The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-16
a SIGNIFICANT EVENT.

had been made to assassinate 5. b
Packard In his room or Office In the old
St. Louis Hotel,
| A full report OF the affair will be
found in the proper columns OF the
DEMOCRAT this morning. We cannot,
however, dismiss this matter with a
bare statement OF the facts; it demands
serious consideration, flor 1t has, we
fear, a serious meaning.
We doubt II o more daring, desperate
and absurd attempt at assassination lie
on record. The st. Louis Hotel ia
thoroughly barricaded, we may say for
titled: every avenue Of egress, except
the guarded door on Royal street, IL So
curely closed with locks, bolts and bars.
It's only occupants are Packard and his
followers who have stoed by him in the
darkest days Of his fortunes and, it is to
be presumed, are ready for any despe-
rate work, not absolutely impossible OF
execution, which may fall. to their
hands. Many of these men, 1t is no.
torious fact, are desperate characters,
professional thugs, murderers and bur-
glars.
Under the status quo they are safe
from molestation within the walls Of
their hotel, and may execute their own
justice in their own way, upon those
who may happen to fall among them.
The captains Of these gangs are KEEL
logg's Superintendent OF Police, Loan,
relative Of Packard; Gen. Badger,
Capt. Lawler, and several kindred
spirits; men who. whatever we may
think Of them morally, politically and
socially, are possessed Of pronounced
personal courage. Immediately adJoin-
ing the hotel. and with a broad. free
passage between the two, are the bar
racks OF the Federal troops.
1t was the ST. Louis Hotel. thus bar
ricaded and garrisoned from turret to
foundation stone with the armed retain
ers of Packard, that the man Weldon
boldly entered. it is said, to assassinate
that Individual. The act was simply
inspired by insanity. All the millions
of the earth could not have tempted a
sane man to attempt such q thing, for
to the mind Of any sane man 1t would
have been evident that certain. newt
able death would be the result OF it.
Ravaillac, when he contemplated the
assassination OF Henry Nv. on the
streets Of Paris, in the midst ofSa vast
and enthusiastic throng, might reason
ably have calculated that no would
have one chance Of escape to three OF
being captured; Charlotte Corday
might possibly have evaded arrest after
assassinating Marat, or she might rea-
sonably have calculated that her youth
and beauty would plead with convinc-
ing eloauence in her behalf, in case she
were captured. Booth took the most
desperate chances OF escape when he
assassinated President Lincoln: but es-
cape, as the sequel showed, was by no
means impossible.
All these, and indeed, we believe,
nearly all political assassins, have
been prompted by fanaticism border
ing upon mania, but most Of them were
utterly, hopelessly desperate; most Of
them involved the perpetrator IN GER
tain and inevitable death; all Of them
were directed by a vein Of consistency,
a fixedness Of purpose, and prepara-
ton of details which insured the success
Of the business, and at the same time
gave the assassin chance for escape.
In the present case, however, nothing
characterized the actions Of the would
be assassin but the widest and most
senseless insanity. He not only entered
the very stronghold Of his intended vic
tim, filled with armed and resolute
men, but he carried with him a pistol
badly loaded, and though within arms
length Of the man he had incurred such
risks to assassinate, he gave him but a
slight flesh wound in the leg.
The desperate purpose Of this man,
and the GOODNESS with which he walked
under the very shadow Of death to car
ry it out, certainly partakes OF the SUBJ
lime but the outcome very nearly as
sumes tinge OF the ridiculous. The
business, however, has a deeper mean
ing than may beread upon its surface.
If we are not much mistaken. the action
Of this unfortunate man is a violent
symptom of the abnormal condition Of
affairs in this State. Mania exists in
ali countries and in all times; but when
it manifests itself in disposition to
perpetrate political assassination it is q
certain indication that there is vi
ciousness, rottenness, in the political
system which is threatening to invade
social life, and destroy The whole fabric
OF Christian society. When such indi-
cations present themselves, it is time
for good men. to consider il it be not
their duty, even by the strong hand, If
necessary, to crush out the power or
agency which is working these deadly
evils.