Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-08-22
ASSASSINATION OF GENERAL
JACKSON.
Irpnu urYrn.'s "THIEri YEARS ''H"'

BODY, and its front had reached tll' l',t " ~ ' ,.%,,
steps of the eastern portico, when lIc ! - ,, A.
Mr.: Woodbury., Secretary "i ."r he Sovy. were issu:n!
from tho door of the great rotunda, "n'1n" roI' 70,
the portico. At tina; instant, q Pcr'"" s'TLIv" t "a
the crowd into the little open sp".' ~ y, Ii,,nrn, II" :"
President, lcvcllcd n pistol ut MN, a. t !, w,s
about eight feet. and attempted 10 h!c: IL was
percussion lock and the cap cNp!"ird' N''''.ut i''"!
the powder in the barrel. The cHli""'on I'll wv, ga!
was so loud that many persona i'l""-"' -: i:'"' 800 ' ~,
fired; | heard il ut the io"t "i Inc s,'IH' ., .I' Nv
place, and a rrea, crowd between. liistailli! Inc per
SON drornrd The ni,;nl which had missed lire. too!
another which he held ready cooked III me !'it mama
concealed by n cloak-lcrcllci il, amd pulled The iri-
ger. 1t was also u pcrcn>-inn l"C"' ""'1 Il zap rN
plodcI without firing tie powder IN iHc 'ni 'vi' IN
President instantly rushed upon a." n y; A. 49,
cane: and the man sIrunk hack w. N""iDur,
uimcd n blow nj him; LirutcniiIi 'red''I o' me VA
W, Knocked him down; he Was secure" u! me ny
saunders, who delivered him Ia the officers oi JnsiirI
for judicial examination.
The examination took place before the Ihici Jus
ticc Of the District, Mr.. Cranch, by whom he wa:
committed, in dcfuult of bail. Hi name WnS hsccr
tanned to We Richard Lawrence, m En.l!':!Inan D.
birth and houSc-paintcr by trade, al present ouf %
employment, melancholy and lrrasc!n!c. IN" pistols
We're examined and found 10 be vel! l"ad'd nnI mr.
rh, afterwards, without fail. carrying Their bullets
true, and driving them through inch boards al thirty
feet distance; nor could any rca-nn be found Tor III,
two failures nj the door Of the rotuiiia. Oh ms tx
animation, the prisoner seemed To be NJ MS ease, rs Il
unconscious of having done any tlINg wronG-rciu'
sing 10 crOss-cxuminr the witnesses who testified
against him, or to give any explanation OF his con
duct. The idea of all unsound mind strongly impress
ins itself upon the public opinion, the Marshal "l thu
District invited two Of the most respectable physl
clans of tho city iDr. Cnussin and DR.. Thomas Sew.
ELL to visit him and examine into his mcntL. rondi
tion. They did so, and the following Is the report
made upon the case:
'Thc undersigned, hnving been requested ,. the
marshal of the District OF Columbia IN visit Richard
Lawrence, now confined in the Jail Of the County OF
Washington, for al attempt To Ussas-lnatc the Prrsi.
dent of the United States, with Il view Ia asccrtniu
Us far rs practicable, the present condition of hi,
bodily health, and stn;c Of mind, and believing thu, /,
detail OF the examination Will be more satisfactory
han IN abstract opinion Oh the subject, We therefor,
give the following statement On entering his room,
wr engaged III Il free conversation with him. in which
he participated, apparently, in the most artlc>s AMI
mrcscrycd manner. The first infcrrogntory pro.
pounded was, rs 10 his aye, which question alone he
>portivclv declined answering. We then i1nuir,,I
INTO the condition Of his health. for several wears
past, 10 which he replied that i; had been uniformly
good, ind that he had never laborcd under any mc.i.
Ial arrangement: nor did he admit the cxi-lcncc "i
any Of those symptoms of physical arrangement
which usually attended mental alienation. He sur!
he was born i'll England and came To this country
when twelve or thirteen vclr4 Of are, and that H..
father died in this distric; about six or ciyht wear.
since; that his father was Il Protestant UudhIs mother
q Methodist. and that he was 10; Il Professor Of any
religion, but sometimes read the Bible. and OCCASION.
ally attended church. He stated that he was Il pain
Ter by trade, and had followed that occupation To- the
present time; but, "i late, could not find steady EN-
plOymcn.-which had caused much pccUniarv EN-
Darrassmcnt with him. that he had been generally
temperate III hs habits, using ardent spirits moderate
~ when nj work; but, ior the lust three or four weeks.
had not taken any; that he had never gambIed, and.
in other RESPECTS, had led a regular sober life.
Upon being irtcrrogated ns Ia the circumstances
connected with the attempted assassination, he said
that he had been celebrating on il for some time past,
and that he had called al the Presidents housy about
n week previous TO the attempt, and huing conducted
to the Presidents apartment by the porter, found him
in conversation with q member Of Congress. whom
le believed 20 BIZ Mr.. Sutherland of PENNSYLVANIA;
that he stated 10 the President Tint he wan!.r! money
10 take him 10 England, and thar he must give him II
check on the bank, and the President remarked that
lie was 10" much engaged 10 attend 10 him-hr must
call another time, for Mr.. Dibblc was in waiiiu. Tor
an interview.
