The Washington times., 1901-10-13
MISHAPS OF PRESIDENTS.
Many Chief Executives Have Had
Narrow Escapes From Death.
Trivial Circumstances snved Tylcrs
Life-SeveraI Attempts Made 4"
Harm Jnckson-Wiliiam Henry
Harrison Died From Exposure

Life-SeveraI Attempts Made TO
Harm JacIsou-wiIiiam Henry
Harrison Died From Exposure
| A trivial circumstance saved the lie OF
President Tyler at the time OF the acci-
dent on the Government vessel princeton
in 1874, when two members of Tylers Cab
met and several other persons were Killed
The President and a brilliant party. con
sisting of several members of his Cabinet,
n few members of Congress, and a dozen
or a score of invited guests from private
life were on the Princeton on the Poto-
mac on February IS. 1874, the occasion be-
ing the trial of an immense cannon called
/ the ''Peacemaker," which was to throw
/ balls 200 pounds In weight, heavier than any
fired from any cannon along to that day,
/ and to throw them farther. Among the
Cabinet officers on the boat were Abel L.
! Upshur, Secretary of State, and Thomas
! w Gilmer Secretary of the Navy. Both
were Virginians, who had long been prom
| inent in politics. Both were close person
al friends of the President. At that par
/ ticular time their friendship was especial
/ Iy valuable to Tyler owing to the split
/ on the bank vetoes of lS41, which put
/ large majority of the Whig statesmen
| against him. AT the shot which was in
| tended to be the last, and when the boat
/ was near Washington on its return the
l cannon exploded, killing Secretaries Up
shur and Gilmer, also killing Hon. David
/ Gardiner, of New York, the father Of the
I young lady whom Tyler, then widower,
married not long afterward, and several
/ others.
Tyler's life was saved by the circum-
/ stance that he was called by friend to
3 ct Mt ma of he a moment be-
/ fore the cannon was fired for the last
/ time, and thus left the group which was
! near the cannon to witness its final sa-
I lutte. Tyler was standing close to Upshur
! at the time he was called away. Benton,
| too, was in the same group. but went a
/ few steps TO the side just before the final
/ shot, so as to note the craftsmanship of
the gunner, and this, too, saved him. The
! death of Tyler at that moment would
have changed the current of history, at
least for time. Under the law as it was
until the Presidential succession act OF
1856 was passed. the Presidency, in the
event OF the death or disability or both
President and Vice President, would ce-
I volve on the President OF the Senate. The
President of the Senate at that time was
| Willie 7. Mangum. North Carolina
| Whig, who was opposed to Tyler on many
| issues. Texas annexation was the burn
| ing issue with the Tyler Administration
at that time. Mangum belonged to the
! Clay section of the Wings. which was by
| far the larger section. Clay was oppose
| to the annexation of Texas at that time.
But many of the Southern Wigs who
wanted annexation opposed it on account
of their hostility to Tyler. Annexation
was under negotiation between Tyler and
I .Ia Of before
Princeton explosion took place. If the
President had been killed at that time
| and annexation had followed soon after.
the credit of it would still go. where it
! belonged. 10 the man who initiated the
| movement for it. Tyler's death. though,
would probably have delayed annexation.
| A few weeks after the explosion an an
| neXation treaty was sent to the Senate.
| Though the Senate, largely out of per-
I sonal hostility to Tyler, rejected the
| treaty, Tyler made annexation the chief
| issue in the campaign OF that year. On
| this issue Van Buren, was beaten for the
Democratic nomination in the convention.
| and the candidacy went to Polk, an
! avowed annexationist. Clay. like Van
Buren, an enemy of Immediate annexa-
ton, was defeated at the polls by Polk.
AS the country received Polk's victory as
| a popular mandate for annexation, Con-
gress passed an act giving the President
the option of annexing by joint resolution
| or by treaty. Tyler embraced the former
alternative, despatched messenger to
Texas, and though Texas did not ac-
tually come into the Union until three
] quarters of a year after Polk entered Of
flee, the real author of Texas anne3a-
alton was Tyler Thus Tyler's chance step
-.zff ft,sD Dri,a
ment before the explosion in 1874 had an
influence on the history of the country.
Jackson had more mishaps of one sort
and another that might have led to fatal
consequences than any other of the coun-
try's Presidents. Right at the beginning
of his first term he had a narrow escape
from death or serious injury from the
exuberance of his delighted supporters
who were anxious to press his hand. Rid
ing on horseback to the White House aft
er his Inauguration Jackson was pursued
| by thousands of the most miscellaneous
l looking persons. according to some of the
gossipers of the day, that had ever been
seen at the National Capital before. They
swept through the White House grounds,
in which drInkables and eatables had
been distributed in tubs and baskets,
rushed into the mansion, pressed the
/ President back against the wall and
would. it was thought have killed or Sc
riously injured him in the riotous super
abundance of their physical joy had not
score or two of his friends linked arms
and formed a barrier which shielded him
from the impact of the surging multitude.
Just after the beginning of his second
term. in the spring of 1893, Jackson was
assaulted by an eX-naval officer, named
Randolph, who had been dismissed from
the service because of a discrepancy in
his accounts which he could not explain
to the satisfaction of his superiors or the
country. The naval officers blamed Jack
son for his dismissal Government was
personal in a large degree during Jack
sons Administration. Most of his Cabi-
net officers seemed to the public to be
merely his private secretaries. Congress
appeared TO be effaced and the Supreme
Court to be abolished The Executive
was the Government, and Jackson was
the Executive Thus jackson got the
credit and the blame for nearly every
thing which transpired in the political and
the Industrial world of the time. Ran
dolph got on the boat on which Jackson
was going down the Potomac to lay the
| cornerstone of a monument to Washing
toms mother, made assault on jack
son and attempted to pull his nose. He
was taken into custody Immediately, and
his trial, like nearly every happening of
| consequence at that time got into poll
tics. This was shortly after the close of
the Peggy O'Neill war, which upset one
of Jackson's Cabinets, and 1t was Just
before the elimination of Jackson's as
sauIt on the United States bank which
shook up another Cabinet and convulsed