended victim,
was then arrested by Mr.. Tilley, Waterman,
aided by others, and secured. The pistol was
examined, and found to contain full charge of
powder with two balls; and on the prisoner, a
large knife, vial of laudauum, and another of
some other drug besides several dollars of good
money in his pocket. On the way TO the Office
ne expressed his regret, that he had not killed
the black rascal, as he termed Jacobs, and rcfu.
sing TO explain the cause of his destructive pur-
pose' was committed TO Prison"
Miracles, il would seem, are becoming quite
common aud withal, they are employed in de.
fence OF the lives of coopers and cooks as well as
Presidents