When asked about The pistols he had used, he sta.
ted that his father lcIt him Il pair, bu: mol hciGg alike,
ahout four years since. hc exchanged nnc for another.
which cxacrly matched the best Of the pair ,ies,
were both hin; locks, whirll BE- had recently uttered 1t
percussion locks, by q Mr.. Euiclcr; that lie hal been
frequently in tie habit of lOndIng and firing ii!osr pi--
to!s NJ marks, md that he had never known them 10
fail going oil an any other occasion. and that. II; the
distance OF ;cn yards, the bail always pass"L through
an ZACH pl1Ik. He also stated that lac had loaded
those pistols three ar four day. previous, with urliUa.
~ care, 10! III. purpose attempted; but TINT no used II
pencil instead OF Il TanIrod, and that during ilaI pc
Rod, they were az MI times Carried III LIS pocket; AMI
when asked WHY they failed To- explode, hr replied hS
knew no cause. When asked why he went To- the
Capitol u! thar dGy. he replied he expected that the
President would he there. lie hls" stated. that he
was in the rotuniu when the President arrived; and
on being asked why he did not then attempt 10 shoot
him, hc replied ihut he did not wIsiI 10 interfere with
the funeral crrcnunv, and therefore wHlird Ill! II WIS
over. He also observe! tia; he did not cTtcr the hail
but looked through a window from Il lobby, and saw
the Precedent Seated with members ui Congress. nni
he then returned 10 the rOtunin. and waited I'LL the
President again entered il, AMI then pissed through
end took his position III the rast p"r;ico, nbnuttw"v wards
from the door, drew HIS pistols from III. inside coat
pocket, cooked them and held one in cuch hand, con-
cealrd by his coat, lest he should alarm the spec-
,nturs-and states, that as suOn rs the one in the
right hand missed fire, he immediately Dropped
or exchanged il, and attempted Ia fire the ste.
und, before he WIS seized; he further stated that
he hul aimed each pistol NJ The President heart. aud
intended, il the first pistol h&; gone OF. and the Pro.
si!r,:: had fallen, IL have defended himself with tn"
scrond; it defence had been necessary. On bcin-
asked ii he DID not expect 10 have been Killed nH the
spot, if he had killed the President, he :. pl!cd
h. did not and that he hGd 10 Gyubt hut That h.
would have been protected by The spcr;.;ors, he
was frequently questioned wic.aer be IaLI Any friend,
present, from whom he expected protection. 10 tins
he replied that he never had mentioned his intention
20 any one, and that no one III particular knew his de-
SIN: but that he presumed il was Generally known
that ne intended to put the PRECEDENT out Of the WAY.
lie further stated, that wbcc the President arrived
NJ the door, near which he stood, finding INN sup
ported III the left b. Mr.. Woodbury., and oh.crviuy
inumv persons in his rear, aud being himself rather
- til right tthe President, III order {" avoid wound
ing Mr.. Woodbury., and those in the rear, he stepped
Il little tn his own right, so that sI"ul! the ball pass
Through the body of the President, It would be rccciv.
ed hy the door frame, or stone wall. Tn benz asked
if ho felt M trcpidgtiou durin. the atteInpi, he replled,
not the slightest, until he found TINT the second pISin!
had missed fire. Then observing t!iHt the President
was advancing upon him, with an upiitcd cane, he
feared thet il contained a sword, which might have
been thrust through him before he could have been
protected BY the crowd. And when mtrrrogatrd rs
IL the motive which induced him TO attempt the a..
sassiuution of the President, he replied that he had
been told that the President had caused his loss uf &C.
cupatiun, and tho consequent want of money. and he
believed that to put him out of the way, was the ,niy
remedy for this evil; but to the interogatory, WI" 'o'!
YOU this he could not identity any one, but remarked
;hgt his brelhcr-in -lnw, Mr.. Redfern, told him that he
would have no more business, because he wHs oppos,
ed 10 The President, and he believed Mr.. Redeem to
be in !rasur with the President agains' him. Again
bel IL questioned whether i" had often attended The
dcbuir- in Congress during the present srr-i"n, an'
whether they had influenced him III making Thu nj
tack on thu person Of The President, lc r'p!Ic'. thai
he had frequently attended Tn" DISCUSSION in both
branches Of Congress, but that they had. in no degree
Influenced his action.
".Upon being asked ii he expected 10 become Tia,
President of the United Slater. if Gen. Jackson had
fallen, he replied no. .
"Nbcn asked whom he wished 10 be the President,
his answer was, there were many persons III The
House Of Representatives. On being nsk"! II there
were no persons in thu Senate, yes ',yera! and II
was the Senate 10 which ! alluded. VINO, Ia y"di
opinion. Of the Sraa;a, would mike Il good President.
tie answered, Mr.. Clay. Mr.. Webster. Mr.. Calhoun,
What do you think u! Col. Benton, Mr. Van lirrcn'
or judge White, for President, lie Thought they
would do well. On being asked Il le Knew any mem
her of either House of Congress. he replied TINT he
did uo,-nud never sj,ok" 10 "ue in t' life, or they to
him. On being asked what bencii' Il" expected NM
sell from tn" d"uth of tho President, he answered hc
could not rise unless the President fell. nIl,l thai n"
cxpcct.d thereby 10 recover his liberty. and that the
mechanics would all be benefited; that ;he mechanics
would have plenty OF work, and that money w2GId
he more plenty. On being aske! why 1t would 9'
more plenty, he replied, il would be more easily oo'
,oin,,i from IN. Rank. I'm brinr asked whnt Bank,