1894: President Carnot of France Assassinated

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/world/europe/france-president-carnot-assassinated.html

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[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.] LYONS, June 25. — The assassination of President Carnot took place practically in daylight at Lyons last evening.

He was being entertained at a grand banquet by the Chamber of Commerce and he was received with great enthusiasm by an immense crowd outside the building both on his arrival and his emerging to take his departure.

This was about ten minutes past nine and the President’s carriage was drawn up about midway across the place de la Bourse. A military guard of honor was in attendance and police were present in considerable force.

THE ATTACK.

M. Carnot quickly entered his carriage and was about to take his seat when a young, well-dressed man suddenly rushed from the crowd, and before those in attendance on the President had time to interpose themselves the excited stranger had drawn a dagger out of a roll of news papers and plunged it deeply into M. Carnot’s back.

The President fell heavily on the vacant seat and, the nature of the wound being apparent from the copious flow of blood, he was at once driven to the Prefecture and the most eminent doctors available were summoned.

THE PRESIDENT DIES.

Meanwhile the President had swooned and become wholly unconscious. All that was possible was done to save his life, but a superficial examination showed that the liver had been pierced and there was no shadow of hope of retaining the rapidly ebbing life of the wounded President.

He was carefully tended and all that medical science could devise was resorted to, but the internal haemorrhage could not be checked, and M. Carnot, who did not regain consciousness, passed away shortly before one o’clock this morning.

THE ASSASSIN.

The President’s assassin was seized on the step of the carriage before he had withdrawn the dagger, and was immediately rushed away by a number of officers to save him from the fury of the crowd, whose excitement knew no bounds upon the nature of the attack upon the President becoming known.

The prisoner gave the name of Cesario Santo, and described himself as an Italian, aged twenty-one.

MOBS AGAINST ITALIANS.

Late at night vast and perturbed crowds gathered near the scene of the attack and outside the Prefecture, and, in consequence of the temperament evinced in several directions, the greatest precautions had to be adopted to prevent the places of business or the residences of Italians from being wrecked.

As it was, one excited crowd overpowered the police and gendarmerie and practically demolished a large Italian restaurant.

PROTECTING THE CONSULATE.

Another crowd made towards the Italian Consulate for the purpose of wreaking vengeance, but the authorities had anticipated trouble in this direction, and with a large force of soldiers and police prevented further serious destruction of property.

— The New York Herald, European Edition, June 25, 1894