Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-11-17
2 Nofeu Essssay.ea! Eye-:f

.i-C ~ NEI. LL.HLlF .-h--y-J '."'--~-'"
tic memories CT Oh: mca 81 iae:ie1: Hi!ois
goes TO make up The l:sser his!cry CT the na.
tios-an assault upon President OF the i. 5.
Such an incident is fortunately r5ro one. Gen.
Jsckfous assslant was Mr.. Rob;rt Beverley
Randolph. He vas an eleye of Washington
(noa Washington aHd Lsc! College, the sou Of
soldier Of the Revolution, and through the In
Hucnce Of Decatur had obtained, 10 1910, &
midshipman's position in the navy. Ito was
an officer in the Constitution when she capur
ed tho Guerrero, and served under Decatur III
the United States when sha captured the hlaocI
DOMAIN. In 1914, wien with Decatur iii the
"Presdcnt," she was captured and carried III
to Bermuda. While prisoner OF wax on parole
there IN inyectivo against Decatur and tho
American navy. 10 the Royal Gazette, attracted
lis attention, and ho met the editor Oh Clio oil
The principal resorts of tho plaoo and heat him
| with a cano. lilo ctcaIcl arrest, being con.
ton away from Bermuda 10 u smn.! vessel,
which landed him 10 Rhcdo lslarJ. GA his
| return no YVES promoted to lcutenauc2, aud
| was Dplimontod with sword by the G2rc7al
| Assembly Of Virginia. lie WIS &c cflcar ca
! the Constitution irigatn ia 1928. when is put
s'r. John Il. Iimbt ruko. committed suicide
| His wife, then noted in Washington IHr her
| beauty aGd vivacity, Waa tav0ritn CT General
Eaton, the Srort tary OF War Oh Gen. jackson )
! administrators. and very shortly Gtter her has
| bands death Gen. EitGn ma;rCd t." willow
| TimbcriaEo under q cloud.
| Pur82r Iimhcrlako' Il office fa: been. On lin
death. assigned to tho charge o! Lieut. Fan.
| delphi, aud when the cIuS) WaS 0pcr end thu
atc)udtl settled blianUo Of ! / 900 VS. found
duo by tho ship to the treasury Of tic Uni!2u
States. Ii became Qu2atoI WhuiG@r !hn t;n'
lriS ioak place under she dead DasaCr or thG
living lieutenant; il under puTarr Imtr1Inke.
MIS-. Eaton'n estate was r;ap0asih!'. Tho mat
tor conIiluod unsettled i0r H5ycia gears, hnt in
| 1892 curt OF itqnry was cgnvonca ty Mr..
| Woodbury.. then Secretary OF the N.vy, which
declared that thcro was nothing 10 the cGsn 81,
tcotng the integrity Il Lieut.. Hsr,ia!p;:, hut
that he was legally r1sinHs ib1 20 make good
| tho deficit. Rlnio!ph dcciiac;i 10 pay aal 10.
mahd1d u conrt martial. TAc President !;G!sa,
diatNIy PROMULGATED al nTdrr. daict. Ap.lI Is,
! 1883 disuis,ing E:u.inlrh irnin ihc vice.
a1ylnE ''tlin iaoia o! thN investigation prove
| him Ia he Unworthy The naval service 81 iIH
republic. and an uniit nsSni:tH 'n2 tics, EN-
Of ciivalfy, integrity ani hoi:rr whn f::!o:n oug
navy
Randolph published or iha e :, Of May q
Vintica!:1n O; i.i9 u5nduc>. GA iha, day lie vas
in Alexandria, tho eucs: Ct NJ. Robert i,.r.
luIph hiO ufclr President Jackson was tz-
peeled 10 pasa tho town hat :g CO SIS way "a
lay. at fredericksburg, Va, the cornerstone Of
tho mennmoni to E!&ry, tho moit>r 4; Wash
inetpr. lie arrived thrro IN tic steamer S;yi
ncy, which, according III Tho postal artanrC-
l, L., :
tho mail carriers took the No1tlcrn Incoming
mail 70 tho post office and brought hacl; :hn
outgoing Southtrn moiI. Says klf. i. j.
