The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-03-18
THE QUEENS NARROW ESCAPES.
A sketch of the Attempts Upon Her Life from Ok
ford s to McLean's.

Tnrra ~ ccrtalnl, no sovereign in Europe
who is more worthy of affection and respect
.h.u ne Queen n England, and there is no,
cuu,'ry - Europe where there is so little ex'
cu., ... r,.g.rllr IA The organization and ad.
u.u.Ir,,.,n st public affairs, Yet scarcely a
-u,.r.. - y npIrrn Europc--not even the
mg.. plrt,ri against Napoleon III.-has
.....u Ir,u iruty attacked, though IL should
0r. 4lr Il az nuI in a few instances was her
.arul ready Cr.n,,,~cd and that without eA'
e, ptl ~ Il. r-StiitliS we're more or less weak
Uurj.d. isny eTo alter her accession, May
10 $50 u 4. nan - ., arrested on the gar
|d.l -.rl. Of cNingham Palace who an
nnI ,,,d AZ, uIeutinn of killing her because
mo- Prut.St.,li ~nuIi he suffered TO sit on the
Iurpnr ui En- ,ud \ few days later q luna
lur IKE tuu.e Wh" frequently turn up ut our
iowa Wuttc h Iust, VAS caught Clambering over
r.ru ...lusurcs IL Windsor to take possession
%, juc Castle ~ tue rightful King OF England,
I.a uI he liza of July II commercial traveller
" - sent To- prison for two months Tor persist
.u- "a getting in The Qucens way IN Hyde
/ p .rk, blowing kisses to her and smiling his
.u..ylng bosom With all the passion protessed
for inc Young sovereign by Dickens in well
known playful letter
On June II, 1910, q potboy of seventeen,
Edward Oxford by name, attempted to shoot
the Queen and Prince Albert as they were
passiDg in low carriage by the garden gate
IoDening from Constitution Hill. Oxford FREQ
a pistol directly at the Queen, then drew sec
ond weapon from his breast, and resting ii on
that ne had already discharged, fired 1t also
with deliberate aim before the by ISLANDERS
could rush ON him The Queen rose IN the
carriage, but was pulled down by her husband,
but so soon ~ Oxford had been secured she
stood up again, composed though very pale,
to show that she was unhurt Oxford, who
: was calm and collected admitted his act when
taken before the Ptivy Council. Powder and
shot were found at his Lodgings with the rules
of the alleged Young English Society, terri.
Bile secret organization whose members were
pledged TO meet armed with a brace OF pls-
tolls and sword and with black Grape cap
to cover the face"
The defense showed thatO xford's grandfather
and father had been of weak mind and he was
found mot gully on the ground of insanity"
and turned over to an insane asylum for life.
Unless we are in error he was released some
, ten or twelve years ago on condition OF his
leaving the country. DR.. Samuel Warren, who
had an interview with Oxford In jail, came to
the conclusion that he was perfectly sane, and
Oxford told him "A good housekeeping was
want wanted" Sir Theodore Martin, in his
Life of the Prince Consort," thinks it would
have been well had Oxford been dealt with ID
the ordinary way and adds; "Ihe best com
mentary on the lenity thus shown was pro.
, nounced uy Oxford himself on being told OF
f the similar attempts OF Francis and Bean IN
1912, when hr declared that II he had been
hanged there would have been no more shoot
ling mt the Queen" The Oxford affair made
"a great sensation at the time, and members OF
parliament competed tGri0usly tor LOCKE OF his
HAIR when lie underwent the prison crop.
On HE p of December, William Jones, a
iboy whom the wits dubbed "In-l-go" Jones,
bee iuse Of hl, pertlnaciy, was routed out
from under sofa IN Buckingham Palace and
, sent to iall for three months as rogue aud
tvagtbond He had been concealed IN the pa!
ace for several days March Is, iS4l, Jones
was caught IN the palace again, but this time
the magistrates induced him TO ship on man.
Ot-War
On May 80, 1S42, John Fraucls, the son OF a
I machInlsJ at Drury Lane Theatre, young
man who had been out OF employment Tor
some months, fired at the Queen rs she was
driving rapidly down Constitution Hill, and
' missed her, being promptly seized by police
= man ana d soldier. The Queen behaved with
!. her usual Caimnesa and came in for an enthu.
slast,c reception at the opera in the evening.
THIS time the Orangemen had their innings
and sent up an address OF congratulation on
Her Majesty's escape from POpish machina-
!, tons" Francis, who remained doggcdly 81
lent rs to his motives, was convicted ana SEN
fenced to death on the 18th OF June by Chief
Justice Tindal He tainted on hearing the
= sentence couchcd in the terrible old terms,
dragging on hurdle, hanging, drawing and
4 Iuual terlng, but his sentence was cOmmutcd to
- TRANSPORTATION tor life. II Is by no means Ger
tam that the pistol WAS loaded, and 1t Is prop
\ able that 1t was Francis who on the night be-
s.. T., ia, nv (Dunpn-SO
at least, she Lhougnt-tO present pistol at the
carriage, a circumstance which had prepared
her for the events of the 18th. FranCiss am
1bition was that of the muunebink rather than
MI of the assassin. Prince Albert was opposed
= 70 carrying out the capital sentence rs judicial
o murder, and the Queen, who shared his views,
y, insisted that the attacks would bt continued
i until the law was changed ana sharp ana
- degrading punishment was substituted Tor the
" penalties for high treason which the offender
: incurred and coveted Her Majesty was right
for on the Sd ot July, halfwitted hunchbaCb
Z named Bean, snapped loaded pistol at her as
z she was passing to the Chapel Royal. He was
3 punished by eighteen months imprisonment
"a In MIlbank for mlSdemcanOr, and few Gays
5 later Peel introduced the "Dil tog the better
\ protection of the Queens person against minol
! offenders" maxim. such attempts punlShaolt
o "by transportation for seven years, or by im
piisonment not to exceed three years, the cul
prit to be publicly or privately whipped as OF
i ten and in such manner as the court shall di
!, rect, not exceeding thrice
On May 10, lsio an irish brlcklayer named
= Hamilton fired pistol loaded with gunpow
% der nj the Queen as she was driving down
- Constitution Hill. lie subsequently, PLEADED
guilty aud WAS sent overseas tor seven
;, years Nay 81, 1850, as the Queen was pass
. ing ous OF the gate of the Duke o.
., Cambridge's residence In Piccadilly, au
u ex lieutenant Of the Tenth IIus,ars, Robert
% Pate by name, who thought himself injured
$ by the War Office, struck her on the head Wit
" a cane crushing her bonnet and bruisins he
a. ,ho,L uraS sniypi hy a hystnnupr and OI