你所不知道的十大總統謀殺事件(下)

oln's Hat Was Shot Months Before He Was

5.林肯被害前帽子被射

Everyone knows the ultimate fate of Abraham Lincoln, but he came very close to meeting his demise a bit earlier. President Lincoln and his family stayed at the Soldiers' Home during the summer months to avoid the blistering heat at the White House. It was only about 6 kilometers (4 mi) away, and Lincoln often made the trip on horseback alone.

大家都知道林肯最終死於非命，但他在這之前就曾與死神邂逅。當時，林肯一家爲了避開白宮的炎炎酷暑，經常去6公里（4英里）外的退伍軍人收容所做客，林肯還經常獨自騎着馬往返於兩地之間。

One night in August 1864, just under a year before his assassination, Lincoln was traveling alone to the Soldiers' Home at around 11:00 PM when a shot rang out. Private John W. Nichols, who was stationed at the Soldier's Home, rushed to the aid of the president, whom he found sans hat. Lincoln explained that the horse jerked upon hearing the gunshot, and his hat went flying. When Nichols found the hat, he noticed it now featured a brand-new bullet hole. The President had narrowly missed being shot in the head. Lincoln requested the matter be kept quiet, and it was—Nichols didn't tell his story until 1867. Many have speculated that Lincoln's famous hat spoiled the assassin's aim and saved his life.

1864年8月的一個晚上，林肯一個人騎着馬前往收容所，當時已是晚上11點左右，接着，一聲槍響劃破天空，駐紮在收容所的列兵約翰·W·尼古拉斯立馬前去查看，發現林肯的帽子不翼而飛。林肯向他解釋道，槍聲驚動了馬，把帽子給甩飛了。而當尼古拉斯找到帽子時，發現帽子上有一個嶄新的彈孔，林肯要求尼古拉斯不要聲張，而尼古拉斯也的確做到了——直到1867年，他才把這件事公之於衆，人們不禁猜想，要不是帽子爲林肯擋下這一槍，林肯可能就被害了。

The death of Lincoln even that much earlier would have had devastating consequences for America. Hannibal Hamlin would have become president, and a lame duck one at that. Hamlin was already off the Union ticket for vice president, having been replaced by Andrew Johnson. Hamlin would have faced strong opposition, because at the time, the Radical Democracy Party—an offshoot of the Republicans—and their nominee, John Fremont, had not yet dropped from the race. Despite what Steven Spielberg told us in his movie Lincoln, the Radical Democracy Party were more strongly opposed to slavery than Lincoln, which led to their formation. Had the assassin aimed a bit lower in 1864, the election in November would likely have pitted Hamlin against Fremont and McClellan (the Democratic nominee), with Johnson perhaps running on the Union ticket. America in 1864 would have been a mess.

如果林肯在那次刺殺實踐中不幸殞命，美國會經歷一次毀滅性的災難——毫無實權的漢尼巴爾·哈姆林會當選總統。此前，哈姆林的副總統資格已經被安德魯·約翰遜取代，而激進民主黨的候選人約翰·福利蒙特還要和哈姆林一決高下，哈姆林勢必要面臨更多反對的聲音。儘管斯皮爾伯格大導在《林肯》中像我們展示了林肯反對奴隸制的偉大事蹟，但事實上，激進民主黨的反奴態度更加堅決，這也是這個黨派形成的原因。所以，如果1864年那晚的子彈打得再下面一點，那麼在11月的大選可能是一場哈姆林和福爾蒙特、麥克萊倫（激進民主黨候選人）的混戰，約翰遜還有可能來插一槓子，導致美國陷入混亂。

an's Would-Be Assassin Targeted Jimmy Carter

4.里根刺殺者曾陷害吉米·卡特

John Hinckley Jr. was clearly insane. In a bizarre bid for the heart of actress Jodie Foster, Hinckley infamously shot Ronald Reagan early in his first term, but what is glossed over is that Hinckley didn't really care which president he killed—he just wanted a president.

很顯然，小約翰·欣克利的腦子不正常，爲了贏取女演員朱迪·福斯特的芳心，他曾經在里根第一個執政期間槍殺里根，人們不知道的是，欣克利似乎並不在乎他要殺害的是哪一位總統，只要是總統就可以了。

Hinckley's plans were pretty out there. One plan was to hijack an airplane, fly it to the White House, and live there with Foster. He came to his senses, such as they were, and settled for a presidential assassination. Hinckley began stalking Jimmy Carter when he was on the campaign trail, and he actually came very close to Carter—within 2 meters (6 ft) during a stop in Dayton, Ohio on October 2, 1980, roughly one month before the election.

