Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-11-21
MANY TINES In DANGER.
SEVEN ATTEMPTS MADE ON QUEEN
VICTORIA'S LIFE.
The British Ruler Has Had More
Hairbreadth Escapes From Death
Than ANY Other Soyerel,n.

The British Ruler Has Had More
Hairbreadth Escapes From Death
Than Any Other Sovereign.
X SINGULAR fact about Queen
"A Victoria is that she has not
~ only always enjoyed excep-
tionally good health, and
that even at her present advanced age
she is unusually strong and well, but
that she has had more hairbreadth es.
,apes than any other sovereign in his.
tory. No fewer than seven attempts
have been made on her life, and there
have been many occasions when the
Queen has seemed to be face to face
with death.
Hyde Park was the scene of the first
attempt on the Queens life, which
was made by youth of seventeen,
who, on the 10th of July, 1910, fred
at Her Majesty with pistol. The
Prince Consort, to whom the Queen
had been married few months be.
fore, happily saw the youth in time to
draw his wife down beside him, so
that the ball passed over her head.
The mad youth was for some time con.
fined in Bedlam and was afterward al
lowed to go to Australia.
Only two years passed away before
The second attempt, when, almost on
the same spot, man named Francis
fired Mt the Queen rs she YVES again
driving with the Prince. The shot
missed, and Francis was sentenced to
death for high treason, the sentence
being afterward commuted to trans
portation for life by desire of the
Queen.
Strangely enough, on the very day
Fer Majesty's clemency became
known, II hunchback named Bean a
mere youth, made another attempt to
injure the Queen. He was transported
for seven years.
A bricklayer was the next seeker
after notoriety. He fired at the Queen
as she rode in her carriage, ON July 8,
lSl9, but his pistol missed, and he
was sentenced to seven years transpor.
tation.
Less than year after this, as Her
Majesty was returning from visit to
the deathbed of her uncle, the Duke
of Cambridge, an ex captain of hussars
rushed forward and struck her on the
face with small stick. The blow
caused wound, but the Queen was not
seriously hurt.
1t was 1872 before another at.
tack was made. In the early part of
that year boy ran up to the Queen
with pistol and petition. He was
nrrested before he could fire, how
ever, and was declared insane. Ten
year later a madman, named Robert
Maclean, aimed pistol and shot at
the Queen as she entered her carriage
at Windsor railway station.
On many other occasions the Queen
has been within an ace of death.
When child, six months old, she was
at Sidmc nth, on the Devonshire coast,
Senay Syhfn sycnarsea ssSy shsetpE E &c ie win
dow OF the nursery in which the prin.
cess was playing. The shots passed
close to the baby's head, but did not,
fortunately, do any harm.
When Queen Victoria was four years
old her life was saved by al Irish
SO dier who happened to be passing
when the royal carriage was over.
turned. But for the soldiers inter-
vention the carriage would have fallen
on the Queen. Half century passed
away before the soldier knew whose
life he had saved.
A yachting excursion was the occa-
sion of an alarming accident when the
Queen was a girl of fourteen. The
young princess stood on a yacht watch
ing storm that had suddenly arisen,
when the topmast became dangerous.
The pilot quickly conveyed the prin-
cess to safe place, and the next min.
ute the mast fell with heavy crash on
the spot where the royal passenger had
been standing.
Twenty.one years ago, whcr the
Queen was crossing to Gosport fl ON
Osborne, there was fatal collision
with the royal yacht, in which three
persons perished. But once more her
life was preserved.
On many other occasions the Queen
has been in great danger. such as
when, in August, 1851, Her Majesty
was in railway accident, and when.
soon after her accession, the horses
attached to her carriage bolted. On
zach of these occasions the Queens
self.possession has Eeen remarkable
New York Journal.