St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-09-25
PRESIDENTS LIVES IN PERIL.
aOw jackson and Tyler Escaped Death.

: Charles 0. Stickney writes most inter
= estingly in the Boston Herald of Sept 10
: of the narrow escapes from death OF two
, of our presidents. His article follows.
"lhe attempt to murder Presiden
Jackson was made on the Goth OF Janu
airy, 1885; the same month in which, q
years before, he won his highest renoWr
by his defeat of the British arms at New
Orleans.
On the afternoon of the day named
while President Jackson was at the Capt.
tol, in attendance upon the funeral OF the
Hon. Warren R. Davis of South Caro-
lima, one Richard Lawrence, painter,
residing in Washington, attempted to
shoot him.
This individual was seen to enter the
hall of the House of Representatives dur
ing the delivery of the funeral services
before its close, however, he had taken
his stand on the eastern portico, near
one of the columns. The President, with
the secretary OF the treasury on his lett
arm, on retiring from the rotunda to
reach his carriage at the steps OF the
portico, advanced toward the spot
where Lawrence stood with his pistol
concealed under his coat, and, when he
approached within 215 yards of him, the
would-be assassin levelled his pistol at
the Presidents breast. The percussion
cap exploded with noise so great that
several witnesses supposed the pistol had
been fired. On the instant Lawrence
dropped the pistol from his right hand,
and, taking another, ready cooked, from
his left, presented and snapped it at the
President, who at the moment raised his
cane and made for the assailaut with
lion-like energy. He would have exc
cuted summary vengeance, but Secretary
Woodbury. and Lieut. Godney laid hold
OF the man. who was knocked down, the
President pressing after him until he was
secured.
The Presidents friends then urged him
to go to the Capitol, which the old hero
did, with great 6rmness and self-possess-
ion, though during the eventful moment
his commanding voice was heard above
all others, as, tearing himself from his
friends and rushing toward the assassin,
he exclaimed: I am not afraid Let
me go, gentlemen! They can't kill me.
| can take care OF myself!h
AS soon as the act was known to the
crowd they manifested desire to kill
the assassin on the spot, but this was
promptly prevented.
Lawrence was forthwith taken to jail,
after brief preliminary examination be-
fore Judge Cranch. At this examina-
ton Sergeant alarms Randolph of the
House OF Representatives, who attended
the marshal to conduct the prisoner to
the City Hall, testified that the prisoner,
when asked by the marshal what motive
he had to make the murderous attempt,
stated that the President had killed his
father.
This assertion was, however, false, as
upon investigation, it was found that
his father. an Englishman, had died a
natural death in Washington some years
before. A MIR. Clark, with whom he had
lived as apprentice three years, testified
to his being of excellent habits, sober
and industrious; that he had seen him
very frequently and was well acquainted
with him since he had left his family, and
had heard nothing to his disadvantage
until Of late he was informed of his being
quarrelsome among his friends, and that
he had treated one of his sisters badly.
The keeper OF the rotunda stated that
he had frequently observed the man
about the Capitol, so often, in fact, that
he had tried to draw him into CONVEX
sation, but had found him taciturn and
unwilling to talk. On the day in ques-
ton he kept proving about, but did not
come within the railing near the mem.
bers seats. His hand was held inside
his vest, as if grasping something, and
his lips pale and quivering.
The President, in speaking of the event
that Lawrence manner from
the moment his eye caught his was firm
and resolute until after the failure of his
last pistol, when he seemed to shrink
rather than resist.
Lawrence was a handsome man of
about IS years, small in stature, with
pale complexion, black hair, dark eyes
and genteel department, and was well
dressed.
And now about the marvellous feature
of the affair. On his pistols being taken
from him they were found to be very
elegant pair, in excellent order, loaded
with powder and ball almost to the
muzzle, the barrels being about six inches
long. 1t was a most astonishing circum-
stance, almost reaching the miraculous,
that, loaded as they were, and of such |
perfect mechanism, both pistols missed
fire. For, Immediately after the affair,
Dist ATTY. Key and Gen. Hunter, the |
marshal of the district, made an interest
ing test of the firearms. This was done
with some of the remaining powder,
balls and caps of the prisoner, and the
result showed that, loaded in the ordi.
nary manner, the discharge ofthe weap,
ons took place every time, and their
power was such that the bullet would |
pass through an inch board at dis
lance OF nine yards and easily bury itself
in a second board at further distance OF |
about as many yards
AS matter OF course there was great
excitement throughout the country over
the attempt to kill the President. In.
deed, some OF Jackson's most eminent
including such men as Cal
houn, Clay, Pointdexter and White, were.
in the frenzy OF the moment, suspected
of having conspired in a plot to get rid
of him! But the fact was, Lawrence
had become hopelessly insane. This was
so clearly demonstrated at his trial that
the jury, after being out only Eve min
utes, rendered verdict to that effect.
The prisoner was sent to lunatic asv-
lum, where he remained an inmate the
rest of his life, nearly 40 years.
Nine years later on the 2Sth of Febru- !
airy, 1914, President Tyler's turn came
to pass through fiery ordeal of equally