The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-01

William Townsend. the man arrested IN
London and suspected Of having designs
upon the life of Gladstone. has been de-
clared lunaxic. The only wonder is that
the inilammatory speeches Of the Tory
leaders in Ulster and elsewhere have not
long ago prompted some creature like
Guiteau, with deranged or unarranged
brains, to shoot Gladstone. In time of
great public excitement men IN high pub
lie station are In great danger of assault
by tramp cranka to whose tottering minds
every inaammanory speech is like red
rag to a mad bull. The violent, infiamma-
tory writings OF the terrorist Marat
doubtless persuaded the enthusiast Char
lotte Corday to the insane belief that with
the death Of the anarchist believing for
more victims the wholesale executions
would cease In 1912 one Bellingham shot
Mr.. Perceval, the prime minister Of Eng
land, dead in the lobby of the house of
commons. He was tried, convicted and
executed within week after his crime.
slthough he was unquestionably insane.
lie came of insane stock, and his mind
.ad been upset by the loss Of his fortune
IN the commercial CONFUSION which
followed Napoleon's declaration of
war against Russia. Bellingham held
Prime Minister Perceval responsible
for Russia's war with France and shot
him. A clergyman named Lawrence, who
attributed his loss Of property to President
Jackson's action in regard to the United
States bank. attempted TO shoot him in
January, 1885. We were wiser or more
humane than England was in the case Of
Bellingham. and Lawrence was treated a.
aluna,ic, not as political assassin. The
object of the famous Cato street conspir-
acy Of Thistlewo God was the assassination
OF the ministry OF Lord Liverpool. The
life Of Sir Robert Peel was once attempted,
but the assassin mistook the minister
secretary for tho minister, and Queen Vic
toria has been assaulted with more or less
evidence Of murderous intent seven
times since her coronation In 1887. The
assailants Of the queen have in every case
been treated a. cranks and transported. or
sent to . lunatic asylum "during her
majesty's pleasure. which means life
sentence. There is no reason to doubt
that Booths mind had been upset by his
excuses and the exciting events of tho clos
ing Of the war; there Was insanity In the
family. for his great father. the elder
Booth. was often for days In an insane
condition. or Guiteau's insanity there 10
no doubt.
With many creatures wandering about
In every country, whose minds are like
finder to every flame Of popular excite
ment, the only wonder Is that SO few pub
lie men in both Europe and America have
lost their lives by the hands of an assas-
sin during the present century. Suppose
some creature. like Northrop. who per-
ished trying to blow up Russell Sage with
bomb, should take it into his head that
President Cleveland or Secretary Carlisle
Was responsible by their financial policy
for his failure 10 make a fortune and
should decide to remove" them rapidly
from this world, he could do il without
much difficulty. A creature who is ready
TO lose his life in order to kill the presl-
dent could kill him at any time.