The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-09-10
DEEDS Of THE PAST
Attempt Made to Assassinate
Jackson.
LINCOLN AND GARFIELD
Events in Two Black Crimes
Are Recalled.
LINCOLN AND GARFIELD

Thre presidents of the United States
previous to President Mckinley, were
objects of violence at the hands of as.
assins. namely President Jackson, Lin.
coin and Garfield
/ In but two Of these cases, however. was
/ the murderous. purpose accomplished.
! Tie attempt upon the life Of President
| Jackson took place as ne was leaving the
cabinet on January 80 1895.
A man rushed up to him on the street
and attempted to discharge a pistol aim
ed at the President, but the weapon fail
ed 10 operate.
President Jackson, who IN his younger
days hah been in many a scrimmage, and
besides was a veteran soldier, was quick
to defend himself and escaped any injury.
President Abraham Lincoln was as
sassinated April Il. 1865. by John Wilkes
Booth, leader of a little band of malig-
nant secessionists, at Ford's theatre in
Washington. Several others Of the coterie
assisted in carrying out the plot The
story Of that great crime, as told in the
life of Lincoln by John Hay and John G.
Nicolay, is as follows:
The preparations for the final blow
were made with feverish haste; it was
only about noon of the 18th that Booth
learned the president was to go Ford s
theatre that night.
THE president had been detained by
visitors, and the play had made some
progress when he arrived. When he ap-
peared in his box the band struck up Hail
to the Chief the actors ceased playing.
and the audience rose, cheering tumult-
uously; the president bowed IN acknow-
Judgement of this greeting and the play
went on.
''The moon rose that night at 10 o'clock
A few minutes before that hour Booth
called one of the underlings of the theatre
to the back door of the theatre and left
him there holding his horse. He then
went to a saloon nearby, took drink Of
brandy, and, entering the theatre. passed
rapidly through the crowd in rear Of the
dress circle and made his way to the pas
sage leading to the presidents box.
He showed a card to servant in at
tendance and was allowed to pass in. He
entered noiselessly, turning, fastened the
door with a bar he had previously made
ready, without disturbing any Of the oc-
cupants Of the box, between whom and
himself there yet remained the slight par
tition Of the door, through which he had
bored the hole.
"Their eyes were fixed on the stage;
the. play was Our American Cousin
Here in the box where five human beings
in a narrow space-the greatest man OF his
success in our history, the idolized chief
of a nation already mighty, with fllimi-
table vistas of grandeur to come; his be
loved wife, proud and happy. a pair of be-
trothed lovers, with al the promise of
felicity that youth, social position, and
wealth could give them, and this young
actor. handsome as Endymion upon Lat
mos, the pet of his little world.
"The glitter Of happiness. fame and
ease was upon the entire group. but in an
instant everything was to be changed
with the binding swiftness Of enchant-
ment Quick death was to come on the
central figure of the company-the cen
tral figure, many have said, of the great
and good men of the century.
over all the rest the blacklist fates
hung menancing-fates from which
mother might pray that kindly death
would save her children in their infancy.
zone was to wander with the stain Of
murder on his soul, with the curses of a
world upon his name, with a price set up
on his head, in frightful physical pain.
till he died a dogs death in a burning
barn; the stricken wife was TO pass the
rest Of her days in melancholy and mad
ness; of those two young lovers. one was
to slay the other and then end his life
a raving maniac
THE murderer seemed to himself, It
was afterward thought. to be taking part
in play. Partisan hate and the fumes
of brandy had for weeks kept his brain in
a morbid state. He paused as If expect /
ing applause.
Holding a pistol in one hand and
knife il the other he opened the box door.
put the pistol to the presidents head and
fired Dropping the weapon. he took the
knife in his right hand. and when Major