The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-07-10
s.s~u,s. % rake she Life 81 0ueen
victoria.

ATTEMPTS 10 8HeN
victoria.
IT, soIlavIng extracts from Justin Nc
f.rtr,s :. History OF Our Own Times . pos
$50 sneeIal interest at tue present times
Th,s 4 perbaps IS suitable place as any
o,her ia introduce some notice OF the at
srn,nts that were made from time 10 Tune
unor, the life OF the Queen. IL IS proper "
<ay something OF them. although not one
possessed the slightest political importance,
or could be said 10 illustrate anything more
thar sheer Iunacy, or that morbid VANITY
and thirst for no.oriety thSt Is nesIiy
skin 10 genuine madness. Inc nIst az
fsmpt was made on June 10, lS40' Dy Eu'
ward Oxford. a poiboy OF seventeen, VINO
firrd two shots at the Queen as spe was
driving nm Constitution Hill with Prince
AIherf. Oxford fred both soois de-
iiherstely enough, but happily missed Ia
each ease. He proved to have been an aD-
surd creature, bali crazy with longing 10
consider himself political prisoner ana 10
be talked Of. When he was tried the Jury
pronounced him insane, and he was ordered
10 be kept In luDatic asylum during ner
Majesty's pleasure. The trial completely
dissipaied some wild alarms that were ieit,
founded chiefly on absurd papers 10 OK
ford's possession, about tremendous se,
crct society called "foung Eog'shu,
having, among its other objects, t9e
assassination OF royal personages. AZ
r. not an uninteresiing illustration
~ the condition OF public feeling that
some Of the Irish Catholic papers 10 seem.
ing GOOD faith denounced Oxford as an
agent OF the Duke OF Cumberland and the
Orapgemep, and declared that the object
was 10 assassinate the Queen and put the
DIXIE on the throne. The trial showed that
Oxford was The agent OF nobody, and was
impeiled by nothing but his own crack
Drained love OF notoriety. The finding OF the
fury was evidently something OF compro-
mise. for II is very doubtful whether the boy
was insane In the medical sense, and
whether he was fairly 10 be held irreSponsi-
BILE for bis actions. But IL was felt, perhaps,
that the wisest course was TO treat him
rs a mailman; and the result did not
prove unsatisfactory. Mr.. Theodore Martin,
in bis "LIie OF the Prince Consort," eX-
presses different opinion. He thinks IL
would have been well II Oxford had been
dealt with as guilty IN the ordinary way.
"The best commentary" he says, "on the
ienity thus shown was pronounced by Ok
ford himself, on being told OF the similar
attempts OF Francis and Bean In 1912, when
he declared that IL he bad been hanged
there would have been no more shooting at
the Queen" IL may be reasonably doubted
whether The authority Of oxford, as to the
general influence Of criminal legislation, is
very valuable. Against the philosophic
opinion of The half-craZy young potboy, on
which Mr.. Martin places so much reliance,
may be set the fact that in other countries
where attempts on the life OF the sovereign
have been punished by the stern award OF
hat 10
cUtion OF one fanatic was q safe protection
against the murderous fanaticism OF an
other.
On May 30, 1912, a man named John
Francis, son of machinist in DrUry Lane,
fired a pistol at the Queen as she was driving
down Constitution Hill, on the very spot
where Oxford's attempt was made. This
was somewhat serious attempt; for Francis
was not more than few feet from the car
riage, which, fortunately, was drivin at
very rapid rate. The Queen showed great
composure. She was in some measure pre-
pared for the attempt; for II seems certain
that the same man bad on the previous eve
ming presented pistol at the royal carriage,
although be did not then fire il. Francis
was arrested and put on trial. He was
only twenty-five years OF age, and although
at first be endeavOred TO brsZen il out and
put on sort OF meI0dramatic regiclde as
pect, yet when the sentence Of death for
high treason was passed on him he fell into
a swoon and was carried insensible from
the court. The sentence was not carried
into effect. II was not certain whether the
pistol was loaded at all. and whether the
whole performance was not a mere piece OF
brutal play.acting done out OF a longing to
be notorious. Her Msiesty herself was
anxious that the death sentence should
not be carried into effect, and it
was finally committed to one Of
transportation for life. The very day
after this mitigation OF punishment became
publicly Known another attempt was made
by hunchbacked lad named Bean. AS the
Queen was passing from Buckingham Pal.
ace TO the Chapel Royal, Bean presented
pistol at her carriage, but did not succeed
In firing II before his hand was seized by
prompt and courageous boy who was
standing near. The pistol was found to
be loaded with powder, paper closely
rammed down, and some scraps OF clay
pipe. Ii may be asked whether the argu'
ment OF Mr.. Martin Is not fully borne
out by this occurrence, and whether the
fact OF Beams attempt having been made
on the day after the Communication
OF the capital sentence in tue case OF
Francis is not evidence that the leuiency in
the former instance was the cause of the
attempt made In the latter. But it was
made clear, and the fact is recorded on the
authority OF Prince Albert himself, that
Bean had announced his determination to
make the attempt several days before the
sentence OF Francis was commuted and
while FraEcis was actually lying under sen.
NJ -1
himself, the Prince was clearly Of opinion
that % carry out the capital SEN
teDce would have been nothing less
than a Judicial murder, as it is essential
that the act should be committed with in-
tent TO kill or wound, and in Francls's case
20 all appearance this was not the fact, or at
beast 1t was open to grave doubt. In this
calm and wise way did the husband OF the
Queen, who had always shared with her
whatever Of danger there might be In the
attempts, argue as 10 the manner in which
they ought to be dealt with. The am-
bition which most or all OF the mis-
creants who thus disturbed the Queen
and the country was that OF the
m0untebank rather than of the assassin.
The Queen herself showed how thoroughly
she understood the significance OF all that
had happened when she declared, accord
Ing to DIR. Martin, that she expected rep
etition OF the attempts on herrlhe so long as
the law remained unaliered by which they
could be dealt with only as acts OF high |
treason. The seeming dignity Of martyr |
tom bad something fascinating In II TO NOR |
bid vanity or crazy fanaticism, while OH the |
Dther hand. II was almost certain that |
he martyrs penalty would not In |
he end be Indicted. very appro-
In. Ia.
Which a punishment at once sharp and |
in0radinC gaa s,rnvidnd even far mora