Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-02-21
An Assassin FOlled.

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Gov. Packard was shot in the knee
cap. The party who did the shooting
was fired upon by bystander, and
wounded in the arm.
New ORLEANS, Feb. 15.-An extra
Times has the following: At halfpas,
II, in the vicinity of the Governor s
room in St. Louis street, the State
House rang with sharp report of two
shots, fired almost multaneously, and
III an instant there was intense excite
men. abroad and rapid hurry of the
crowd toward the gubernatorial apart
mcnt. Here it transpired that Mr.
Packard while seated in the chair,
surrounded by half dozen callers, had
been suddenly approached by one of
the partisans who, drawing pistol an d
leveling it at Mr.. Packard's heart, at
almost point blank range, pulled the
trigger At that very instant Packard
struck the weapon down, and simulta-
neously with that movement the
weapon exploded and the shot struck
Mr.. Packard in the knee. At that in
slant Mr.. Packard closed with the
man and threw him to The floor. A
diligent inquiry failed to divulge the
name of the man or anything about
the cause of the attack A report has
1t that he was correspondent for
Northern papers. but now all informa-
tion is vague. Packard's wound is
very slight-only flesh wound.
AN EYE WITNESS.
The statement of an eve witness is
Shortly before the occurrence, two men
one of them the wounded man, who
gave bis name as Joseph Huttle, but
whose real name from papers found in
his possession is ascertained to be w.
II. Weldon, and slim one-armed man
who gave no name, called at the door
of the State Capitol and asked to see
Mr. Packard. There was some demur
about admitting them. when one pro-
claimed himself to be an ex-federal
officer and the other a discharged
soldier. They were brought to the
head Of the stairs where Weldon rep
resented that he was correspondent
Of the Philadelphia Press. aud desired
to zee Gov. Packard. With the name
of Joseph Huttle he was sent in, but
the one-armed man declined to enter.
Weldon reached the executive Office,
where he found MIR. Packard seated at
his desk talking to Judge Boorman, of
Caddo, who occupied a chair on his
right. Weldon sat down in vacant
chair Immediately On Mr.. Packard S
left, aud after an instant somewhat
sharply asked, "when can [ see you?"
Mr. Packard turned and found a
pistol aimed at his head. He imme-
diately struck it down, and the weapon
was discharged, the ball striking him
in the right knee-cap and inficting a
slight wound. Packard Immediately
dealt the man a blow with his fist.
striking him between the eyes and
knocking him down. Several parties
in the room drew their pistols and fred
wounding the would-be assassin seri-
ously, but not fatally. Of course a
scene of intense excitement Immediately
followed. The one-armed man was ar
rested and conveyed to the Office of the
Superintendent of Police, and Weldon
was kept close prisoner in the exccu-
tive office
Mr.. Packard was conveyed to his
private apartment on the second floor
of the building, where his wound was
examined by DR.. A. w Smythe. 1t
is not of a serious character, but might
prove so if not carefully tended, and
will lame him for several days.
The man who tried to kill Mr.. Pack
ard says his name is VIM. Henry We'll
don, and his home is in Philadelphia.
He says further that be has mother
and sisters living there. With regard
to his attempt to kill Packard, he says
that there were four others with him,
who were to have assisted him in the
undertaking, but that when reaching
the door Of the State House they re-
fused to 60 in and left him to carry
oct the intended plan of assassination
alone.
Weldon, if such be his name, is not,
as it turns out, very seriously hurt.
The ball which struck him hit him in
the left arm just below the shoulder,
and seems to have come out at the ell
bow. L was thought at first that he
was killed, but it seems that he was
only stunned and faint from the loss
of blood. At 1890 he was so much
revived as to converse with those
around him.
At the close of the Centennial Ex-
hibition about forty OF the exhibiting
nations presented to the Government of
the United States all their contribu-
tions, valued at from 100000 to
81 100000 These will have to be
stored in the national armory at Wash
ington, as the Government has no place
to exhibit them. The Regents of the
Smithsonian Institution, therefore, ask