The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1865-05-05
Assassination-The Attempt to take
the Life of Gen. Jackson.

Now that an assassin has deprived the
nation Of It's Chief Magistrate, the follows
ing accoun: Of an attempt upon the life of
Gen. Jackson, during his second term, will
be found interesting. We extract it from
the first volume of Col Benton's Thirty
Yeas Repiew:
'On Friday, the 30th day Of January
1885, The President with some members
OF his cabinet, attended the funeral Ger
emonies of Warren +. Davis, Esq, in the
hall of the House of Representatives.
which Mr.. Davis had been a member from
the State of South Carolina.
| The procession had moved out with the
body, and its front had reach e d the
foot of the broad steps Of the eastern por>
tico, when the President with Mr., Woods
bury, Secretary Of the Treasury. and Mr..
MabIon Dlckerson, Secretary Of the Navy,
were issuing from the door Of the great
rotunda-which opens upon the portico.
At that instant person stepped from the
crowd into the little open space in front
Of the President, levslIed q pistol at him
at The distance of eight feet and attempt
ed to fire. 1t was percussion lock, and
the cap exploded, without firing the pow
der in the barrel. The explosion Of the
cap was so loud that many thought the
pistol had fred. heard it at the foot OF
the steps, far from the place, aud great
crowd between. Instantly the person,
/ dropped the pisto! which had missed fire.
took another which he had already cock
ed in the left hand concealed bv a cloak
-!eseIed it-and pulled the trigger -
1t was also percussion look, ard the
cap exploded, without firing the powder
in the barrel. The President instantly
rushed upon hun with his up-iihed cand;
! The man shrunk back Mr.. Woodbury.
aimed blow at him Lieut.. Gedney of
the Navy knocked hm down; lie was Sc
cured BY tie bysauders. who deliteied
hnn TO the officers OF justice for judicial
/ examination. The examination took place
! before HE chief Justice OF The district, MIR
Crarch BY whom be was committed il
! default Of bail. His name was ascertain-
ed to be hlcnaFd Lawrence, al English
man by birth, and a house painter by
trade, at present out Of employment, mel
EaachoIy and lrascbie. TIE pistols were
examined and touud 10 be well loaded,
( #Qd Tired al erward7 without fall, carving
! their bullets true, and driving tl:euI
/ through inch boards at thirty feet dis
! tancce nor could a1y reason be found for
I The two failures at the door Of the ioiunda
i On his examination the prisoner seemed
/ To- be Al lis ease, as if unconscious Of hav-
/ ng doing anything wroug-ieiusing to
cross-eXanine the witness who testified
against him. or to give any explanation Of
! his conduct. The idea Of an unsound
/ mind strongly impresSiug itself upon pubic
! opinion, the marshal of the district invil-
ed two ofthe most respectable physicians
! Of the city (DT. Caussin ard DR.. Thomas
! ~eWeil.) 10 Wait him and examine into his
/ mental condition. They did SO aud he
following is the report which they made
! upon the ease ~
We omit The report Of the physiylan>
when Is to The effect that Lawrence va,
/ OF morbid, melancholy DISTORTION. who
had been induced to believe that the fin
! anclai condition Of the country wa, oring
! t. Ger. Jack-on's veto g. tie L&-k .,.
and lis war on the curreccv, that II he
was once out of the way, no ",atfer who
! might be his successor. business wOn!a
/ Improve and money become plenty.
Ii is clearly to be seen from this raedI-
cal examination Of the man, that this st
tempted assassination of the President
was one OF those cases Of which history
/ resented many iustar"es--a Gi>eas ed
! rmird acted upon b. general ou:cry a
ga!"st a public man. Lawrence was IN
The particular condition to he acted upon
/ by , lat he had heard against Gen. Jack
ION "A workman cut Of employ ment-
/ ueoty- ldle-meniaIIy morbid, and with
reason enough to argue regularly from
false premises. He heard the President
accused of breaking up the labor Of the
country and believed it-of making
| money scarce and he believed it-of pro-
duc'ng the distress and he believed it-of
being tyrant. and he beli'v'd it-of being
an obstacle to all fe'iet and he believed.
And coming to a regular conclusion of all
these belief, be attempted TO do what he
believed the state of things required him
10 do-take the life Of the man whom be
considered The cause Of his own and the
general caIamity-and tho sole obstacle
to his own and the general happiness
HalIucination Of mind was evident; and
the wretched victim OF a dreadful deIusion
was afterwards treated as insane, and never
brought to trial. But the circumstances
made deep impression upon the public
| feeling and irresistibly carried nany minds
to the belief in experimenting Provi
| dence, manifested in the extraordinary
case Of two pistos-so well loaded, SO
coollv handled, and which afterwards fred
with such readiness, force, and precision
missing fire, each in It's turn when
evei(e6 eight feet at the PresideDl's heart"
Grant and Lee.
The two greatest men produced respects
| lively by the North and South during this
1 e. c.