THE ATTACK ON THE QUEEN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1198, 31 May 1872, Page 3

THE ATTACK ON THE QUEEN.

A rumor spread through London and penetrated even the Houses of Parliament, one Thursday evening, that the Queen had been assassinated. An official statement quickly dissipated all alarm, but did not lessen the indignation felt throughoat England at " the contemptible and odious attack," as Lord Granville termed it, which it then appeared had been made upon her Majesty. The Queen was returning from a drive to Buokinghara Palace, and had entered by what is called the Garden gate into the inner courtyard. As she was preparing to alight, a lad -suddenly presented himself on the side of the carnage where Lady Churchill was sitting. It was at first thought that he was one of the men employed on the grounds ; but he quickly went round to the side of the Queen, as if having made a mistake, and catching hold of the, carriage presented a pistol within a foot of her face. It was an alarming moment. Prince Arthur pushed the lad s hand aside ; the Queen withdrew herself for an instant behind the carriage, but never lost her self-possession or betrayed any fear. In a minute the attendants had seized the. fellow, and he was prostrate on the ground. Her Majesty stood up in her carriage and exclaimed, "Good heavens ! don't hurt the boy." Her courage was worthy of her. It afterwards appeared that the pistol was not loaded, but was an old-fashioned weapon, with a flint and steel lock) which was broken, and in the barrel a piece of greasy red rag was found. It was picked up by one of the servants, and handed to General Hardinge, and asked the lad if it was loaded. He replied, "No; I intended to do it by fright. A knife was found upon' him, and also an extraordinary document, in parchment, prepared for the Queen to sign, and pledging her to release the 1 Fenian prisoners— " I, Victoria, Queen by the grace of God, do take the following declaration," &c. The fifth clause ran— "That, notwithstanding the fact of my agreeing to the above conditions only through fear of my life, I will not attempt to part from any of them on that' account, nor upon any other reason, cause or pretext whatever will I depart, or attempt to depart, from any of them ; neither will I listen to any advice which my Ministers may wish to c give towards causing hie to depart from 'my word, or towards the violation of anything above stated, .but shall adhere utterly to everything. So 'help me God. " There was a postscript not less remarkable : — " Whereas a person named Arthur O'Connor, residing at 4 Church row, Houndsditch, in the city of London, having committed an outrage against my Royal person, has surrendered himself into my. bands,, he, the said Arthur Q'Qonnof, being perfectly willing to suffer for such offence, : Now, I, the said Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, do solemnly pledge my Royal word to the effect that if the said Arthur O'Connor be found guilty of death by my judges, after a just and fair trial, he, the said Arthur O'Connor, sha.ll not be Strangled like a common felon, but shall receive that death which is due to him as a Christian, a Republican, and as one who has never harmed a human being — that is to say, he shall be shot, and after death bis body shall be delivered to his friends to be buried wheresoever they may choose. "Signed this twenty-seventh day of February, in the Year of Grace one thousand eight hundred and seventy-two. -.-„-.,. • "Byrne " R J ".Witnessed by . The total absurdity of such an attempt did not lessen, the, public disgust. At the police station, the prisoner said! that he pad intended to, present the document on Thanksgiving Day, and had stationed himself in the ..vicinity of the cathedral, but could not get near enough. He gave the name of Arthur O'Connor. It appeared that he resided with his parents in Houndsditch, that he was seventeen years of age, > and clerk in an oil and color manufactory. It was soon evident that he was without accomplices in his act, and! the outrage had no political significance. It appears that he has been more' than once an inmate of a hospital, and has latterly shown symptoms of mental derangement. He had succeeded in scaling the palace gardens while the police were occupied in keeping back the crowd for the royal carriage to, pass. The next day he! was brought tip at Bow street, and committed for trial under Sir Robert Peel's Act, passed on the occasion of a previous outrage, which authorises transportation or imprisonment with whipping. Prince Leopold gave evidence, and, amongst others, loon Brown, the Queen's personal and favorite attendant, to whom lor his courageous conduct at the moment Her Majesty has since granted an annuity ofL25. _I_______