Norwich bulletin., 1920-12-25
ODD INCIDENTS IN AMERICAN
 HISTORY
ATTEMPTED ASSASSIN ATIoN
 PRESIDENT JACKSON.

Since the establishing of the United States. three successful attempts have been made to assassinate our presi- dents and one of them was a failure, only through the weapon not dls- charging when it was drawn upon President Andrew Jackson. on the 18th of January, 1883. The news of this at-
 tempt spread like wildfre throughout the country and consternation filled
 the public mind at the thought that
 the tragic mode of dealing with the
 crowned heads of kingdoms and empires
 had been at last tried upon the per
 son of the popularly elected ruler of a free republic.
 At the time of the attempted assassin atien of President Jackson, he was at the ca pitol in attendance on the funeral of the Hon. Warren R. Davis. of South Car olina. The assassin was-Richard Law renee a painter residing in Washington. This individual was seen to enter the hall of the house of representatives dur | ing the delivery of the funeral sermon, | but before it's close, however, he had taken his stand on the eastern portico,
 near one of the columns.
 1 The president with the secretary of the | treasury on retiring from the rotunda l to reach his carriage at the steps to the portico, advanced toward the spot where 1 Lawrence stood The painter had his pistols concealed under his coat. When
 yards and a half of him, Lawrence ex-
 tended his arm and leveled the pistol
 at the presidents breast
 The percussion cap exploded with a
 noise so great that several witnesses
 supposed that the pistol had been dis
 charged. On that instant the assassin
 dropped it from his right hand, and, l taking another ready cooked from his | left presented and snapped it at the l president, who at the moment, raised | his cane and made for the assailant
 with lion-like energy, and would have executed summary vengeance, but Sec
 retary Woodbury and Lieut. Godney at
 the same instant laid hold of the man,
 who gave way through the crowd and
 was at last knocked down, the president
 pressing after him until he saw he was secured. As soon as the act was known
 to the crowd they wished to kill the as- sassn on the spot.
 Lawrence was at once carried to jail i When asked why he attempted to kill
 the president the assassin said. becaus. Jackson had killed his father This prov, } ed to be a hallucinaton on his part The total absence of any personal motive or the part of the prisoner. suggested the idea that he must be insane
 Lawrence was a handsome young maj
 of 35 years, small in stature, pale O. complexion. with black hair and darl
 eyes. So great was the excitement pro duced by the affair that some of tn, : most eminent political opponents of tn president, including such men as Clay Calhoun, Poindexter, White and others 2 were in the frenzy of the moment, sus
 pected of having conspired in plot 1, get rid of the president
 On the day of the trial Lawrence al first conducted himself in court witt much ease, taking his seat very quietl, 7 beside his counsel and conversing smil : ingly with them. But when the frs witness was called the prisoner spran
 to his feet and demanded to know by = what right they had brought him ther as he claimed the crown of Great Sri tain and also that of the United States l He made these same assertions frequentl T during his trial.
 ] When Lawrence's counsel asked tha Q he be withdrawn from the court t ,, have further of his ridiculous outbreak s the prisoner rose and addressed the judg {, wildly What I have done to Jacksol : was on account of the money he owe me. I consider all in this court a s under me The United States Bank ha ] owed me money since 1902, and I wan t i my money. You are under me. gentle . men. It is for me, gentlemen. It is foI : me, gentlemen, to pass upon you ans v not you upon me"
 y It was not very difficult for tn e counsel to prove that Lawrance wa S insane. Many witnesses were calle to testify as to his pecularities. cover 9 ing a number of years. Several physi 1 clans were introduced into the case, an , they were unanimous in declaring tha : Lawrence's state of mind was that 0 ' morbid delusion.
 In accordance with the evidence thu : given, the i:,~w were out only five min S utes, retBrf at once with a verdic S 1 of ''Not s1I.::,r" Long before the tria S and its terrn!pation the intense excite : ment produced by the act had almost en l. tirely subsided and the first impression $ that the terrible deed had been .,rompte S by political conspirators rapidly die 2 away as the true character of the maj e and his unaded deed became known Q Lawrence was sent to lunatie asylum - where he remained an inmate close t 2 forty years
 e 6AIonday Origin of "Cheesebox on Il RaftD