Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-03-15

Previous Attempts At Assassination.
From Justin Mccarthy work, "a History of
Our Own Times" we have the following story
Of the attempts to assassinate Queen Victoria:
THE FIRST ATTEMPT.
He writes: The first attempt was made on
June 10th, 1910, by Edward Oxford, pot boy
of seventeen, who fired two shots at the Queen
as she was driving up Constitution Hill with
Prince Albert. Oxford fired both shots deliber-
ately enough but happily missed in each case He
proved to have been an absurd creature, hall
crazy with longing to consider himself polit-
ical prisoner and to be talked of. When he was
tried the jury pronounced him insane. and he
was ordered to be kept in a lunatic asylum dur
ing her majesty's pleasure. The trial complete
ly disspated some wild alarms that were felt
founded chiefly on absurd papers in Oxford's
possession, about a tremendous secret society
called Young England" having, among its
other objects. the assassination of royal person
ages. 1t is not an unnteresting illustration OF
the condition of public feeling that some of the
Irish Catholic papers, in seeming good faith.
denounced Oxford as an agent of the Duke OF
Cumberland and the Orangemen, and de-
clared that the object was to assassinate the
Queen and put the Duke on the throne. The
trial showed that Oxford was the agent of no.
body and was impelled by nothing but his own
cracked-braned love Of notoriety. The finding
of the jury was evidently something of com
promise, for it is very doubtful whether the boy
was insane in the medical sense and whether
he was fairly to be held irresponsible for his ac-
tiOns; but it was felt. perhaps. that the wisest
course was to treat him as a mailman. and the
result did not prove unsatisfactory. Mr.. Theo-
dOre Martini in his Life of the Prince Consort, y
expresses a different opinion. He thinks il
would have been well il Oxford had been dealt
with as guilty in the ordinary way. 1.-THE best
commentary" he saws, ION the lenitv thus
aad hyn yfn alf no
ing told of the similar attempts of Francis and
Bean in 1912. when he declared that if he had
been hanged there would have been no more
shooting at the Queen" 1t 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 pOt-boy on which Mr..
Martin places SO much reliance may be set the
fact that in the other countries where attempts
on the life of the sovereign have been punished
by the stern award OF death, it has not been
found that the execution of one fanatic was a
safe protection against the murderous fanati-
ciSm OF another.
THE SECOND ATTEMPT.
On May 3Oth, 1912, man named John Francis
son OF machinist in Drury Lane. fired a pistol
at the Queen as she was driving down Constitu-
ton Hill. on the very spot where OXford's at
tempt was made. This was a somewhat serious
attempt. for Francis was not more than few
feet from the carriage which, fortunately, was
driving at rapid rate. The Queen showed
great cOmpOSure. She was i'm some
measure prepared for the attempt. for it seems
certain that the same man had on the previous
evening presented pistol at the royal carriage
although he did not then fire it. Francis was
arrested and put on trial. He was only twenty
two years of age, and although at first he en-
deavOred to braZen it out and put on sort OF
me!0dramatic regicide aspect. yet when the
sentence of death for high treason was passed
on MN he fell intoa swOOn and was carried in
sensible from the court. The sentence was not
carried into effect. 1t was not certain whether
the pistol was loaded at all. and whether the
Whole performance was not mere piece of play
acting done out of a longing to be notorious.
Her Majesty herself was anxious that the death
sentence should not be carried into effect
and it was finally committed to one of transpor-
tatiOn for life.
THE THIRD ATTEMPT
The very day after this mitigation of punish
ment became publicly known another attempt
was made by hunchbacked lad named Bean.
AS the Queen was passing from buckingham
Palace to the Chapel Royal, Bean presented o
pistol at her carriage, but did not succeed in
firing it before his hand was seized by a prompt
ana courageous boy who was standing near
The pistol was found to be loaded with powder
paper closely ranmed down and some scraps of q
cla!ppe. 1t may be asked whether the argu-
ment of Mr.. Martin is not fully borne out
by this occurrence, and whether the fact OF
Beans attempt having been made on the ia,
after the communication Of the capital sentence
in the case or Francis is not evidence that the
len!ency in the former instance was the cause 0.
the attempt made in the latter. But it was
made clear. and the fact is recorded on the au-
thority of Prince Albert that the lad Bean had
announced his determination to make the at
day fha of
Cts was c0mmuted and while Francis was &C
tually lying under sentence of death. Witt!
regard to Francis himself the Prince was clearly
OF the opinion that to carry out the capital SEN
tence would have been nothing less tnan ju-
dicia! murder, as it was essential that the act
should be committed with intent to kill OF
wound. and in Francis case, to all appearances
this was not fact. or at least It was open To
grave doubt. In this calm and wise way did
the husband of the Queen, who had always
shared with her what ever danger there might
be in the attempts argue as to the MANNER in
which they ought to be dealt with The ambi-
ton which melted nearly all the miscreants who
thus disturbed the Queen and the country was
that OF the mcuntebank rather than of the as
sassin. The Queen herself showed how thor,
oughly she understood the significance of al
that had happened, when she declared accord
inc to Mr.. Martin, that she expected a repeti
tion OF the attempts on her life so long as the
law remained unaltered by which they could be-
dealt with only as acts of high treason. The
seeming dignity of martyrdOm had something
fancinating in it to morbid vanity or crazy fanat
icism, while on the other hand it was almost
certain that the martyrs penalty would not in
the end be inflicted. A very appropriate change
in the law was effected by which punishment
at once sharp and degrading. was provided fol
mere mOuntebank attempts against the Queen
punishment which was certain to be inflicted
bill was introduced by Sir Robert Peel, max
ing such attempts punishable by transportation
FOR seven years or by Imprisonment for term
not exceeding; three years, 1.-THE culprit to be
publicly or privately whipped as often and in
such manner as the court shall direct, moi
exceeding thrice" Bean was convicted under
this act and sentenced to eighteen months i'm
prisOnment in Milbank penitentiary This die
not, however, conclude the attacks on the
Queen.
THE FOURTH ATTEMPT.
An Irish bricklayer, named Hamilton, fired
pistol charged only with powder at her Ma
jesty, on Constitution Hill, Oh May 10Th, 1S49.
and was sentenced to seven years transporta-
ton.
THE FIFTH ATTEMPT.
A man named Robert Pate, once a lieutenant
of Hussars struck her Majesty on the face with
stick as she was leaving the Duke of Cam.