The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-21

rying of a crowd towards the gubernatorial
apartment Here it transpired that Mr..
| Packard while seated in his chair surround
/ ed by half dozen callers had been suddenly
| approached by one of the parties, who,
drawing pistol and leveling it at Mr.. Pack
ards heart at almoe point blank range,
pulled the trigger. At that instant Mr..
Packard struck the weapon down and sim
| ultaneously with that movement the weap-
or exploded and the shot struck Mr.. Pack
ard in the knee. At that instant Mr.. Pack
/ ard closed with the man and threw him to
the floor Diligent inquiry failed to divulge
the name of the man, anything about him,
| or anything about the cause of the attack.
Report has it that he was correspondent
for northern newspaper, but now all infor-
nation is vague.
| STATEMENT OF AN EYE WITNESS.
Two men, one of them the wounded man.
who gave his name as Joseph Huttle, but
whose real name, from papers found in his
| possession, is ascertained to be w. ii. We'll
| don, and slim, one armed man, who gave
no name, called at the door of the state cap
itol and asked to see Mr.. Packard.
| There was some demur about admitting
| them, when one proclaimed himself to
| be an ex-federal officer and the other
a discharged soldier. They were brought to
| the head of the stairs, where Weldon repre-
sented that he was correspondent of the
| Philadelphia Press and desired to see Gov
ernor 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 Mr..
Packard at his desk talking to Judge Boar
man, of Caddo, who occu pied a chair on his
| right. Weldon sat down in a vacant chair
Immediately on Mr.. Packard's left and af-
| ter an instant somewhat sharply asked,
| When can | see your Packard turned
and found pistol aimed at his head. He
| Immediately struck it down and the weapon
was dis charged the ball striking him in the
right knee cap and infiicting slight wound
Mr.. Packard Immediately dealt the
man a blow with his fist, strik
knocking him down. Several parties in the
room drew their pistols and fired, wOunding
the would be assassin seriously but not ia
| tally. OF course a scene of intense excite
ment Immediately followed. The one armed
man was arrested and conveyed to the office
of the superintendent of police. and Weldon
executive office. Mr Packard was con-
veyed to his private apartment on
the second floor of the building where his
wound was examined by DIR. 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.
WHO HK Is AND WHY HE DID 1T.
The man who shot Packard says that his
| name is William Henry Weldon, and that
his home is in Philadelphia. He says fur
| Their that he has mother and sisters liv-
| ing there. With regard to his attempt
| to kill Packard he says that there were four
| others with him who we're to have assisted
him in the undertaking, but that when
| reaching the door of the state house they
refused to go in and left him to carry out
the intended plan of assassination alone
Weldon, IL 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 elbow. 1t was thought
| at first that he was killed, but it seems he
was only stunned and faint from the loss Of
| blood. At half-past II he was so much re-
| vived as to converse with those about him.
MORE ABOUT WELDON.
| An extra of the Republican, in addition
| to the account of the affair at the state
house this morning. which agrees substan-
| TALLY with that heretofore telegraphed, says
| of Weldon: When told that Governor
Packard had saved his life, he seemed to
break down, saying, with gulp,
| did Governor Packard save my
| life? / should like to see him;
| tell him want to see him." He was neatly
dressed, with a good. intelligent looking
| face, dark hair and brown mustache. His
face was Clearly shayen. He wore large
| and evidently new masonic badge. The
| man was evidently a stranger. Marks on his
| clothing indicated the truth of bis statement
| concerning his name, as did also papers in
his pocket and masonic diploma. The as
sassin gained admission to the governor :
parlor by representing himself to be a cor
correspondent of the Philadelphia Press A
| comrade was arrested and is now in close Gus
| tody. Another succeeded in making his es
| cape.
On the person of the assassin was found q
letter from Charles H. Schwartz, Bethlehem,
| Pennsylvania, September %, 1868, recon-
mending William Weldon as having been a
pupil in his school; another dated at the
same place February 16, 1867, recommend
ing Weldon as an energetic business
man of sgood moral habits; another
dated Cincinnati April 20, 1872, recommend
ing w. II. Weldon as an honest, careful bust
ness man, and signed G.. NJ. Brown, formerly
Brown & Coleman, Springfield, Illinois.
ONLY BRUIsE.
There was no blood drawn by the bullet
said to have been fired at Packard. The re-
suit is only slight bruise.
WHY HE SHOT HIM.
Weldon claims to be the SOL of Lutheran
minister in Pennsylvania. Being asked hi:
motive he replied. "Only patriotism" He
had only been in New Orleans "a hours.
Matrimonial Brokerage
Especial to the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
LIBERTY, Ind, Feb. 14.-The latest socia