Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-03-15
BESET BY CRANKS.

BUTLER, March 6. 1882.
BESET BY CRANKS.
The Experience of Queen Vic.
tOria.
The police of London have learned
that Mclean, arrested for shooting at
the Queen, was discharged from Wells
Lunatic Asylum last September.
Since then he has been in the asylum
at Weston-Super-Mare and in an asylum
at Dublin. The Solicitor at Windsor
says that in 1874 he defended a man
by the name of Roderic Mclean at
Maidstone against the charge of trying
to upset railway train. The prison
er is believed to be the man. After
the examination of him yesterday af-
ternoon crowd undertook to upset
the van which was bearing him back
to the Jail. The prisoner had his pre-
liminary hearing before the borough
justices Of Windsor. The London
papers regard him as crank, and from
the evidence SO far produced it is not
likely that he will suffer any severer
punishment than inflicted on the other
cranks who assailed or insulted the
Qneen.
singularly enough, although she is
loved and respected by her people as
no other sovereign of Europe is, no
other has been assailed or insulted
more frequently, but to her honor, in
nearly all instances by persons who
had no grievance other than imaginary
against her. Shortly after her acces-
sion to the throne, that is, on May 10,
1889, crack-brain was arrested on the
garden steps of Buckingham Palace
who announced his intention of killing
her because no Protestant should sit
Oh the throne of England. A few
| days later another crack-brain was
caught clambering over the enclosure
at Windsor to take possession of the
castle, claiming that he was rightful
sovereign and the Queen an usurper.
The sensation caused by these follies
had hardly died away when on July
II of the same year commercial
traveller planted himself in her path at
Hyde Park, tossed kisses at her and
bea. his bosom like passionate lover.
His ardor cooled off during the two
months he spent in Jail. The first at
tempt on her life that was thought to
have had political motive was that of
the pot-boy, Edward Oxford, seventeen
years old, who on June IL, 1910.
fired ut her as she was out driving
with Prince Albert. He was thought
to be the agent of an organization call
ed the Young England Society, which
was charged with a design to dethrone
her in favor of her uncle, the King of
Hanover. At the trial, it was shown
that he was not the agent of any or
ganization, that he was inspired by,
love of potoriety, and came from a
family of weak-mind. He was acquit-
ted on the ground of insanity, and sent
to an asylum for life. December 2,
1871, boy named William Jones was
found concealed under a sofa in Buck
ingham palace and sent to Jail. When
released he tried the trick over again,
and then the magistrates, to get rid o.
him, induced him to enlist on man of,
war May 80, 1912, John Francis
son of man named employed at Drury
Lane theater, fired at the Queen. He
was condemned to death, but Prince
Albert declared that to carry out the
sentence would be judicial murder, and
the Queen declared that the attacks
would last until some other punish
ment than that for treason was inflicted,
as the offenders wanted that. Accord
ingly a law was enacted providing
transportation and whipping for the
crime. Under this the life of Francis
was spared. The next crank to appear
was hunchback named John Bean
who snapped pistol at the Queen
July 81, 1912. He was imprisoned
for eighteen months. May 10, 1S46
an Irish brickIayer named Hamilton
fired q pistol loaded with gun-powded
at the Queen as she was driving down
Constitution Hill He was transport
ed for seven years. May q, 1850,
Robert Pate, an ex- lieutenant of Hus-
sars, for some fancied wrong, hit her
on the head with a cane as she was
coming out of the house of the Duke of
Cambridge. He, too, was transported
for seven years. February 29, 1872,
lad of seventeen, Arthur O'Connor
by name, presented an empty pistol at
her as she was entering Buckingham
Palace after drive. He was not
thought so much of a crank as he ap-
peared, and with the years imprison-
ment he was given twenty stripes
with birch rod. The last crank ar
rested for crime against the sovereign
was Edward Byrne Madden, harm
less old scholar, who threatened to kill
her He threatened also to kill all the
crowDed heads, and wanted to gain
fame by coming to this country to be
the Booth of President Andrew John
son. He was sentenced to confine-
mert as a lunatic at the Queens pleas
ure.