BrCckcif, IN hia GdmratIn lodge OF Wash
instrn:"
Tho SsdIry landed in Al,x,acisia, whcrn G
portion of tho company went On shore, leaving
tho President in the cabin. Mr.. Randolph
wa:kod down with Mr.. Beverley, il ulcc,
without disclosing TO him or any Other peSoi
his intcnii III 10 mako l1ersoual assault upon
the President. lie carried enc aru, il 8: sling
on account Of n slight il NY. Descending to
tho cabin lie discovered Gen, jackson saG;cd
bchltd tho table reading ucRS2ar:r. As lie
approached him ho began to take OH his gloves.
]ho General, who was uGac1ual0tCd with hin,
personally, called out, Never mind your gloves,
prtsuming he wished to shake hands with lin,
Randolph replied, This hand ii iriarcd, eau,
not use l.; tho other cannot offer you. an
Robert Is. Randolph. whnIH you hayo Il: Justly
wrongth and iusutcd' With these words hp
eeiz ID the President hy tho pose a;ci gayo il u
severe wiring. The President 81 lied his cane
and attempted to chastse Randolph. 4 great
uproar cDsued.'
There arc now living in Alex ,nd;ia ;w3 icr-
sons, tho only Ale&andriaEs who Wero eye wit
nossea OF tho assault, tx-Mayor Hugh Latham
and Alderman Samuel Janaer, ard by coin
cldorco each presided in tho City Cou5c ct the
Same time, MIR. Jannty as president Of tho
Board Of Alderman AID Nlr. Latham as pre.i.
don't of the City Council. Mr.. Jsrney, now
ono Of tho oldest cit zots Of the town, was then
engaged ia business Oh tho river front. Seeing
tho crowd and hon,ing TINT con. Jackson was
on tho wharf, 10 went on board 10 get q sight
Of tho hero OF New Orleans, ind pushed for
ward toto tho cabii', where Tic writer follows
| his narration no saw Ger. Jackson sitting De
sido the dining table, which WAS almost rs wide
| os tho ea'o1n, Leaving but batro9 space
Tor seats between the wall aud TIM table. Into
this narrow placo hlr. Iauuoy crowded him.
sell, and WAS o0mirg up towards the President
whom busting behind him attracted hia ST.
teDlion, sud Oh turning no siw Randolph ad-
vauciag in hasto into tho Hsme narrow way
| lnstinctipely hu gave place. tni Randolph
passed him. lld heard Jackson say. Never
mind your gloves" and RandolpAs argry
response. AID saw Randolph sti2c ito Ptusi.
dcat by tho nose aud ioTco him bsck. Il 81
| doIrh continued hy grip on The preSidan! 4
| nOso for ftonn or twenty saconds. Tho irsgi.
doat cried "Oh! chi" hia mouth being cGcn
aad his cry having the nasal t4aig Impaired to
it by Raodoiph's light grip upAn his nnso. -
When Randolph released his grasp tho pt1s;l
dent fell backward, partly on the table. A::
,lAlIc7, as R1Gdolph sided GU. amid assaults
from several ptrIous, gave way lar i.a, AMI
ha hurried cut tho saloon doar. 81 this litno
tho President had risen and como Iijrw77l to
tho open spnno in Tho rfar CT the table. "Who
is that mnp?' nc asknd, his VOC; cIovate.: 10
q high pitch. Soun onn replied, 'li is Ran.
dolph. tho lieutenant yau have just dismissed.
from tho navy"
Just at this p0int an ian kacp.r. William
Thomas. fatfir ci' tic lutc assistant collector Of
tho District customs, broke aio tho crowd
scare ly able to speak l;,r Indignation. Con.
cfal, he blurtcd out, IF you viii promise to