South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1835-02-07

ed. that he was never known TO have
talked or thought about politics. His
acouaintances seem TO think that he
,heugh, himself entitled to be King OF
Governor of this country, or some-
thing Of that sort, and brooded over
the notion that Gen. JACKSON stood in
his way. 1t is certain that ne inqulr-
ed, the evening before, OF some ones
whether the President would be at the
funeral, and was answered in The all
6rmative. His being at the Capital,
armed, was, therefore, almost certain.
". the work of Fermentation.
After committing the above to pa
Der, we were politely favored with the
following authentic statement made by
highly intelligent Mag istrate Of this
city, who has taken the trouble per-
sonally to investigate the question OF
.LAwRENcE's sanity
WASHINGTON. Jan. 81, 1885.
I have made all the inquiries I could,
to-day. in regard to the unhappy man
nawrence) who made the attempt yes
terday upon the life Of Gen. Jackson.
and the result has been perfect conyic-
ton. upon my mind, of his absolute in-
sanity.
went first to the house where he
boarded. He had not been there long,
but one of the boarders said he had been
some time convinced that he was not Of
sane mind, and that he had previously
mentioned it. He boarded at Mr..
Shields's, near the Unitarian Church, but
did not keep his clothes, or any thing else
there. Nothing was known there of his
having had pistols.
ed. went to Mr.. r. s in the West
end of the city, who married slsterof
Lawrence's. Both he and his wife told
me that they had no doubt of Lawrence's
mind being more or less unsettled for
eighteen months past. They gave as
evidence Of it, tirst, that about that time,
he had left here, with the avowed inten-
ton of going to England, and had pro-
ceeded to New York, where he remained
SOME time. and then returned, saying
that the ship.e wners had all entered into
q combination against him, and had re-
fused to give him q passage to Englond
that they knew he had a large fortune
here, and that rheir object was to pre-
vent his getting away, so that they might
possess themselves oft.
Some time ago Lawrence attempted
to kill his sister, Mrs. R. and her hus-
band had him arrested and confined for
a while in Jail. He did not reside with
them, and, indeed had harbored such
resentment against Mr.. r. that he did
not speak with him. They did not know
of his having pistols of late, but Mrs. r.
says he formerly had q pair ofsmall brass
pistols, which had belonged to their ia
ther-they had flints, but she has heard
that he wanted to get them altered to be
used with the percussion lock. She thinks
if she saw them she could say whether
those he used were the same.
Lawrence had a shop where he Gid his
painting. Mr.. Drury had a room adjoin-
ing this, and the latter says that for a
long time he has observed l.. 10 be very
solitary taciturn in regard to his inter-
course with others, but very much given
to talking to himself. He has heard him
declare that he should be Richard the
Third, King Of England, and King of A.
merica. These declarations were so we'll
known that the boys were in the habit of
calling him liking Richard" and oflate
this has annoyed him so much that he
has threatened the boys, and even driven
them out of his presence.
Drury says, that yesterday morning he
was in his shop talking incoherentiy, and
he heard him, all at once, slam down the
lid of box, and exclaim in very audi
BILE tone, ''I'll be damned if don't do it,"
This was but a little while before the flu
neral.
To-day the sister of Lawrence called
at the jail to see him, and to the inquiry
why he had committed the rash act, he
said at was all right General Jackson
was his servant, but had not done as he
wished, and ought to be punished"
l could mention many other circum-
stances, but these, / am sure, will carry
conviction to your mind that the man
committed the desperate act of yesterday,
under the influence of mental derange-
ment.--Ib. of Feb. 2.