South Carolina Temperance Advocate And Register Of Agriculture And General Literature

ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE HON. MR. WICKLIFFE

On the arrival of the steamboat Georgia, last evening, from Norfolk, our citizens were startled with a rumor of an attempt to assassinate the Postmaster General during her passage up the bay, by John Gardner, son of Col. Gardner, late a clerk in one of the departments at Washington.

Upon inquiry, we ascertained that the occurrence took place as Mr. Wickliffe, with his daughters and niece were advancing towards the dining saloon, when Gardner encountered the party, and before his purpose could be well conjectured, suddenly raised a knife with which he had been cleaning his nails, and with great violence stabbed Mr. W. in the chest. Gardner was instantly seized by Lieut. Bradford, and prevented from repeating the blow: his person was then properly secured and he was in guarded custody until the boat arrived in Baltimore. Mr. Wickliffe was conveyed to his berth, and such relief afforded him as the circumstances would afford, but when he arrived here he was in much pain. Dr. Smith was instantly summoned to attend him, who upon examining the wound pronounced that it was not dangerous, the knife having struck upon the upper part of the sternum or breast bone without having penetrated it. The shock from the violence of the blow, it was supposed occasioned the pain which Mr. W. experienced in his side, and inasmuch as there appeared no immediate necessity for his removal, it was thought expedient that he should remain on board during the night, where every necessary attention could be paid him, and the excitement of his removal avoided. Gardner was taken into custody by officer McKeown, and conveyed in a hack to the office of Justice Gray, before whom the foregoing facts being detailed, the prisoner was committed to jail to await a further examination—Baltimore Sun, 2d inst.