The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-07-13
GENERAL HANCOgK INTER
VIEWED.

The intensity of feeling at Gov
ernor's Island had somewhat dimin-
ished to-day. Gen. Hancock passed
the most Of Saturday in the city,
and was away from the Island a
part Of to-day. In the afternoon he
was found on the lawn in front OF
his dwelling, where he was busily
occupied in entertaining his grand
children, who have just come from
Mississippi. He received the Tn
batlle reporter pleasantly and soon
the conversation drifted to the gen
eral topic, the attack on the Presi-
dent.
Gen. Hancock said: at was the
act of lunatic, or man driven
into a crazed condition by politics.
The latter is probably the true de-
scriptiOn of his condition. It is the
natural result of strong political
feeling; in other words, of a political
faction. 1t is the outcome of the
state of affairs which has been de-
veloping in the country through
factional animosity. There are
minds so constituted and naturally
eXcitable that, when worked upon
by passion and intense feeling, are
driven into this condition. This
man is evidently of that class. It
would be absurd to suppose that he
was at all connected with anyone
else-in other words, that there was
any conspiracy. The man acted on
his own responsibility. His mind
was unbalanced, and the result was
natural. In the case of the assas-
sination Of Lincoln the excitement
had been running high upon the
issues Of the war, and the southern
people were embittered; yet Booth
acted on his own responsibility,
although the act was an outgrowth
of the excitement of the time"
do you think this act is possibly
a phase of nihilism ?"
81 know nothing about it. | have
paid no attention to the question. l
do not suppose it is anything of the
kind, although [ have no opinion to
express upon the matter. Nihilism
arises from peculiar conditions. and
there can hardly be any comparison
in the matter. 1t is simply an IN
fortunate fact that the President of
the United States has been shot
down in one day"
"Do you, recall the attempted
shooting of JacksOn"
eyes, but only generally. Com
parsons of that kind are not deSir-
able. Even in drawing parallels in
the cases of Presidents Lincoln and
Garfield l dare say | went too far.
In many respects there was a marked
difference in the circumstances"
I'm the case of the Presidents
death, do you think it will have any
bearing with reference to the south
ern people,"
81 cannot say. I do not wish to
discuss it. The southern people have
nothing to do with this matter more
than the north. Prejudices of the
war are dying out, and there is no
further occasion for bringing for
ward the subject. In the case of the
death of General Garfield | have no
idcd OF What General Arthur would
do. There is no need for specula-
ton. 1t is merely waste of time"
care you well acquainted with
the President? ?"
"Only in a general way, as men
meet in official life. Not so well as
with many others. That is, in no in
innate sense, of course. A contact
running over twenty years would
enable me to see a good deal of him.
We all know what he is personally,
agreeable and pleasing"
Later Gen. Hancock said:
81 have no knowledge of politics
at Albany, and keep aloof from
them. l am not politician. That
field belongs to others. The attack
upon President Garfield has no
greater significance than / have IN.
dicated it is the act of a man craZed
bv political faction"
With reference to the celebration
of the Fourth, Gen. Hancock re-
marked: 81 certainly think there
should be none, IN case the Presl-
dent is no better or should die. Ii
he should be much better to-mor-
| row, and there should be unmistak-
able evidence he could recover. then