Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 July 1898 — ATTACKS ON THE QUEEN. [ARTICLE]

ATTACKS ON THE QUEEN.

Victoria’s Numerous Escapes from Assassinatioa. On June 22 Queen Victoria, who is now in her seventy-ninth year completed a reign of 60 years. In doing this she has had to surmount dangers which do not beset ordinary mortals. In spite of the queen's amiable and irreproachable character and her unvarying and scrupulous regard for the constitution of her countA’, she has been the subject of several attempts on her life. They have all failed entirely, but at least three of them came near to doing harm. The queen showed considerable personal courage on these occasions. The first attempt was made by Edward Oxford, on June 10, 1840. He discharged a pistol at her majesty when she was going up Constitution hill. The man was quite mad, and after being captured was sent to Bedlam and thence to Dartmoor, where, after 35 years, he was transported to Australia, where he set up in business as a house painter. Nearly two years later, on May 30, 1842. and almost in the same place, John Francis fired at the queen. He was sentenced to death for this act, but was afterward reprieved and was transported to Tasmania. The third attempt was made on July 3 by a deformed youth named John William Bean, but his pistol missed fire. He was imprisoned for 18 months in Newgate. Again, in May, on the 19th. in the year 1849, ami a third time on Constitution hill, William Hamilton fired at her majesty. He, however, was only sentenced to transportation for seven years fbi* this act. In the following year Lieut. Pate committed another outrage, but he had no murderous intent. Just as her majesty was leaving Cambridge house Pate struck her over the face with a cane, and, like Hamilton, was sentenced to transportation for seven years. The last occasion on which anybody attempted to injure her majesty was two days after the Thanksgiving for the recovery of the prince of Wales, when a young man named Arthur O’Connor approached her majesty’s carriage in the courtyard of Buckingham palace and threatened the queen with a pistol. John Brown, who was then her majesty’s closest personal attendant, seized the youth and took the revolver from him. which was found tortie uHh>aded. —N. Y. Journal.