The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1877-02-28
CLEARLY A LUNATIC.
weldon. Who Shot Packard. without
AceompIiees and Manife>fIy Insane
rNaur Orleans picaxunal
[New Orleans Plcayune.l

Accompl1ces and Manffe>fly Insane
New Orleans Picayune.l
As the smoke from Wedon's one-barreled
two dollar second hand pistol clears away,
and the noise of its explosion is dispersed in
echoes that become less faint dayby day we
are able Ia ascertain more clearly its ante
cedcnis and causes which prove beyond a
preadventure that Weldon was not only
alone in the attempted assassination of Mr..
Packard hut also that he was insane. On
Sunday last the Picayune published the re-
suit of an interview with Mr. Paul Juge the
Charities street gunsmith, who sold the pis-
tol to Weldon, his statement TO him that he
was a northern man, perfect stranger in
Louisiana. and his uncomfortable desire tn
ascertain from every person he conversed
with an Thursday morning the residence of
Mr. Packard. This, with his confession after
the act, that his purpose was 10 kill Mr.
Packard, and then Governor Hayes in order
to save the country, giving as reaSon'why
he attempted the life of the former first in
stead of the latter that Hayes is gone,''
together with the NAME assumed By him,
until it was finally discovered that he was
actually VIM H Weldon, of Philadelp hia and
his remarkable conduct with his quandam
friends, the one legged and one armed men,
in the boarding house, City of LuxeuSr
berg No. 40 Toulouse street. altogether
exhibit such history OF unnatural circlm-
possibly combine. tr- .-.... u
Nor IS this all, later developments proving
that the first great cause which actuated
Weldon in attempting to take the life of
Mr. Packard, and, if successful, that of Gov
ernOr Hayes, was an insatiate and overruling
passion or mania to initiate the man who
killed Mr.. Lincoln, ]. Wilkes Booth.
Yesterday afternoon a representative of
the Picayune called upon Mr.. E. Landry,
one of the two gentlemen who were present
in the gun store of Mr.. Juge when Weldon
made his second appearance at that estab-
lishment on Thursday morning last.
Mr. Landry makes the following statement
in relation TO that interview, which throws
the clearest light upon the obscurity that in
volved the first two or three days history of
the affair: -
On Thursday morning called upon Mr..
Juge, who is my brother-in-law, to see him
about the payment of his city license before
/ went 70 the city hall for that purpose. Mr..
Paul Devron, drug dealer, and Mr.. Juge
were also in the store at the time when Well
don came in toirequest my brother-in-law to
withdraw the load of a sir gle bsrreled pistol
and load it again, as he said it would not "go
off, In addition to what, Mr. Juge has al
ready stated regarding what Weldon said in 2
our presence. that morning, Mr.. Deyron viii
substantiate the follogingt Mr. Juge, proba-v
bly, too busily engaged with, the pistol to no
tice all that was said Weldon opened the
conversation by inQuir;pg of us if we knew
where Mr.. Packard lived We replied that a
we did not-7.I added that Ibid not think
that should know Mr., Packard if should !
see him, Weldon then said we ought to get
acquainted with him, that ne (Weldon) was
northern man, and would like to know
Mr.. Packard and make his acquaintance 8
The question was then opened by Weldon as
TO the personal safety of Mr.. Packard at this
time in this community. when / said be-
lieved that the personal safety of Mr.. Pack
ard was as secu re in New Orleans as that
of any other man, and even under extreme
circumstances, if 1t was in my power,I
would, as a democrat and a friend
of Governor Nichols, prevent Mr..
Packard from receiving either injury
or insult at the hands of or from
members of the party TO which 1 belong.
Weldon replied: We'll, if you don't know
Packard, do you know ]. Wilkes Booth2' 1
1 said you mean the man who killed Mr.
Lincoln? Weldon answered yes. Mr.. Juge
at this handed him the pistol, when Weldon
left the store, saying to us as he passed out
of the door: Perhaps you would like to go
to Packard's funeral" or, Don't you want
to go to Packard's funeral am not certain
which. a -.,s
As was returning from the city hall an
hour or so later, after paying my brother-in-
laws license, a friend met me on st. Charles
street and asked me if knew Packard was
shot In an instant the conversation with
Weldon required to me, and i thought of
him at once as the man who did the shoot
ing. Weldon was insane or under the infiu-
ence of some strong stimulant on Thursday
morning. / and Mr.. Deyron are ready to
make an affidavit to if necessary, as have
seen Mr.. Devron since in relation to the
matter, and that is his opinion as well as
mine. From the description, as published,
of VIM. H. Weldon, his resemblance to ].
Wilkes Booth does not simply end by a COM
parison of the deed which both represented
was the actuating motive that induced the
former to attempt the life of Mr.. Packard
and the latter to kill Mr. Lincoln, but the
looks and appearance of the two men las
Booth was twelve years ago) are so wonder
fully alike as to be remarkable; more es-
pecially so under the circumstances in which
we nha ,t s1nos spe tssts'rss