欣克利的諸多計劃都很是出格，其中一個是劫持飛機，將飛機開往白宮，然後與福斯特在那兒共享天倫之樂。他唯一很清醒的事，就是要刺殺一位總統。自吉米·卡特四處做大選演講之時起，欣克利就開始暗中跟蹤，1980年10月2日，離大選不過一個月，當時卡特正在俄亥俄州代頓市做巡迴演講，欣克利站在離卡特不足2米（6英尺）的位置。

Hinckley is widely reported to have not carried a gun that day, but he was detained later that month in Nashville, Tennessee with three handguns in his carry-on luggage. Carter was in Nashville at the time of his arrest. With no criminal record, he paid a small fine and journeyed on to Dallas, Texas. It was there that he purchased the gun that shot Reagan.

據稱，欣克利那天沒有帶槍，隨後，他在納什維爾被捕，原因是警察在他的隨身行李中搜查出3把槍，被捕期間，卡特也恰巧在納什維爾演講，鑑於欣克利沒有犯罪記錄，欣克利交了一點罰款便不了了之了，重獲自由的他繼續前往達拉斯，然後在達拉斯刺殺了里根。

Did Hinckley really not have a gun with him in Dayton? Or did he just change his mind? Hinckley has never clarified that, but what is clear is that he was within spitting distance of a president and the president survived.

在代頓逗留時，欣克利是真的沒槍，還是他改變刺殺卡特的主意了？關於此事，欣克利從未澄清，但我們知道的是，欣克利曾站在離總統一步之遙的地方，而總統奇蹟般地活下來了。

ck Obama, Ricin, And The Elvis Impersonator

3.奧巴馬，蓖麻素，貓王模仿演員

The day after the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon, a suspicious package arrived at the US Capitol mail offices. The day after that, on April 17, 2013, a similar letter addressed to President Barack Obama was intercepted at the White House mail facility. Both contained ricin.

波斯頓馬拉松爆炸案的第二天，國會收到一封可疑信件，一天以後，即2013年4月17日，白宮也收到一封類似信件，兩封郵信裏面都有蓖麻素。

The story that follows is so unbelievable that it just has to be true. The two letters—and another that was addressed to Mississippi judge Sadie Holland—all had the same message: "No one wanted to listen to me before. There are still ‘Missing Pieces.' Maybe I have your attention now even if that means someone must die. This must stop. To see a wrong and not expose it, is to become a silent partner to its continuance. I am KC and I approve this message."

接下來的事情更加匪夷所思，三封信件都夾着同樣的字條（另外一封信寄給了密西西比州法官奧蘭德）："以前，人們總是不在乎我的想法，現在還有一些殘肢斷體沒有找到，但是你們已經開始注意到我了，儘管這搭上了很多人的性命，一切都應該結束了。對錯誤緘口不言便是助紂爲虐！我是KC，我批准這條信息。"

A quick Internet search revealed that Elvis impersonator Kevin Curtis used similar phrasing in a one-sided online war against his former employer, North Mississippi Medical Center. After seven hours of questioning, however, the Secret Service began to doubt Curtis was the ricin maker. When asked about the powerful toxin, Curtis replied, "I don't like rice. I don't really eat rice. If y'all look in my house, you won't find any rice." When asked if he had any enemies, he named Everett Dutschke. Indeed, Dutschke hated Curtis so much that he had tried to frame the man for killing the president of the United is and Dutschke harbored a deep hatred for each other. Curtis said the feud stemmed from Dutschke's refusal to run an item in his online newspaper, while Dutschke claims that Curtis cyberstalked him after his crushing Mississippi State House election loss. The two battled for six years online and through mutual friends. Dutschke was vainglorious, bragging incessantly about his Mensa membership. He thought he could outsmart anyone. Dutschke mailed the three letters, having included the judge because she was the mother of his political opponent in his failed legislature bid, and framed his bitter rival. He initially pleaded not guilty, but he changed his mind later and entered a guilty plea. His Mensa membership turned out to be less helpful than he might have thought, at least when it came to chemistry: Judge Holland opened her letter and inhaled some of the ricin, but Dutschke had mixed the ricin so poorly that it wasn't strong enough to kill the 80-year-old judge.

