1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:05,439 Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Eves and welcome to this Day in History Class, 2 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,800 Speaker 1: a show that uncovers a little bit more about history 3 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:23,080 Speaker 1: every day. Today is March second. The day was March 4 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: second two. A man named Roderick McLean attempted to assassinate 5 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:34,559 Speaker 1: Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom outside of the Windsor 6 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: rail station at around four o'clock on that Thursday. The 7 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 1: Queen had left Buckingham Palace, traveling in her carriage through 8 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,840 Speaker 1: Hyde Park and to Paddington Station to board her train 9 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:53,280 Speaker 1: to Windsor. The train got to Windsor station at p m. 10 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: As the Queen got off of the train and into 11 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: the carriage that would take her and Princess Beatrix to 12 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 1: Windsor Castle, spectators cheered, but McLean, a twenty eight year 13 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:12,280 Speaker 1: old Scotsman, fired a shot at the Queen's carriage. The 14 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: queen later wrote the following. At the time, there was 15 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:19,479 Speaker 1: the sound of what I thought was an explosion from 16 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: the engine, But in another moment I saw people rushing 17 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: about and a man being violently hustled rushing down the street. 18 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:34,399 Speaker 1: A bystander rested the pistol from mc lean's hand. Boys 19 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: from Eton College, a nearby boarding school beat up McLean 20 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,480 Speaker 1: with their umbrellas before several police snatched him up and 21 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:45,399 Speaker 1: took him into custody. The carriage windows were drawn up 22 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: and the Queen rode away, but the carriage soon stopped 23 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,840 Speaker 1: and the Queen asked her attendant, John Brown, what had 24 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 1: just happened. From Windsor Castle, the Queen sent a telegram 25 00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: to the Prince of Wales. It's it in case an 26 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:05,600 Speaker 1: exaggerated report should reach you. I telegraphed to say that 27 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,040 Speaker 1: as I drove from the station here a man shot 28 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: at the carriage, but fortunately hit no one. He was 29 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:18,360 Speaker 1: instantly arrested. I am nothing the worse. McLean, on the 30 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: other hand, was not doing so well. Chief Officer of 31 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: the Windsor Police, Superintendent Hayes, and Inspector Fraser of the 32 00:02:27,400 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 1: Royal Household Police Force captured McLean and took him into custody. 33 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: McLean was charged with shooting at the Queen with an 34 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: intent to murder her. After a search, they found on 35 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: McLean a six chambered revolver of German manufacture with two 36 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: empty chambers, two chambers loaded with ball cartridges, and two 37 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: chambers with cartridges that had been discharged. The bullet he'd 38 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: fired at the Queen's carriage was found the next morning 39 00:02:58,440 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: in the station yard. McLean was tried for high treason 40 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:07,239 Speaker 1: on April nineteenth, eighteen eighty two, at reading in England. 41 00:03:08,120 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: At the trial, a surgeon named Charles Vernon Hitchens said 42 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:17,000 Speaker 1: that McLean had been declared insane years earlier and sent 43 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:21,840 Speaker 1: to an asylum. The jury took only five minutes to deliberate. 44 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:27,640 Speaker 1: McLean was found not guilty but insane. He lived the 45 00:03:27,639 --> 00:03:30,959 Speaker 1: rest of his life at Broadmoor Asylum, and he died 46 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: in June of nineteen twenty one. After the trial, Queen 47 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: Victoria asked whether there could be a change in law 48 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:43,080 Speaker 1: so that defendants could be found guilty but insane. That 49 00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: led to the Trial of Lunatics Act eighteen eighty three, 50 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: which said that a verdict could deem someone guilty but 51 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 1: insane and allowed that person to be kept in custody 52 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: as a so called criminal lunatic. Apparently, Queen Victoria had 53 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: pursued this ledge inslation because many of her assailants had 54 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: been deemed mentally ill. The March second two incident was 55 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: the eighth and last attempt on Queen Victoria's life Edward Oxford, 56 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: John Francis, John William Bean, William Hamilton's Robert Pate and 57 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: Arthur O'Connor had also tried to kill the queen. Only 58 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: one of those attempts had injured her, when Robert Pete 59 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 1: hit her in the head with a cane. Nevertheless, Queen 60 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,760 Speaker 1: Victoria turned out to be the second longest ruling British monarch, 61 00:04:36,360 --> 00:04:40,800 Speaker 1: only behind today's Queen Elizabeth the Second. She reigned for 62 00:04:40,839 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 1: a whopping sixty three years. Queen Victoria once wrote to 63 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: her daughter, it is worth being shot at to see 64 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:54,159 Speaker 1: how much one is loved. I'm Eve Jeff Cote and 65 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 66 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:03,279 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. Mm hmmm. If there are any upcoming 67 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:05,960 Speaker 1: days in history that you'd really like me to cover 68 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: on the show, give us a shower on social media 69 00:05:08,760 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 1: at t D I h C podcast. Thank you so 70 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,479 Speaker 1: much for listening, and I hope to see you again 71 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: tomorrow for more tidbits of history.