Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-02-23
ATTEMPT TO ASSAssINATE Gov
ERNOt PACKARD.
lie strikes the Pistol Down and Escapes
with a Slight wound-The Miscreant
seeured-Ansth.r John wilkes Booth
Plot,


NEW ORLEANS, Feb Is The city has
been thrown into great excitement By an at
tempt to asssssinats Governor Packard.
The following Is the statement of an eye
witness OF the occurrence. Two men, one
of whom gave bis name a. Joseph uuttie,
but whose real name is W W Weldon. and a
une-armed man who did not Civ his name
called ut the capitol and asked to see Mr..
Packard. One proclaimed himself an ex-
federal officer. the other discharged SOL
der They were brought to the head OF
the stairs where Welden represented that he
was a correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press and desired to see the GOvernor The
name of Joseph Huttle was sent IN, but the
one-armed man declined tn enter.
Weldon reached the executive cfbce where
he found Packard seated at his desk talking
to Judge Booreman. After an instant he
| asked. when can | see YOU Packard
turned and found pistol aimed at his head.
| He struck it down and the weapon was
discharged the ball striking him in the
right kuee cap. Packard. rising. dealt the
man a blow with his fist, striking him
between the eyes and knocking him down.
| Several parties in the room drew pistols
and fired wounding Weldon. The one
armed man was arrested and conveyed to
| the police office, and Weldon was kept a
close prisoner in the executive Office. lie
saws there were four others with him who
were TO have assisted in the undertaking but
upon reaching the door of the state house
| thew refused to enter and LETT him to carry
ont tho plan Of assassination alone. Wei
| don is not very seriously hurt. A ball
| struck his left arm. and seems to have
come out near the elbow. 1t is reported
! that Weldon said tho only way to save the
country was to first kill Packard then
| Hayes.
Packard's wound is only flesh wound
and very slight.
LATER DESPATCH.
n, blood was drawn by the bullet which
hit PacSard. the result being only slight
| hruisc. Weldon claims to he the son of a
Pcnnsylyanis Lutheran minister, and to
| have been in the city only twenty-iOur
hours. lie says his motive for the crime
was patriotism.
Same Additional Others he
Iicved to he In the Piot-The Pro-
| rrnmme to XIII Packard First, and
| then Hayes.
NEy ORLEANS, Feb I6.--Weldon picked
up Joseph lluttlc, 4 one armed man, at
saloon, and got him to show hin the way 10
Packard's room. ut the state house. one
legged peddlcr named Stein declined to go,
but went part Ut the way after Weldon hs
treated him When drinking with the
latter. Weldon asked q" Do you know
Packard ? Stern said he had never seen
him. Weldon then said, {" Wait awhile
and I'll fix him, am going to kill him.
You'll see"
After Packard was shot by Weldon. Cap
tain Loan says. II drew my pistol and shot
him, and | thought had killed him as he
stitfened out, but to make sure wanted to
shoot him again, when the governor stopped
me. NY impression is that there are Others
concerned"
Weldon. after being shot said, "well,
have shot the scoundrel, anyhow" uo said
he came from Philadelphia with the ambi-
ton to save bis country, his business being
to kill Packard first and Hayes afterward