Iron County register., 1882-03-16
THE ATTACK UPON THE QUEEN OF
ENGLAND.


Late this afternoon, as the Queen, with
Princess Beatrice, was entering her carriage al
the Windsor railway station, to drive to the
castle, she was fired at by imam in the crowd
happily without harmful result. The station
was crowded with Eton boys and townspeo-
pie, who, with their hats raised, were heartily
cheering her as she crossed the crimson-car-
peted platform to the royal carriage. She had
just entered the carriage, and the aged John
Brown had taken his seat beside the coach
men, who started the horses. While the air
was still resounding with the cheers, a
shabby, ill-looking man, about thirty
hve or forty years old, standing at
the entrance Of the station-yard among
the other spectators, about thirty PAGES
from the carriage, deliberately raised
| pistol and fired at the Queen. He
| seemed about to shoot again when the re-
volver was struck from his hand by James
| Burnside photographer OF Windsor. Others
seized him, and the police rushed in and took
| him into custody Meantime the Queens
coachman drove on as though nothing had
| happened, and reached the castle in safety.
| The crowd attempted to take the man from
the police. The Eton boys cried Lynch
| him! Lynch hfm!' and rush was made to-
ward the spot where handful of police pro-
tected the would-be-assassin, but a cab was
sent for, and the man was got safely away,
| though severely hustled.
The prisoner, who, to all appearances, is a
thorough ''crank," gave his name as Roder-
| ick MacLean, aged thirty-two. He stated
that he was clerk, out Of employment. He
was a native Of London, and was born fn Ok
ford street.
The weapon used was six chambered Colts
revolver, of American make. MacLean said
he would not have done what he did had he
not been hungry. It appears, however, that
he took hearty meal at Windsor coffee
house shortly before the attempt. No bullet
marks were found on the Queens carriage.
MARCH 8.
The prisoner who fired at the Queen was
driven to the town-hall in an open hy at half
past one, in charge of Superintendent Hayes.
He has wretched look, and is a man very
much of the Guiteau type He was unclean
and unshaven. He has slight mustache. He
was Immediately taken before the Magistrates,
the Mayor OF Windsor presiding. Mr.. Steven
son, Solicitor for the Treasury, prosecuted. In
reply to the Mayor, the prisoner said, in the
most of-hand manner and firm voice, that his
name was "MacLean-Roderick MacLean.'
Superintendent Hayes then swore to the facts
OF the shooting, and also testified to the
letter found on the prisoner. The letter was
read. It said that the prisoner would not
have done the crime had ten shillings been
given him instead of the insultingly small
sum of six shillings. He was compelled to
commit the crime against the "bloated aris-
tocracy," he added, by "that old lady Mrs.
Vic" The witness further said that this
morning the prisoner wished to make writ
ten statement, saying: Il have complete
answer to the charge" He then wrote letter.
In it the prisoner said he was not guilty of
shooting at the Queen with the intention of
doing her grievous bodily harm. His object
was only to cause public alarm, with the OBJ
ject OF having his grievances redressed. His
pecuniary straits and circumstances tended to
prove the truth Of this statement. Had he
cared to have injured the Queen, he would
have fired at her when she was getting out Of
the carriage. As it was, ne shot at the
wheels, but the pistol kicked and the bullet
might have hit the carriagedoor. The pris-
oner was remanded.
All the London morning papers have lead
ing articles on the attempt On the life of the
Queen. Tho Times says:
"The intention we prefer to think was no
more than desire to create alarm and gain
notoriety at whatever cost. There is a kind
of Infamous notoriety much coveted by some
disordered minds, which can be easily and GER
tainiy earned by such deeds as that of Mac
Lean yesterday. To have fired a pistol at
woman, and that woman the Queen Of En-
gland, confers on the culprit the most unen-
viable distinction, but distinction none the
less. But the cost has yet to be considered
We are glad to learn harm has been suf-
fered by her Majesty, but the case might
lily have been otherwise. We trust, however,
that the cost of MacLean's notoriety will be
borne only by himself. 1t may chance to be
somewhat heavy one. II all other re-
straints fail, and if there are men with
whom decency and maniness count for moth
ing, some strong deterrent must be brought
to bear. If MacLean proves to be madman,
there Is no more to be done than to have good
care taken that he shall play no more mad
mans pranks of the same kind as yesterday. |
But there must be some good evidence that he |
is mad before such plea can be admitted. |
The mere fact that he has been guilty of mo- |
tiveless crime may be enough in the opinion |
OF professional experts in insanity, but it will
satisfy nobody else If no more can be said |
for MacLean than could be said for Guiteau |
or LEROY, he can as little expect to escape the |
punishment he has brought upon himself"
FORMER ATTEMPTS.
The first attempt upon the life Of tho
Queen was made June 10, 1910, when she was
not yet twenty-one years of age. The would
be assassin, Edward Oxford half crazy lad |
of seventeen, deliberately fired two shots at
the Queen as she was passing in a carriage on
Constitution Hill. Oxford was found insane
by a jury, and as is the English custom where
an acqufttal is rendered on that ground was
ordered to be confined at her Majesty's pleas
ure. Some fifteen years ago he was released
from the asylum on condition that he would
60 to Australia
John Francis fired At the Queen May 80,
1912, from the very spot where Oxford had
stood. He was but few feet from the car
riage, but missed his aim. He was tried and
condemned to death, but the sentence was
commuted to imprisonment for life.
The next attempt was made the day after
the mitigation of Francis punishment was
announced, and was the work Of q hunch-
backed boy named Bean. He presented a
pistol at the Queens carriage, but did not get
a chance to IRE it. The pistol was loaded with
powder, paper tightly rammed down, and
some pieces of clay pipe Bean was i'm
prsoned for eighteen months.
An rich hp;A H.