The Washington times., 1901-09-08

the rack and then quartered a limb at
time by the royal executioner.
For Charlotte Corday, the killer of Ma
rat, in 1913, no punishment worse thaH
treadng the way to Mile. Guiliotlhe
parior was provided. They say that Ma
rat trified with the love of Corday, ana
then, too, he did not represent the Kihu Oh
liberty she believed in. She was young
she was beautiful. she hated. She mace
her way 10 the quarters of Marat. he Is
supposed to have been In his path- ohe
gained entrance and she drove the knife
true to its final resting place. She was III
prison and while in prison she was in
suited. Some historians have extolled the
killing OF Marat: others dismiss 1t as the
necessary result of love quarrel.
Spencer Perceval was Premier of Eng
land when Arthur Bellingham met him on
May II. 1872, In the lobby of the House OF
Commons and killed him. The murder
was the outgrowth OF a quarrel III which
pol tics played a considerable part. Bel
Ilngham was adjudged insane.
Few people know that an attempt was
made on the life of Andrew jackson while
he was President OF the United States. II
was on January 8, 1885. that President
Jackson went to the House of Representa-
tives to take part in the funeral services
In honor of a deceased member OF the
House from South Carolina.
After the usual solemnities a process
sion was formed TO escort the body TO
the grave. The President, near the head
of the procession. accompanied by Mr..
Woodbury. and Mr.. Dickerson, had cross
cd the great rotunda of the Capitol and
was about to step out upon the portico,
when a man emerged from the crowd and,
placing himself before the President, at
, the distance of about eight feet from him,
leveled a pistol at his breast and pulled
the trigger The cap exploded with loud
report without discharging the bullet.
The man dropped the pistol upon the
pavement and raised a second. which he
had held in his left hand under his cloak.
That also missed fire.
The President, the instant he compre-
hended the purpose of the man, rushed
furiously at him with uplifted cane. Be-
fore he reached him Lieutenant Gedney
OF the navy had knocked the assassin
down. and he was Immediately secured
and taken to Jail. The President, boiling
with rage. was hurried into a carriage by
his friends and conveyed to the White
House. For some days his belief remain
on to attempt his destruction by clique
of his political enemies The prisoner was
proved to be n lunatic. His name was
Lawrence. He was an English house
painter who had been long out of em-
ployment Hearing on all sides that the
country had been ruined by the measures
of General Jackson, the project of as
sassinating him had fastened itself in his
crazy brain. Lawrence was never pun
ishcd. He was permanently confined in
an asylum and died there.
No assassination of a public leader or
ruler has ever SO affected a nation as the
killing of President Lincoln by John
Wilkes Booth April II. 1865. The fatal
shot was fired in a private box at Ford's
Theatre in this city, where the Presi-
dent with his wife. was witnessing
performance Lee had just surrendered
and the civil war was practically at an
end but the state of the public mind was
frightful. The debt of the nation had
become enormous: death and ruin pre-
vailed in considerable proportion of the
States; the Union was still divided
against itself: business was at stand
still: the Governmental relations with
foreign nations were severely strained.
Few rays OF light and hope penetrated
the pail of depression and despair which