The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-05-04
TO ASSASSIN ATE GENERAL
JACKSON.


JACKSON.
/ Now that an assassin has deprived the
nation of its Chief Magistrate, the fol-
lowing account OF an attempt upon the
ond term, will be found interesting. We
extract it from the first volume of Col
Benton's Thirty Years View:
On Friday, the Both of January, 1885,
the President with some members of his
Cabinet, attended the funeral ceremonies
of Warren K. Davis, Esq, in the hall of
the House of Representative which
body Mr.. Davis had been a member from
the State of South Carolina. The pro-
cession had moved out with the body,
and its front had reached the foot of the
broad steps of the eastern portico, when
the President, with Mr.. Woodbury., Sec
retary of the Treasury, and Mr. Mahlon
Dickerson, Secretary Of the Navy, were
issuisng from the door of the great ro-
tunda-which opens upon the portico
| AT this instant person stepped from
the crowd into the little open space in
| front Of the President, levelled pistol
at him, at the distance of about eight
feet, and attempted to fire. 1t was per
cussion lock, and the cap exploded, with
out firing the powder in the bareel The
explosion of the cap was SO loud that
many thought the pistol had fired. /
| heard it at the foot Of the steps, far from
the place, and great crowd between
Instantly the person dropped the pistol
which had missed fire, took another
which he held ready cooked in the left
hand, concealed by a cloak-levelled it,
I av II ,roI IaI ha Fri, r. Il
percussion lock. and the cap exploded
without firing the powder in the barrel
The President instantly rushed upon him
with his uplifted cane; the man shrunk
back; Mr.. Woodbury. aimed blow at
him; Lieut. Gedney of the Navy knocked
him down; he was secured by the by
ISLANDERS, who delivered him to the 9TH
GERS Of justice for judicial examination.
The examination took place before chief
justice of the district, Mr.. Cranch, by
whom he was committed in default of
bail. His uame was ascertained to be
Richard Lawrence, an Englishman by
birth, and house painter by trade, at pres
ent out OF employment, melancholy and
irascible. The pistols were examined,
and found to be well loaded, and fired
afterwards without fail carrying their
bullets at thirty feet distance; nor could
any reason be found for the two failures
at the door of the rotunda. On exami-
nation the prisoner seemed to be at his
ease, as If unconscious of having done
anything wrong-refusng to cross
examine the witness who testified against
him, or to give any explanation of his
conduct. The idea of an unsound mind
strongly impressed itself upon public
opinion, the marshal of the dis
81, I'll Al III
physicians Of the city (Dr. Cussin and
DR.. Thomas Sewell), to visit him and ex-
anime into his mental condition. They
did so, and the following is the report
which they made upon the case.
We omit the physicians report. which
is to the effect that Lawrence was of a
morbid, melancholy disposition, who had
been induced te believe that the finan-
cial condition of the country was owing
to Gen. Jackson's veto of the bank and
his war on currency, and that if he was
once out of the way, no matter who
might be his successor, business would
improve and money become plenty
1t is clearly to be seen from this med
ical examination of the man, that the at
tempted assassination of the President,
was one OF these cases of which history
presents many instrnces-a diseased
mind acted upon by a general outcry
against public man Lawrence was in
the particular condition to be acted upon
by what he had heard against Gen. Jack
soma workman out of employment
dy-idle-mentally morbid; and rea-
son enough to argue regularly from falss
premises. He heard the President ac
cused of breaking up the labor Of the |
country. and believed it-of producing
the distress. and believed it-of being a |
tyrant, and believed it-of being an OBJ |
stacle to all relief, and believed it. And |
coming to regular conclusion from all
these beliefs. he attempted to do what he /
believed the state of things required him |
to do-take the life of the man whom he I
considered the sole cause of his own and /
the general calamity-and the sole oh /
stacle TO his own and the general happi /
ness. Hallucination of mind was evi- +
dent; and the wretched victim of q dread +
ful delusion was afterwards treated as
insane, and never brought to trial But /
the circumstance made deep impression /
upon the public feelings, and irresitably |
carried many minds to the belief in a su- /
pretending Providence manifested in the |
extraordinary case of two pistols in sue |
cession-so well loaded. so coolly handled /
and which afterwards fired with such !
readiness, force, and precission-miss- /
ing fire. each in its turn. when levelled I
eight feet at the Presidents heart
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