New-York tribune., 1883-03-10
GENERAL WASHINGTON NEWS
THE REPORTED ATTEMPT UPON MR.. BLAINE.

| 1nE hErOh LED ATTEMPT UPON NIX. BLAINE
AN UNFoUNDED STORY, TOLD WITH PURPOSE
AND AFTER DENIAL FROM Mr. BLAINE.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRrBUSE
WASHINGTON. March 9.-An inquiry of Mr. Blaine
about the shooting" story telegraphed last night
| by the Associated Press and told in an extremely
sensational way by Washington paper this morn
ing, brought the following note:
DUPONT CIRCLE, Friday noon.
DEAR Mr.. -: The whole story about the shooting Is
Mnnchausen think you will find your inquiries quite
Star Of this afternoon. reporter Of The Republican,
called at house late last night and learned athorta
tonal that had been shot at but this did de-
ter that paper from It's aiterated fasehoods this morn
Ing. Very hastily, JAMES @. BLAINE.
Mr.. Blaines allusOn Is to column account of the
matter in The Republican of this city. written in
highly sensational way. That 1t was evidently In
tended to annoy Mr.. Blaine is sufficiently indicated
by the head lines which were as follows, "A puDc-
tured pane. which suggests that attempt has
been made at assassination. A bullet crushes
through a carriage window at 10 o'clock at night"
Further inquiries reduced the alleged assassin TO
probable boy with sling, or probable man with
a stone. Mr.. Blame drove down from tto Capitol,
Thursday night Of last week, with Congressman
Mckinley of Ohio. The carriage is one which Mr.
Blaine hires by the month It stopped at the Ebbitt
House TO let Major Mckinley out, and after going
on some distance it went back as Mr.. Blaine re-
membered something he wanted to say to Mr. Nc
Kin.ev. Then he went home keeping the carriage
at his door as usual until he found whether any of
the family were still ont and wanted the carriage.
The style of the account in The Republican is further
indicated by the statement that Mr.. Blaine
" frightened when he got home that he wouldn't
allow the carriage to leave the poreOOohere until he
was safe in the house.
The next morning the stable-keeper called and
asked who was to pay tor the broken Of glass.
and when Mr.. Blaine asked for an explanation the
driver said tho window had been shot through"
while the carriage was passing Judiciary Square
Mr.. Blaine was naturally astoEished and went TO
Major Mckinley to find out whether they had been
so busy talking that they had not noticed such
tnflinR circumstance as bullets smashing through
the windows and scattering the pieces over them.
and under them. too for the driver said the seats
were all covered with glass Major Mckinley re-
ported that II he had been shot he had
forgotten it, aud Mr.. Blaine not being able
TO find any bullets about hls own person, declined
TO pay the stabekeener for the glass. It Is hardly
wori while TO 90 INTO all the details. The prob
ability s that the window was broken by a stone
thrown while the carriage was on its way from the
house to the stable, winch is through negro neigh
borh0od, where the driver may have got into some |
difficulty Hi story disposed of itself. lie did not
stop he carriage when the alleged sh0 was fired. |
and did not mention the lac' 10 Mr.. Blaine when he |
reached home. The llrged bullet disappeared. |
All the windows were shut, but other |
window was touched aud there is no
mark Of the bullet in any other part /
of The carriige. A tribune correspondent took
look at the "a rage. he hole, ms cad of being "A
clean hole such a. a bullet might make and such as
The Republican Described il 10 he Is a ragged hole
Just such au one as might have been maze by
stone with n shlrp point, winch had not been
thrown with force enough pass through the thick
plate glass. About the hole tine glass IS 80 frayed
and split OH on the inside as 60 make a whitened
disc OF some size. aud ont of that run large
cracks. Doubtless the colo ell coIchman and his
colleague Tho EcpHbictH, will do better next time