The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-09-16
Attempted As,ass ss,na;ion Of General
Jackson.
IRON rlSToS's "ruIgTY YEARS viIw.''l

Representatives, which body NJ. Davis
had been member from the state of South
| Carolina, The procession had moved out
with the body, and its front had reached the
foot of the broad steps Of the eastern port.
co, when the President, with Mr.. Woodbu.
ry, Secretary Of the Treasury and Mr..
Mahlon Dickerson, Secretary Of the Navy,
were Issuing from the door Of thc great rO.
tunda which opens upon the pUrtico. At
that instant person stepped from the crowd
into the little open space in front Of the Pre-.
sidcnt, lcvellcd n pistol at Him, at the dis.
tance OF about eight icet, and attempted TO
firc. 1t was percussion lock, and the cap
exploded without firing the powder in the
barrel. The explosion Of the cap was so
Y loud that many persons thought the pistol
had fired heard IL at the foot Of the steps,
far from the place, and a great crowd be-
tween. Instantly the person dropped the
pistol which had missed fire, took another
which he held ready cooked in the left hand,
concealed by cloak, lcvolled it, and pulled
the trigger. twas also percussion lock,
and the cap exploded without firing the pow
der in the barrel The President instantly
rushed upon him with h,s uplitcd cane, and
the man shrunk back Mr. Woodbury. al
med blow at him; Lieutenant Ggdncy, Of
thc ravy, knocked him down be was secu.
red by the bystandcrs, who delivered him to
! the officers Of justice for Judicial cXami1a-
ton.
The examination took place before the
Chief Justice Of the District, Mr. Cranch,
hywhom he was committed, in default of
bail. His name WAS asccrtaiucd to be Ri
chard Lawrence, an Englishman by birth
and housn painter by trade, at present out Of
employment, melancholy and iriGscble
The pistols were examined and found 70 be
well loaded and fred, afterwards, Without
til, carrying their buliets true and driving
Them through inch boards at thirty feet dis.
tancc nor could any reason be found for the
two failures at the doors of the rotunda. On
his examination the prisoner seemed to be at
his case, a. if unconscious of having done
anything gWrong refusing 10 cross examine
the witnesses who testified against him, or to
give any explanation Of his conduct The
idea Gf an unsound mind strongly impressed
itself upon the public opinion, the maTsAal
Of the District invited two Of the most re-
spectacle physicians Of the city (Dr Caussn
and DR.. Thomas ScwcJ to visit him and
examine into his mental condition. They did
so, and the following is thcrcVort made upon
The CASE:
''rhc undersigned, having been requested
by the marshal of the District Of Columbia
to visit Richard Lawrence, now confined in
the jail Of the county Of Washington for an
z attempt 20 assasgratc the President cf the
United States, with yiew to ascertain, as
Gras practicable, the present condition OF
his bodily health and state Of mind, and he
lievine that detail Of the examination viii
be more satisfactory than an abstract opinion
on the subject, we therefor give the follow
ing statement: On entering his room We IN.
gagged in a free conversation with him, in
which he participated, apparently, in the
most aftlcss and urrcscrv,d manner. TIL.
frs, intercgatory prop,unGcd was as to lis
age, winch question alone he spOrtiyely de-
clincd answering Wethcn inquired into tic
condition Of bis health for several year,
past, to which he replied that it had been
uniformly good, and that he had never labo.
red under any mental arrangement: nor did
he admit the existence Of any Of those
symptoms Of physical d,ranscm".t which
uslaiiy attended mental alienation. He said
he was born in England and came TO thl'
country when twelve or thirteen years o
age. anl that his father died in this District
about siN Ur eight years since that his "A
thcr was . Protestant aud his mother Ne
thod!st. an that hc was not a professor o
q ruy religion, but sometimes read the Bible,
= and occasionally attended church H. stated
that ho was n painter by trade and had fol-
lowed that occupation TO the present time
but, OF late, could not find steady employ
d ment, which had caused much pccuniary
) embarrassment with him that he had beer
generally temperate in his habits, using ar
dent spirits moderately when at work but
for the last three or four weeks, had not Ia
, ken any; that lac had never gambcd, and
! in other respects, had led regular and so
b,r lifc
7 "Upon being intcrrogntod as to the cir
cumstanccs connected with the attempted MS
sassiEation, lac said that he had been dclbe
rating on il for some time past, and that he
, had called az the Presidents house about .
$ week previous to the attempt, and being
conducted tothc Presidents apartment by
, the porter, found him in conversation with ;
l member Of Congress, whom he believed tC
be Mr.. Sutherland. Of Pennsylvania; tina
| he stated 10 the President that he wantlt
, money to take him to England, and that ht
must give him check on the bank, and the
President remarked that he was too mucl
engaged TO attend 10 him-hc must call amo
thcr time, for Mr.. Dibblc was in waiting fol
an interview.
"Whcn asked about the pistols he hat
used, Lc stated that his father left him
pair, but not being alike, about four year.
since he exchanged one for another, which
exactly matched the best of the pair
these were both flint locks, which
h had recently had altered to percussion
locks bya Mr.. Botcler; that he had beer
, frequently in the habi, of loading and firing
those pistols Mt marks, and that he had ne
yer known them to fail going of ON any
other occasion, and that at the distance o
ten yards the ball always passed through nj
inch plank. He also stated that he had loa
dod those pistols three or four days preyiou,
with ordinary care, for the purpose attcmp'
ted but that he used pencil instead of 4
ramrod, and that during that period, they
were at all times carried in his pocket; ant
when asked why they filled to explode, he
replied he knew no cause. When asked why
he wen, TO the Capitol on that day, he rcpliot
he expected that the President would bC
there. He also stated, that he was in the ro
tunda when the President arrived; and or
being asked why he did not then attempt 10
shoot him, he replied that he did not wish to
interfere with the fun raj ceremony, and
therefore waite till twas over. lie also oh
served that he did not enter the hall but loo.
kcd through window from lobby, and saw
the President seated with members Of Con.
gross, and he then returned TO the rotundo
and waited till the President again entered
. H. and then paised through ahd took his pO.
Sition in the cast portico, about two yards
, from the door, drew his pistols from his in.
side oat.pockct. cooked them and held one N
each hand concealed by his coat, lest he
should alarm the specta,ors--and states, that
aS soon as the one in the right hand missed
lire, he Immediately dropped or exchanged
it, rnd attempted to iic The second, before
he was seized he further stated that he had
aimed each pistol at the Presidents heart,
, and Intended, II the first pistol had gone Oft,
and the President had fallen, TO have dettn.
dcd himself with the second if defence had
! h,,n npn,ss,r. I'm IA cling asked IL he did