The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-03-09
The Queen Shot At.


ing the Queens arrival at Windsor. The
Queen walked across the platform of the rail
way station to her carriage, which WIS waiting
to take her to the castle. John Brown had
already assembled to his seat behind the car
riage, when man standing at the entrance to
the staiiOnyard, among a number OF specta-
tors, pointed pistol at the carriage and fired.
To judge from the report. the pistol was not
heavily loaded. The Queen, who was proba-
bly, not aware what had happened, Was imme-
diately driven to the castle, but before she
passed the man had been seized by the super
intendent of the borough police, who was
standing near by. He was also violently seiz-
ed by the crowd, and was only rescued from
them when three or four policemen came to
the superintendent assistance. The pistol
was captured by one of the crowd. Roderick
MacLean, the would be assassin, who was mis-
erahly clad, was taken into High street. and
thence conveyed to the police station. The
general opinion is that tile act was the result
of lunacy.
As soon as the Queen arrived at the castle,
she ordered an equerry to proceed to the depot
to inquire if any one had been hurt. The re-
port of the pistol was sharp. but not loud.
MacLean apparently intended firing again,
when the revolver was knocked from his hand
by bystander and handed to the police The
Right Hon Sir Henry F. Ponsonby, the
Queens secretary, proceeded to the police sta
ton, and after obtaining all the information
possible telegraphed to Mr. Gladstone the facts
of the assault. 1t is understood the Queen
has not sustained any shock.
MacLean is twenty-seven years old. He
states that he is a grocer's assistant. The
doctors pronounced him sane. The revolver
| is six chambered Colts American make
| Two chambers were found loaded and two had
Il t>,lI
! ridges were found on the prisoner MacLean
says hunger actuated the crime The Cabinet
sent dispatch to Windsor expressing gratIfi-
cation at the failure of the attempt at the as
sassinaton. No bullet marks were found on
the Queens carriage Resolutions expressing
. horror at the attempt to assassinate the Queen
were passed at various meetings held last night
! in London and the Provinces, Including meet
| ing OF Irishmen. The Gar, the Empress Of
Austria and Emperor William of Germany
| have telegraphed messages OF sympathy. The
| Queen held her dinner party last night rs usual
No political significance is attached in an.
quarter to the outrage.
| A CHARMED LIFE.
| The loyal subjects of Engands noble Queer
will be more than ever inclined to the belle
| that the divinity which hedges her is an active
potentia. barrier against the assaults and mad
| HISS VI DTuJdl tlOlCuCt. Ole SGCiIiS W UtdI q
charmed life and in no respect has her conduc,
inspired greater admiration and even rever
ence than in the calm courage and dignity she
has shown during the imminent danger OF
death at the hands of assassins and i'll the I'M
| impaired confidence and love for her people
| exhibited after every attempt upon her life.
| The assault upon the Queen Thursday at
| Windsor is the fourth really serious attempt
upon her lie and the first viii, b has occurred
outside OF London. though on one occasion
| previously harmless lunatic was arrested al
The Castle, where he demanded admission as
the lawful sovereign of England. BY far the
greater number of the dozen demonstrations
of violence against the Queen during her forty
five years on the throne have been imhecile or
crazy exhibitions of malevolence under Cir
cumstances which precluGed any possibility OF
| their being dangerous. Two years after Vic
toria took her seat upon the throne-Nlay 10
| 1894 religious maniac Was arrested n Buck
| ingham Palace gardens for threats of murder
coupled with the assertion that no Protestant
should be allowed to reign in England. He
was simply committed to an asylum. About
a month later the crazy preender before men
Toned was bagged at Windsor Castle, and on
July II of the same year commercial traveller
| was jailed for two months for wildly gesticu-
lating in front of the royal carriage in Hyde
Park
For year thereafter the young Queen was
undisturbed by any actual or suspected demon
stration of violence. In February, 1910, she
was married, and four months later, June II
while driving with Prince Albert in low
phaeton, to make an afternoon call upon heI
mother, the Duchess of Kent. Edward Oxford
a depraved and drunken ale-house waiter
seventeen years old, stationed himself on the
slight declivity just outside the Buckingham
Palace garden gate, known as Constitution
Hill. and there fired at the Queen at the dis
lance of not more than five or six yards. The
phaeton stopped and the Queen rose from hel
seat as soon as she understood what had oc
Cured and in her establishment, laughed a
the theatrical attitude of the would-be assassin
who almost instantly pulled another pisto
from his breast and, resting it on his left arm
took deliberate aim and again fired. Prince
Albert had just dragged the young Queer
down into her seat and the ball passed harm
lessly over her head
Victoria exhibited then, in the first actua
trial of her nerve, the same GOODNESS and dig
nifty which she has again and again displayed
under similar circumstances of danger. Sh'
was deadly pale, but rose again IN the carriage
to show the people she was unframed ant
then ordered the Positions to drive on to he
mothers. On her return HYDE Park Corne
was thronged with the anxious populace an(
The afternoon riding home in Rotten Row wal
at its height. A cavalcade of men and wome1
on horseback formed behind the royal equip
age and escorted the Queen to the palace gate
Oxford was arrested and the only statemen
he made was that Prince Albert at the frs
shot leaped to his feet, with the apparent in
tentlon of jumping out of the carriage, bu
thought better of it and sat down. The maj
was apparently unconcerned while on trial
and like mad Opheia toyed with the aromatic
al,
strewn in front of the dock between the pris
oner and the Judge-a relic of the old days
when the Court had to be protected from thu
cuntagion of foul and tever-breeding jails
The argument for the defense was hereditary
insanity, which was sufficiently proven to Sc
cure verdict of not guilty on that ground
Oxford was at once committed to an asylum
for life, and four or five years ago was still
alive and las sane as any of us" according t.
the physician who had him in charge. He il
probably still alive and nearing the end OF tn
forty-second year of his Imprisonment.
The delicate condition of the Queen at tn
time of Oxford's attempt might have rendered
its consequences very serious, but her robus
health carried her through without trouble
and two weeks after the birth of the Princes
Victoria another hare-brained boy created
sensation in the Palace. 1t was on Dec mbe
2 that William Jones. in some unexplained
manner, got into the house. and after severa
days of concealment was dragged out from
under sofa in the ante-r0Om by the nurse
He was jailed for three months as tramp, an
had hardly been released when he again go
into the Palace, but was recognized and al
rested, and shipped on man-ot-war as the al
Tentative of again going to Jail.
More than fourteen months elapsed befor
the Queen was again disturbed, when on Sun
day, May 30, 1912, again on Constitution Hill
she was fired upon by John Francis, who hat
been discharged from some mechanical EN-
ployment at Drury Lane Theatre. At noon
while returning from church, Francis hal
stepped out from the crowd and pulled pistol
but it missed fire. Prince Albert noticed il
but the Queen did not hear it. The officer
were informed and the Queer went out for he
afternoon drive as usual and viii e returnin!
home, just at the garden gate, Francis again
appeared and fired as stated, but without ct
feet. He was seized by a policeman and soldier
was at once tried and 10 two weeks fount
guilty. Chief Justice Tindal, with the blacl
cap on his head, pronounced with the utmos
solemnity the words of the formal sentence o
the common law on persons convicted OF higf
treason in attempting the sovereign's life
The terrible penalties dragging on the hurdle
to the gallows; to be hung by the neck mt
ad-dead-dead; to be drawn and quarteret
and the mutilated body exposed-were toe
much even for the stolid brutality of the pris
oner He tainted away and was carried un
conscious to his cell. With the personal as