Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-02-16

Pho Packard AtfNST.

\ short account of an alleged attempt tc
shoo, COY, Packard ia New Orleans, ycster-
day morriug, was published IN yesterday eVc"'
iug's Gazette. The following additional par
ticulars have beeu received sinGc: 80.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 15.-Ihc extra Zines
has the following: LAT hail past eleven CLOCK
this morning the vicinity OF tue Go7ernot
roam 10 the st. Louis street State house IauS
with the sharp reports Of two pistol snotS' nreo
aImos. simultaneously, end 10 an instant 'heiG
was intense excitement abroad, ana raPiI
hurryipp Of q crowd toward the gubernatorial
anartmcnt. Here it transpired that Mr. Pack
ard. while seated ia his chair, surrounded by
a half dozen callers. had been suddenly ap'
rroachcd By one OF the parties, who, drawing
a pistol and leveIiug it at Mr.. Packard's heart,
Al almost point blank range pulled the tr ggcr.
At that very Instant Mr.. Packard struck the
vcanon down, and simultaneously With that
movement the weapon exploded and the shot
struck Mr., Packard 10 the knee. ut that IN.
Slant Mr.. Packard closed with the man and
threw him to the floor. Diligcnt inquiry failed
10 disuge the name of the man, anything ABOUT
him, or anything about the cause OF the attack.
Report has it that be was correspondent lor 4
Northern paper but now all Information Is
vague" Another account states that the man
was fired upon by bystander during the melee
and wounded in the arm.
| The following is the staLemcu OF an eye vii
| ness Of the occurrence:
| 'igo men, one Of them the WouEucu man,
who gave his name as Joseph Huttlc, bat
| whose real game from the papers found III lis
! possessi0n is asccrtaiued to be W. II. Weldon,
aol a slim, orc-armed man, who gave no name ,s
| called 1T the door OF the State capitol and ask
ed @ see Mr.. Packard. There was some de-
muir about admitting them, when one proclaim
cd himself to be an OK federal officer and the
other discharged soldier. They were brought
| Io the head of the stairs, where W edun repre-
sentctl that he was correspondent OF the Phlia-
dcphiu Press, AID desired u see Gov. Packard.
The namc CT Joseph Huilc was sent in, but
the one armed man declined 10 enter Weldon
reached the executive Office, where he found
Mir. Packard seated at his desk aisins to
Judge Boremau, Of Callo who occupied a
chair 90 his right. Weldon sat down IN va;
cant chair immediately on Packard let, and
after an instant somewhat sharply asked,
"Whan c,n see your Mr. Packard luru-
cd and found 4 pistol aimed at bis mead.
He Immediately struck 1t down and the
weapon was discharged, the ball striking him
10 the right knee cap. lnHlcllng 4 SI'ght
wound. Mr.. Packard Immediately dealt the
the c2es and Knocking him dove. Several
narics ia the room drew their pistols and lEGd,
voundiug the wouldbc assassin seriously but
uot fatally. OF course scene OF intense tX.
element Immediately followed. The ouc armed
man was arrested and conveyed to the office Of
the suporintcudent OF police, and Weldon was
kept close prisoner IN the executive o1hcc.
Mr.. Packard was conveyed to his private apart
mcnt on Inc second floor OF the building, where
his wound was examined by Dr. a, ". Smylhc.
It is not Of a serious character, but might prove
So # not carefully tcuded, and will lame him
for several DAYS. The man who shot Packard
saws tbs, his came Is William Henry Weldon,
and that his home il 10 Philadelphia. lie says
further that he has . mother aah SIstr: living
there
With regard to his atcmp; 10 kill ParEarl
he SAYS that there were four others With him
Swno were to have assisted him in the undertake,
ing, but upon reaching TIE door OF the Stale
house ,h:y refused to 80 10, and lett him 10
carry out the intended plan 0! assassination
alone. Weldon is not very seriously hurt. The
ball struck him in tic Ioil arm, just below the
shoulder, and seems to have come ont at the
elbow. 1t vas thought at first that he was
killed, but it seems he VAS only stunned anu
faint from less oi blood. At hall.ast twelve
lie was 50 :luch revived o. 10 be able to con-
verse with those about h!Ei.
The extra Republican, in addition 10 the &C.
count of the affair at the State House this
morning, which agrees substantially with that
heretofore tclcgraphed, says Of Weldon: NhcD
told that Governor Packard had saved bis lilo
he seemed 20 break down. saying, with guip,
odd Gov. Packard! save my life? should
like to see hiui. He'll him ] want to sec him.
Elc was nIcay dressed intelligent looking face,
dark hair and brown m0ustaChc lie wore
large and evidently new Masonic badge. The
Ean WAS evidently a stranger. Inc marks GU
his clothing Indicate the truth Of bis statement
concerning his name, as did also tho papaCs in
| his pocket and Masonic dlploma. The as
sassin gained admission to the Governors par
| Ior " representing himself To be 4 correspond.
cnt Of The Phiad cIpiia Press. Acomrade was
arrested and is nov in close custody. Another
succeeded 10 making his escape.
There was 90 blood dramu ty the bullet said
to have been tired at Packard. The result was
only slight hrusc Weldon claims to be the
son oil Il Lutheran miniStcr il Pennsylvania
Being asked his motive he replied onIy patriot
ism; had only been in New Orleans tWcuty TOUR
hours
WASHINGTON, d. G., Feb. Ij.--Thc io-
lowing dispatch has been received here to.
night from Gov. Nichols relative 10 the AT
tempt to assassinatc Gov. Packard at New
Orleans this morning:
New ORLEANS, Feb. Is, 1877, S:2l p. II.
Z. il Burke. II. Burke Wn1 Lery HasA-
ington. d. c.
Everything perfectly quiet aud peaceablc
here. Extra Republican this evening says
| The man who attempted to shoot Pack
ard was evidently a stranger here; that
he stated he had oaly been 10 New Oreaos
tweuiy-rour hours, that Packard was slightly
grazcd By ball, but the would be assassin was
shot 10 The arm" Our police attempted to
obtain access for the purpose Of obtaining evil
| denco Oh which to arrest the man charged with
| the attempted crime, but were refused admis.
sion into the St. Louis Hotel by those in charge,
and the man is now in the custody Of Packard
police; am engaged now in trying to ascertain
the facts; can conceive OF 10 motive for the act
charged unless he were mad man and 10 friend
OF Louisiana can entertain any other idea.
hall Ia, ia I,, ba tbo Z