ROYALTY’S RISKS.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 70, 18 March 1912, Page 6

ROYALTY’S RISKS.

METHODS OF ASSASSIN'S. King Emmanuel’s father, King Humbert, was assassinated twelve years ago,, after two previous attempts had failed. The first was made, by an anarchist' named Passananti wiio shortly after the accession, attempted to stab Hho King to death and would undoubtedly have, cut short ■his reign had not his Prime Minister Signor Cairoii,.. who, was driving it the Royals carriage, thrust himself forward, and, sheilding his sovereign, received a wound in his side. He wa: eventually shot dead in 190 Q. Itegi cities* grew to show a peculiar parWty the jjrevo-ivprr King Hum bert, Shah Nasr-ed-Din of Persia King Alexander and Queen Draga c: Scrvia, Prince Miiosh of Servia, Kim Carlos of Portugal and his soil, tin Crown ilrinipo, and -ho less than thro-. of the United States, namely, Lincoln, Garfield, and McKinley., all succumbed to pistol bullets. Alfonso XII., Amadeus Duke of Aosta, while King of Spain; King George of Greece, King Frederick William IV. of Prussia, King Louis Phillipo of France, Emperor Alexander 11. of Russia, Napoleon 111. of France, King Leopold of Belgium, the late Queer. Victoria, the present King of Wurtomberg, and Edwt rd VII. were all shot at, some of them on several occasions. Carriage steps have also been greatly favoured by _ assassins. It is possible that both King Carlos and the Crown Prince might have escapee 1 with their lives at Lisbon had the carriage in which they were riding been constructed after the model of the equipages used in England. The regicide who accomplished the mos! deadly work sprang to the step of the carriage, from which lie repeated ly shot, while Queen Amelie in vairendeavoured to dislodge liim by strik iug him in the face with a bouquet which she held in her hand. Caserin when he murdered President Carnot at Lyons with a knife thrust, was able to accomplish his object by jumping on the steps of the Presidential equipage. Jn the first two attempts to assassinate King Humbert the criminal in each instance jumped on th<steps of the sovereign’s barouche, and when cx-Lieutenant Bean, of the 10th English Hussar Regiment, struck the late Queen Victoria across the foci with a rattan cane—a blow so severe that sho retained the scar until the day of her death—ho jumped on the carriagc steps. This resulted in the adoption of an entirely different style of carriage by tbs Queen. The wouldbe assassin of the late Shah of Persia made use of the same means to roach the ruler on the Persian monarch’s first visit to Paris. That is why the carriages used in England are not only very high from the ground, hut have no stop visible for entering or leaving the conveyance. There arc steps, but they arc folded up inside the carriage doors, and lot down only when needed. King Emmanuel is greatly beloved by his subjects. Ho is a man of the people, of simple tastes, devoted to his family and to his people, and always ready, in times of emergency, to come to the assistance of distress. Ho personally directed much of the relief work after the dreadful catastrophe of Messina, and spent large sums from his own purse in housing and caring for the sufferers.