通過聯網搜查，人們發現一名貓王模仿者凱文·柯蒂斯曾在單方面對前僱主密西西北部醫療中心抱怨中用了類似的詞句。經過7小時的審訊，情報局懷疑柯蒂斯就是超強毒信蓖麻素的製造者。問及蓖麻素，柯蒂斯答道："我不喜歡大米，我也不喜歡吃米飯，你們看看我家裏哪有什麼勞什子大米。"當被問到他是否有仇敵時，柯蒂斯說他很討厭艾弗雷特，艾弗雷特的確對柯蒂斯恨之入骨，恨到以殺害總統之名陷害柯蒂斯。柯蒂斯和艾弗雷特都對彼此懷恨已久，柯蒂斯的恨起源於艾弗雷特拒絕在網絡報紙上發表文章，而艾弗雷特則抱怨，自從自己州議員競選失敗後，柯蒂斯就一直在網上窺探自己，於是兩人就通過互聯網和共同的朋友不停中傷對方。艾弗雷特爲人高傲自負，很喜歡拿自己門薩國際會員身份說事兒，老是覺得別人都是蠢蛋。艾弗雷特一共郵寄了三封有毒信件，至於爲什麼還要寄給密西西比州的法官，據說是因爲該法官是他上次州議員競選對手的母親，這樣，艾弗雷特不僅報了仇，還給敵人柯蒂斯下了套。起初，艾弗雷特並不認罪，但最後還是妥協了，而他的門薩國際會員身份也沒他想象中的那麼好，至少他製作的有毒信件還沒把一個80多歲的老法官給毒死。

ge Wallace's Would-Be Assassin Targeted Richard Nixon

2.喬治·華萊士刺殺者曾欲殺害尼克松

The better-known attempt on the life of Richard Nixon was by Samuel Byck. He attempted to hijack a plane and fly it into the White House, a plot that eventually formed the basis of a movie starring Sean Penn. Arthur Bremer, on the other hand, is best recalled for his attempted assassination of presidential hopeful George Wallace in 1972. His initial target was a bigger fish, though—the sitting president.

關於理查德·尼克松，人們最熟悉的就是塞繆爾·拜客刺殺案件，拜客曾試圖劫持飛機，撞進白宮，這也是後來肖恩·潘電影劇本的原型。事實上尼克松還曾經還受到一次生命威脅，這個故事的另一位主角就是亞瑟·布雷蒙，他曾經在1972年試圖暗殺喬治·華萊士。

Bremer kept a poorly written journal of his thoughts, where he revealed that his number one target was President Nixon. Nixon was a more desirable target to the loner, who greatly desired to become infamous. Wallace was much more accessible, though, so Bremer decided he would be his fallback target if he failed to access April 3, 1972, Bremer put his master plan into action. First, he rented a car to drive to Ottawa, Canada, where he intended to hire a prostitute and lose his virginity. While in Ottawa, he planned to assassinate Nixon, who was there speaking to Canadians. His plan failed spectacularly—he didn't lose his virginity, and he didn't even get close to Nixon, who was constantly surrounded by security guards. In fact, the closest he came to shooting anyone was himself in his hotel room when the gun accidentally days later, he switched his target to Wallace. After noting the vast difference between the security details on his two intended targets, Bremer followed Wallace around the country briefly before pulling the trigger in May 1972 in Maryland. Wallace survived the attack but was left paralyzed.

布雷蒙的日記中粗略了記載了自己的計劃，在日記中，他寫道自己的頭號目標是尼克松，對於一個急欲得到人們關注的孤家寡人，尼克松成爲首選暗殺目標，但是華萊士易於接近，於是他決定，殺不了尼克松，就退而求其次殺掉華萊士。1972年4月3日，布雷蒙開始履行自己的頭號計劃。他租車前往渥太華。首先，他想在當地找個妓女，告別處男身份，其次，就是暗殺正在加拿大演說的尼克松，然而他的計劃華麗麗地失敗了——他不僅沒有和女人一夜激情，更別提靠近尼克松了，當時尼克松身邊一直圍着一層層的保鏢，事實上，這幾天他最容易殺害的人居然是他自己——在酒店房間裏卸槍時，他差點掃到自己！10天過後，布雷蒙把目標瞄準了華萊士，看到華萊士和尼克松保安措施的天差地別之後，布雷蒙在5月的馬里蘭州射殺了華萊士，華萊士雖然在槍口下倖存了下來，但卻落下了終身殘疾。

All Bremer wanted was media attention, yet his assassination attempt on Wallace is merely a footnote to history, and his Nixon escapades are virtually unknown. If you're breathing a sigh of relief that a guy that warped is safely behind bars, we have bad news—he was freed in 2007. As of 2012, he was living in western Maryland and remains on parole until 2025.

