The Portland daily press., 1880-03-29
How an Attempt was Made to
ASSaSSinate Ben Wade.

General j. S. Brisbin in the Phiad elphia
Press gives the following account of an at
tempt to assassinate Ben Wade 1t is not gen.
orally known that an attempt was made to
assassinate Mr. Wade in Washington during
the war about the same time that an attack
was made on Charles Summers life. 1t was
about nine o'clock at night, and Mr.. Sumner
had just quilted Mr.. Wade's door when pis-
tol shot was heard in the street. Mrs. Wade,
who was sitting in the parlor with Mr.. Wade,
sprang to her feet and said to her husband
"My God! Frank, 1 fear they have killed
Mr.. Sumner"
Wade, with the people of the house, hurried
to the spot and found Mr.. Sumner calm but
very pale and weak. He said man standing
on the outer edge of the pavement had fred at
him with pistol, the ball passing close in
front of his face and apparently hitting the
wall. The assassin then ran up an alley and
disappeared. The wall of the adjoining house
was examined, and the ball was found stick
ing between two bricks and completely flat
tened out by its force. No trace of the assas-
sin could be found and nothing was ever
heard of him.
A few days after this occurrence a man
called on Mr.. Wade about o'clock in the
evening and pretended he had important busi-
ness with the Senator and some papers to
show him. Mr.. Wade at this time lived on
Four and-a-half street, in a house owned by
Mrs. Barrett Mr.. Colfax lived in the house
with Mr.. Wade, and both occupied rooms on
the second floor. The man pushed his way
into Mr.. Wade's sitting-room and asked him
if he would read petition. Mr.. Wade was
alone at the time, and something in the mans
face or manner aroused his suspicion Asking
to be excused for moment, the old Senator
went into an adjoining room, where he and
his wife slept, and took pistol from the
drawer of bureau. Holding the pistol under
his dressing gown Wade returned to the sitting
room, and confronting the assassin said:
"Now, sir, am ready for you. Where are
the papers you wished me to read?'
Drawing package from his breast the man
handed it to Mr.. Wade with one hand, while
with the other he grasped the handle of
large knife. Quick as thought Wade saw it,
and cooking the pistol, placed it under the
"Draw that knife, or attempt to draw it, and
you are dead mani
The assassin turned very pale, and at the
command of Mr.. Wade held up his hands.
"Now, about face!' roared Wade.
The assassin turned his back, and W ade,
placing the muzzle of the pistol against the
back of his head, said:
Forward, march!''
In this way he marched the fellow out of the
room, down the stairs along the hall, and,
opening the street door, bid him depart.
Those who remember Mrs. Barrett's house
will recollect the front door is reached by as
cending pair of winding stairs. Just as the
assassin set his foot on the top stair Wade gave
him kick and push that sent him sprawling
to the bottom, and he fell headlong ON the
pavement. Then, closing the door with a
bang, the old man left the fellow to gather
himself up and get away as best he could.
Returning to his room, as cody as if nothing
had happened, Wade put up his pistol and it
was three or four days before the family
learned anything about the occurrence.
On opening the petition it was found to be
an illiterate, long, rambling affair, badly
written, wretchedly spelled and amounting to
nothing. Wade said it was evidently the in
| tention of the assassin to stab him to death
while he was reading and his attention fixed
on the paper He said he could not tell what
| made him suspect the man, but he did so, and
| from the moment he entered the room felt and
| knew what the fellow had come for.