The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1865-05-19
Assassination in History.

Tho first death of q Chief Magistrate Of
tho United States, by the hand of an assas
sin, recalls to mind many examples Of simi.
lar events in tho history Of nations. In the
Grst shock of tho calamity which has be.
fallen us, and undor tho circumstances of
horror, not without mystery, which surround
tho double attempt at assassination, men
naturally use the language Of hybcrbole.
and tho crime is spoken OF bs "unparallelod.'
Several newspapers have referred TO it as
"uL,xampled since the assassination Of Ju.
illus Ca5ar." But slight reflection shows
how Tar FROM tho fact arc such wholesale
aud hasty judgments. While it is quite true
that never was tburo a moro uuprovoke ell
aud incxcusablo murder, of a ruler whose
justice and milducss wero so conspicuous,
history furnishes nu'tiludes OF instances OF
attempted or successful assass ations, far
more cowardly aud fully as atrocious. Let
us collaie a few examples.
! We need not 90 to Oriental dcspotisms;
nor to tho bloody annals of ttIe decline and
fall OF Rome; cor TO Turkey, where murder,
swift and secret. has been so common that
IL might be stylca tho normal condition OF
socie,y; nor even to Russia, where such con.
spicuous examples OF the murder OF crowned
heads arc found. that the Russian Govern.
]
tempered BY assassination We will go to
no semi ba, barous uations, but confno our.
selves to tho more refined and civilized en-.
pires of modern timcs--France aud Eng.
land-whose condition and circumstances
afford tho nearest parallel to our own hith.
erto secure and happy country. The ex.
ampies We shall quote will serve TO show
the motives and character of the assassins
tho comparative atrocty or palliations OF
their crime, and the punishment which was
in each case meled out TO them.
The first instance in French history We
shall cite occurs in the "wars of religion
which fill so dark and bloody page in the
annals OF tho sixteenth century. Henry Ill
/ tho last Of tho race Of Valos, was on the
tLroue. Paris was besieged by tho Hugue-
nots, whom the King openly favored Ter.
riblo passion agitated the Catholic party,
known as "the Loaguc,' and tho King was
marked for vengeance. The willing ustru.
ment was found in the person OF Jacques
Clement young monk, ignorant and .im
ple.mnded, but ardent, hcadstrong. and
audaciously bold. Tho only scrup!o that
restrained him was his priestly character -
! He demanded of his superiors if it were a
moral sin to kill tyrant: io was an
swered that it was an irregular or unlawful
act. and, encouraged by the Scriptural ex.
amples of Judith and Of Jehu, he prepared
himself by fasting and by sacraments toi
tho decd. He cunnngIy devised means OF
penetrating TO the Kings person, by assum'
ing tho character OF a royalist. aud pretend
ing to have important information from bis
servants in Paris. lie had with him O
forged letter Of credit from the Kings
J chamberlain, was admitted to tho ante
chamber, and made known that no had tO
communicate important news to the King
in secret. Henry III overruling his cap
tain of the guards, although he had provi
ously received many warnings of danger
made his attendants retire few steps. and
'lent his ear" to tho monk. An Instant af
ter tho King gave loud cry-"O! the
wicked monk, he has killed mel Brother
Jacques had drawn a long knuo from bil
mantle. and plunged it into the abdomen o
the King.
Henry raised himself up quickly, drew
tho weapon from the wound, which bed
pro!usely, and struck tho assassin with it is
The face at the same time he was seized. The
Kings body. guard. the "Forty.five." hearing
his cries, ran in and massacred Clement on
the spot, leaving the extcutiODers only u
corpse on which to wreak tho vengeance of
the law. The King died of his wound two
days later, August 3. 1889.
Only fivo years artery was the successful as
sassination of Henry w. OF Navarro. his
brother and successor on the throne OF
France As the King was entering one OF
his apartments in the Louvre, surrounded
with throng of couriers, a youth of eight.
cen or twenty. who had glidcd into his su'ie
unobserveG, dealt him blow on tho breas,
with knife. Fortunately asIho King was
STOPPING at that moment, to raise two gen.
tlemen who were kneeling to him accord.
ing to the custom Of presentations, the knife
only grazed his upper tip. cutting it severe.
ly. The ASSASSIN dropped his knife and
tried to escape through the crowd, but wat
seized, and confessed that he was a pupil ol
the Josuits, named Jean CbasteI. Ho avowed
that it had been his intention to kill the
King, which was thing permissible. said
he, since Henry Nv. was not approved BY
tho Pope. lie had no accompliccs, aud
said he had not been instigated by his su'
periors. having only learned theoretically y
from the lawfuIness of the Kings murder
Parliament, being in session, condemned
the regic'de to execution by the following
horrible ordeal He was to be torn with
pncers, to have bis right hand cut off, his
body drawn AID dismembered by fouI
horses, and his limbs afterwards burned
The sentence was literally executed, aud by
the same decree all the Jesuits we're ex
pelled the kingdom, and their property
confscated.
Tho actual assassination of the same
King, (Henry w. by RavalIlac, is one o.
tho most memorable events in history. Il
ia thua recorded I'm Martina HistOria d(