The Washington times., 1901-10-13


activities.
The feature of the affair which gave
the country the most entertainment was
its political aspect. Every sort of an oc-
currence. which affected Jackson in any
shape had political side. Jackson said
that Lawrence was merely a tool for
lot of conspirators who were aiming eth
er to kill him or to frighten him into re-
signing. Harriet Martineau was in the
Capital at the time the attempted shoot
ing occurred. She was seeking material
for the book which she published shortly
after she went back to England, her
Western Travel" This incident gave
her very diverting chapter. She visited
Jackson to congratulate him upon his es-
cape. and Jackson laid bare to her the
outlines OF a plot which he imagined was
concocted by some of his enemies. of
which Lawrence's act was the culmina-
ton. He named Senator George Poindex-
ter of Mississippi. as one of the conspira
tors. Poindexters alleged connection
with the affair was mentioned so publicly
that the entire country heard of 1t. The
Administration organ, the Globe" talk
ed about 1t in strain which made 1t ap-
pear that the editor believed there was
some basis for the conspiracy story.
Poindexter, who belonged to Jackson's
own party, had been in public life at that
time nearly a third of century. He
served In both branches of Congress. in
one or two Jud' 'cial posts. and was Gov
ernor of his State for few years. Dur
ing part-the most important part, the
New Orleans part-of the war Of 1S12-15
he was on Jackson's staff. He defended
Jackson in Congress against the charges
brought against him of transcending his
authority In the Seminole war. when he
upset the Spanish authority in Florida.
But in the mutations of politics, after
Jackson entered the Presidency, Poindex-
ter was against him on many points, as
other men of Jackson's party were. In
fact, the Jacksonians whom Jackson's
strenuous politics repelled made very
large ingredient-the militant ingredient
Of the combination of National Republi-
cans. anti-Masons, United States bank
Democrats and Democratic seceders of
various other sorts, who entering into
coalition in 1894, adopted the Whig name.
The people of the country thought until
long after JacksOn's days that Presidents
were proof against the ordinary ailments
and accidents which beset humanity.
There was surprise as well as sorrow
when the news of the death of William
Henry Harrison reached the country.
Along to that time the possibility that a
President would die during his term was
scarcely ever considered by the people.
Harrison was older at his election than
any other President whom the country
has had, before or since. He was sixty
eight at the time he took office. Thirty
years before entering the White House
gained him the Presidency. "Old Tippeca-
noe" Forty years before he became
President he represented the Northwest
Territory in Congress. He was not only
old, but he was feeble physically at the
time Of his election as President. Yet
he persisted In exposing himself to the
elements, thinly clad, in one of the bleak
est and rawest Inauguration days which
Washington has ever known, and
throughout a march longer than had ever
been seen at any Inauguration ceremonies
before that day. His exposure and the
clamors of the office-seekers weakened his
system, and when pneumonia came he
was an easy victim.
Nevertheless, the public was stunned
for a moment when the report of his
death first came. That the country 8
Chief Magistrate should be stricken down,
and that, too, shortly after entering Office,
had never entered the popular mind as a
contingency to be guarded against. All
the members of Harrison's Cabinet who
were in Washington at the time-Daniel
Webster. Secretary of State; Thomas .Ew-
ing. Secretary of the Treasury; John Bell,
Secretary of War; John ]. Crittenden, At
torney General, and Francis Granger,
Postmaster General-united in a public
announcement citing that IAN all-wise
Providence" had suddenly removed from
this life William Henry Harrison. late
President of the United States" and that
the people of the United States, like the
officers of his council were overwhelmed
by an event SO unexpected and so mel
ancholy.''
That any man should raise his hand
against a President. however was pos
sibility which was utterly beyond the
American publics thoughts. Taylor's
death, nine years later than Harrison s
showed Americans that their Executive
was not exempt from the common fate
of humanity in public and private sta
tion. That anybody though. in a Govern
ment of the people, by the people. and for
the people. should raise his hand against
the peoples President was something
which to Americans was unthinkable 1t
was easy to understand why tyrant like
Paul of Russia, or like Marat, the French
terrorist, should be assassinated. The
same was true of the attempts made on
! the life OF George III of England, and of
Napoleon III of France. The Govern
ments of these personages. like Russias,
seemed to many of their people to be ''ab-
solutisms tempered by assassination. I"
But the murder OF President of a re-
public. who was elected by the free voice
of mis- fellow-citizens, whose term was
of short duration. and who could be re-
tired at the end of it, was, to the Ameri-
can people incomprehensibIe.
The time and the place of the assassina-
tion of Lincoln conspired to give his MUIR
der an especial uneXpectednesS The war
was ended. and 1t was natural to look for
a quick subsistence of its passions. He
was member of small and select party
at a theatre at the National Capital, and
| the audience was not especially large. He
was many times previously ina position
which seemed to be of far greater peril
Lincoln went up the river from City Point
to Richmond just after that place was
| abandoned by Lee. but before Lee sur
rendered There were obstructions in the
river. which compelled the boat which he
was on to proceed slowly and to stop oft
en-. Becoming inpatient at the slow prog
ress, he got into barge when near Rich
mond and rowed to the city, and. with Il
guard of ten sailors and four companions
he started through Richmond guided by
negro. for the headquarters. a mile and
a half distant. Of Ger eral Weitzel. the
commander of the Union forces, who had
| taken possession of the city after the
COnfederateS left 1t. The fire which the
Confederates started when evacuating the
town was still burning in many quarters.
The streets at many points which they
traVersed were crowded.
Il never passed a more anxious time
than in this walk" wrote Captain Pen
rose, one of the party. in his diary He
said that in going up the James I'VE ran
| Ill