Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 July 1881 — PRESIDENT SHOOTING. [ARTICLE]

PRESIDENT SHOOTING.

The Attack Upon Gen. Jackson—The -y Randolph Affair.The Benton-Jackson quarrel had invalved many friends on both sides. General Jackson had afited as second to Gen. Wm. Carroll in a duel which the latter fought with Jesse Benton, brother to Thomas H. on the morning of September 4,1813. Gen. Jackson and his friend Col. Coffee, were on their way from the Postoffice to their hotel in Nashville, when, in passing the City Hall, the former, observing Col. Benton standing in the City Hotel doorway, approached him saying: “Now, you a d rascal, I’m going to punish you. Defend yourself.” Instantly Benton put his hand in bis breast pocket as if fumbling for a pistol, when, quick as lightning, Jackson drew his and leveled at his antagonist As Jackson advanced Benton retreated, all the while covered by the form?er’s weapon. Benton finally recoiled as far as the back piazza of the inn, and the two enemies were turning upon it. when Jesse Benton entered the passageway behind Jackson, raised his pistol and fired. The weapon was loaded with two balls and a large slug. One ball splintered the board partition at Jackson’s side, the other buried itself iu bis left arm, while the slug struck his left shoulder, mutilating it horribly. Colonel Coffee at this juncture took a hand, followed up by Col. Benton till the latter stumbled down a stairway, when Stokeley Hays, a nephew of Mrs. Jackson, joined the Vendetta, assailed Jesse Benton, and was only prevented from sticking a dagger into his heart by a bystander, who caught his arm. Faint from loss of blood, General Jackson was carried to his inn. where his ghastly wounds wera dressed and where he was compelled to lie for several weeks. The ball in his arm was not extracted until thirty years later, and after he had reached the zenith of his glory. 11 was in a piping time of peace, when Jackson had reached bis sixty-sixth year, and was just entering his second term as President of the United States, that an assault was made upon him which was always believed to have been with murderous intent. Opposition to Old Hickoryliad been silenced, and he believed himself at peace with all mankind* The summer of 1833 he spent iu traveling, and on Mayßth of that year, on his way from the Capital to Fredericksburg, the steamer on which he rode stopped at Alexandria. Here a man named Randolph, lately dismissed from a Lieutenancy in the navy, boarded the vessel, made his way to the cabin wherehe found the President sitting behind a table reading a newspaper. Randolph, apnroached the redoubtable old man as to'salute him, when the latter apologized politely for not rising, exlaininghewas distressed by a pain in the side The unannounced visitor mad no reply, and beganp ulling off hisglove when Jackson said,"Never mind your glove, sir,” at the same time holding out his band. Randolph, ignoring the proffered hand, thrust his own into Jacksons face, attempting to twist the nose of the latter, and thus precipitate a fight in which armed as he was, he would no doubt have proved the victor. The captain of the boat, who was standing by, seized Randolph, however, and by the aid of his friends, dragged him off the boat and soon hustled him to the shore. One of the citizens of Alexandria proposed to kill Randolph for the assault, provided the President would guarantee a future pardon, when the President said: "No, sir, I cannot do that. . I want no man to stand between me and my assailants and npne to take revenge on my account. Had I been prepared for this cowardly villian’s approach, I can assure you all -that he never would have the temerity to undertake such a thing again.” Randolph was never arrested. It was also during his second term as President that a second attempt was made on his life. On the3och of January, 1835, only a few w eeks after the celebration of the anniversary of the battle of New Orleans, one of the great events of bis lifetime. General Jackson, with his Cabinet and both Houses of Congress, together with a numerous concourse of citizens,bad assembled in the hall of the House of Representatives to pay the last rites to a deceased member of the House from South Cortina. The funeral over, a procession was formed, headed by Mr, Woodbury and Mr. Dickerson, to escort the body to the grave. The! procession bad just crossed the rotunda of the Capitol, and was emerging upon the portico, when a stranger darted from the crowd, and placing himself before tbe President, not more than six or eight feet distant, pulled a pistol,leveled it at i he President and drew the trigger. Th- cap exploded, but luckily the pistol didn’t.' The would-be assassin then dre,w out a second pistol which he had c mcealed under his cloak, again leveled and pulled iffie trigger and again missed fire. By this time the President had recovered from the surprise, rushed at his assailant with uplifted cane, but before he could reach him arid strike, Lieutenant Gedney, of tbe navy, had knocked the assassin down. He was then secured and escorted to jail. It was several days before the people could be convinced that the assailant had not been sent on a mission of death by a clique of politicians, enemies of the President. The prisoner proved to be a lunatic named Lawrence, an English housepainter, who had been several weeks out of employment. He had heard* that the country had been’ruined by the President’s measures, and when questioned said he conld n*>t l»e punished for what he had done, since the powers of Europe w’ould protect him. If Jackson’s successor had pursued the fame course that Jackson had, he said that it had been bls intention to assassinate him also. Lawrence was subsequently incarcerated in an asylum for lunatics. - ‘ .