The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-10-31
ASSASSINATED RULERS.
Every Country of the World Has Had
Its Experiences.


one of the dangers to which person.
ages prominent in the political world
have been particularly exposed, and
hardly any country can boast itself
free from that crime.
Abraham Lincoln, the first of the
three American presidents to be muir
dered, was assassinated as, he was
celebrating the triumphant close of
the Civil war. On Good Friday,
April IA, 1865, just as the north was
rejoicing at the end of the long
struggle with the south, he attended
Ford's theater in Washington to see
performance of "Our American
Cousin" An actor, John Wilkes
Booth, crept to the back Of his box
soon after the curtain had risen and
shot him from behind. Then, leap
ing on the stage, he brandished
dagger, shouted "Sic semper tyran-
nis!" and escaped through the stage
door. Lincoln was carried across
the street to a small house and died
there at Z o'clock the next morning.
At the same time an attempt was
made to assassinate Secretary Sew
ard in his own house.
The next president to be slain was
James A. Garfield. On July 2, 1881,
a few months after his inauguration,
Charles J. Guiteau, disappointed
office seeker, shot him down in the
Baltimore and Potomac Railway sta
ton in Washington. The avowed
purpose of the assassin was to secure
the succession of Vice President Ar
thur, who, he believed, would be
more favorably disposed to the "Stal-
wart" wing of the Republican party.
Garfield fingered for more than two
months. He was taken from Wash
ington to Elberon, N. j., and died
there on September 19.
William Mckinley fell victim to
the doctrines of anarchy. Like Abra-
ham Lincoln he had been reelected
and seemed to be about to inaugu-
rate a new and important policy in
regard to foreign commercial rela-
tions. He went to Buffalo to speak
at the Pan-American exposition, and
there, as he was holding a reception,
he was shot down by Czolgosz. The
man approached him in the line OF
citizens, holding a revolver conceal
ed by a handkerchief. AS he reach
ed the president, apparently intend
ing to shake his hand, he fired with
fatal effect. Mckinley was carried
to a nearby house, and lived for
eight days after his wound.
Foreign countries have had their
full share of such assassinations as
these. and in many cases death has
overtaken a ruler on a state occa-
sion, when he was making a public
progress to perform an important
function.
So, on March 21, 1881, the Gar
Alexander II. OF Russia, was blown
to pieces by a bomb as he was on his
way to the winter palace. He had
been distinguished by his liberal
views and his desire to ameliorate
conditions in his empire, but he was
struck down through a conspiracy
of Nihilists. So, too, few. years ago,
a plot in the army caused an artillery
salute in honor of the present czar
to take the form of discharge OF
loaded pieces in the direction of the
imperial household.
President Carnot of France, was
the only head of foreign republic
beside President Borda Idiarte OF
Uruguay, to be assassinated of late
years. He met his death in Lyons
at the hands of an Italian anarchist,
Caserio, who killed him on June "a,
1894. He had gone to the exhibition
of arts and sciences, and had been
enthusiastically greeted on the way.
Just as he stepped into his carriage
on his departure from the building,
Caserio sprang up on the step, way
ing a paper as though it were Pc
tition. The guards permitted him
to approach the president, and he
drew dagger and stabbed him in
the body. The wound was mortal,
and Carnot died the next day.
One of the most terrible of polltl-
cal assassinations was that of King
Alexander and Queen Draga of Ser
via, on June IL, 1903. That little
kingdom had been torn with internal
strife, and King Milan had been
forced to abdicate in favor of his
son. Alexander believed in drastic
measures, and in country seething
with revolutionary and liberal feel