Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1865-05-17

Prince led the way 10 his private apart
ment alone As nc reached the second
stair, a man emerged from the recess, and
standing within n foot or two Of him dis
charged pistol full at his heart Three
balls entered his body The Prince ex-
claimed in French, 80, my God have
mercy upon my soul 0, my God, have
mercy upon these poor people !" His
master Of horse caught him in his arms
when the fatal shot was fired. He was
laid on n couch in his dining room, when,
In n few minutes he breathed his last in
the arms of his wife and sister. The
through the side door and sped swiftly up
the narrow lane He was soon overtaken
and boldly owned the deed Upon being
questioned 10y the magistrates, he mani
tested neither despair nor contrition, but
rather exultation. When falsely inform
ed that his victim was not dead, he showed
no credulity or disappointment He had
discharged three poisoned balls into the
Princes stomach, and he knew that death
must have already ensued. He confessed
that he had brooded over the commission
of the dead for seven years, and that if he
were a thousand leagues away he would
return in order to do it again, if possible.
He was put to the rack, and endured his
tortures with constancy. "Ecce Homo r.
he exclaimed from time to time, as he
raised his blood od-streaminc head from the
bench. His judges believed him 10 be
supported by witchcraft, and sent for the
shirt of a sorceFer to destroy the charm
Sentence was then pronounced against
Gerard 1t was decrced:
That his right hand should be burned
of with a red hot iron
That his flesh should be torn from his
bones with pincers in six different places.
That he should be quartercd and dis
cmbowelcd alive
That his heart should he torn from his
bosom and flung in his face
That he should have his head taken
off
The fearful sentence was literally exe~
cuted on the 18th Of July, the wretch
supporting its horrors with astonishing
for:itudc. His lips were seen to move up
to the time his heart was thrown in his
face Then, said lookcr-on, .'he gave
mp the ghost"
The parents of Gerard received the
three sci@nories of Lieyremont, Hortol
and Daupmartinc, and took their place at
once among the landed aristocracv.
William Of Orange, at the period of his
death wat aged firty-one years. He was
buried on the Sd of August AT Delft, amid
the tears of a whole nation Never was
a more extensive, unaffected ,-lcgit mate
sorrow felt at the death of any human
being. In ali respects he was the first
statesman Of his age, His character re-
mains undimmed, e en- when compared
with that of Washington.
The attempt of Margaret Nicholson,
poor insane woman, upon the life of
George III, in 1886, does not come within
the category Of premiditared assassina-
tions. She believed, it appears, that the
crown of England was hers, and declared
that if she had not her rights, the king
dom won be delugcd in blood for a thou
sand generations. As the king WAS ali"ht-
inc from his carriage, this woman pre-
sented paper to his Majesty, and as he
stopped to receive it, attempted to stab
him in the breast The king, by drawin.
back. happily avoided the blow, and was
nnharmed Her insanity being evident,
Margaret Nicholson was very properly
sent, without punishment, TO a lunatic
asylum.
This was the last attempt to murder an
English sovereign OF which we find traces
In the history of our own country. from
the days of Washington until now, we re.
call only one attempt to assaSsinata the
Chief Magistrate 1t occurred in the sec
ond term of General jackson, on occasion
of the funeral, at the Capitol, Of a South
Carolina member The procession wa,
Just formed TO escort the remains to the
Congressional buryinG ground, ard the
President, near the head of the process
sion had Just crossed the rOtunda Of the
Capitol, and was about t" step out on the
portico; suddenly a man emcr-ei from
the crowd, and, placing himself before
the President, levciled Il pistol at his
brcHSl, ne cup "a pibdtd WIN jOuO
noise without dischnrGinE the pistol The
man instantly dropped the weapon and
raised a second pistol concealed under his
cloak, That also missed fire General
jackson, on comprehending the mans
purpose, rushed upon him with his uplift-
ed cane {hi, ihseparable companion} Be
fore he reached him, Lieut. Gedney had
the assassin down, and he was secured
and placed in confinement. The Presi-
dent, overcome with rage. was hurri.
into carriage by his friends and driven
to the White House He could not be
d.vested of the persuasion TINT the man
was set on to attempt hi, destruction by
some of his p plitical eneclies, who were
at TINT time numerous r., we'll as bitter
Bue i wa. shown CO1ciusively in the
seque', that the prisoner was n iunatic.-
His name was Lawrence, an Englishman,
a house painter. long out of employment,
who had heard. on all sides, that the cOun-
try was ruined l,v General jackson, until
gradually the idea of Kidding the nation
Of him hEt; fixed itself in his crazy brain
The phr-icians who examined him port
ed that he stated the President was the
source of all his difficulties, and hg "as
fixed in his purpose to kill him, and If
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