其實布雷蒙想要的不過是媒體關注而已，然而華萊士刺殺事件很快消失在歷史洪流之中，尼克松陰謀更是胎死腹中，無人知曉了。如果你聽說這個性格扭曲的人鋃鐺入獄，如釋重負地嘆一口氣，那你可能又要失望了——2002年，布雷蒙重獲自由，2012-2025年，布雷蒙得到假釋，在馬里蘭州生活。

s Buchanan Was Poisoned On His Inauguration Day

1.詹姆斯·布坎南就職當天遭到毒害

James Buchanan is recalled for being a bachelor president, the guy before Lincoln, and a hopeless failure. His election was seen at the time as a means of keeping the Union intact, as he was a Northerner with Southern leanings. That was enough to persuade some people that America would be better off if he didn't serve.

對於布坎南，很多人的印象僅限於"單身總統"，布坎南是林肯的上任，他的整個人生就是一個令人失望的悲劇。他當選總統，不過是人們認爲他可以讓美國停止內鬥，因爲他是一位深受南方人待見的北方人，然而人們有千千萬萬個理由證明，不選他當總統，美國會好很多。

His inauguration was March 4, 1857. Buchanan and most of his party were staying at the National Hotel in Washington, D.C., which was one of the finest hotels in the country at the time. On the evening of March 3, hundreds of patrons became sick. Buchanan was one of the lucky ones and recovered fairly quickly. Not quite so lucky were two sitting member of the US House of Representatives, John G. Montgomery and John Quitman, who ended up dead. Over 30 people died from dysentery related to the National Hotel incident. The prevailing modern viewpoint is that the primitive sewer system led to the illness, but not everyone is convinced that it wasn't a plot to take out President Buchanan. There is evidence that the disease was already spreading in the hotel prior to Buchanan's arrival, but it certainly spiked when he showed up. The hotel was infamous as a hangout for Southern sympathizers, and even John Wilkes Booth stayed there in 1864 while plotting his Lincoln assassination. The poisoning plot was no conspiracy theory—outlets as respectable as The New York Times called it "the most gigantic and startling crime of the age," while future Secretary of State William Seward insisted that physicians called it a poisoning.

布坎南於1857年3月4日就職，當時，布坎南和很多黨內人員在華盛頓特區的國立酒店下榻，當時的國立酒店是國內爲數不多的豪華酒店之一。5月3日晚，很多酒店內很多支持者都開始生病，布坎南還算幸運，雖然中毒，但他恢復得很快，然而有兩名衆議員就沒那麼幸運了，一位叫約翰·G·蒙哥馬利，一位叫約翰·奎特曼，兩人都毒發身亡。在此次事件中，大約有30人死於中毒引起的痢疾。現下流行的說法是，酒店陳舊的排水系統引起了疾病的傳染，但不是所有人都相信這不是衝着總統去的。有證據證明，其實早在布坎南抵達酒店之前，就有人染病了，然而隨着布坎南的到來，染病人數的確呈直線上升了。據稱，經常光顧國立酒店的有許多南方的同情者，1864年，約翰·威爾克斯·布斯也是在該酒店下榻，策劃刺殺林肯的計劃。毒殺總統不是什麼陰謀論，就連權威報紙《紐約時報》都稱之爲"本世紀最大規模、最駭人聽聞的犯罪事件"，準國務卿威廉·西沃得稱，醫師鑑定該事件爲中毒事件。

Was it poor plumbing or poison? It's impossible to say, but people at the time certainly thought the latter. It's worth noting that, had Buchanan died, Vice President and strong Southern supporter John C. Breckinridge would have become president. Breckinridge, interestingly, wasn't staying at the National Hotel that night.

到底是排水系統不過關，還是毒殺陰謀？這很難說，但在當時，人們肯定會選擇相信後者，因爲很顯然，如果布坎南死了，那麼副總統約翰·C·佈雷肯裏奇必會取而代之，而佈雷肯裏奇是南方的支持者，耐人尋味的是，副總統先生當晚並不在國立酒店。

翻譯：趙一力 來源：前十網