Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-11-27

About the latter part of May last, on.
ly through the vigilance OF the United
States secret service officials, President
Harrison barely escaped assassination.
This would-be assassin was q Southern
crank, who claimed to be sadly per-
secuted Republican, whose life the
Southern Democracy and thankless
Republicans made miserable. His name
will not be revealed by the persons
from whom the story leaked for the
first time last night.
The story leading up to the crank's
futile attempt to kill the chief magis-
trate of the nation had beginning last
March, when Senator Hoar, of Massa-
chussetts, received very bitter letter
which demanded that he push his res
olution to investigate the Southern
courts to the bitter end. The letter
was full of vile accusations against
prominent and famous Democrats and
Republicans alike of Virginia. The
letter was dated at Petersburg and
was written by an alleged "Old
Republican Soldier" He said he had
served during the war In q Massachus-
etts regiment, and was mustered out as
captain of his company.
The latter contained so many vile in
situations against the private lives of
several of Senator Hoar's colleagues
that the Senator hesitated to read 1t
through. He was rather alarmed when
near the close, the writer declared that,
unless some remedy for stopping the
abuse which was heaped upon him was
devised by Congress, he would go to
Washington and kill President Harri-
son.
Garfield had his Guiteau,n read the
letter "and Harrison may have-well,
the writer is his assassin. I give him
but until the Goth of May to live."
Senator HOar, while somewhat wor-
ried, consoled himself with the thought
that the writer was a crank and filed
the letter away. About two weeks lat
er he received another letter from the
same person, almost the same tenor as
the first. but with a direct threat to kill
the President on or Immediately after
May 20. The Senator then placed the
two letters in the hands of Capt. John
8. Bell, who was then chiefo the Sc
couple of his best men to work to run
down the writer.
Senator Sherman was startled few
weeks after Chief Bell had received
the letters by receiving violent letter
threatening the Presidents life, and, as
in the two missives received previously
by Senator Hoar, the date of the Presi-
dents assassination wasfixed about May
20. This letter, also, was turned over
to Chief Bell, and it proved to be the
means of ferreting out the desperate
writers of the threatening letters.
Before this day, for a month pre-
vious, the two secret service men, one
OF whom was Agent O'Dwyer, were
securing Petersburg and at last by a
lucky stroke hit upon their man. He
was small shop-keeper in the Virgin
ia city and was noted for his eccentric
tiles. The fellow went to Washington
on May 20, being shadowed all the way
and in Washington by the detectives.
The crank stationed himself on Penn
sylvania avenue early In the morning
and about $3.50 when the President
passed for his morning drive, the fell
low, when the executive carriage was
within twenty feet of him, attempted
to draw a revolver.
The two detectives were upon the
fellow in an instant and he was hustled
to headquarters, where q vicious look
ing thirty-eight caliber revolver was
found In his pocket. He boldly con-
fessed that he intended to kill the
President. Later he was quietly ad-
judged insane and he is now confined
in an insane asylum, near Richmond,
Va.
This story leaked out yesterday, and
last night ex-Chief Bell, who has been
adjourning in this city, verified it in
every particular. He said he was sorry
that the matter was made public, and
could not imagine from what source 1t
had emanated, as all the parties In
Washington who had known Of it were
bound t0absolute secrecy.-7in,es- Star.