Read Assassination!: The Brick Chronicle of Attempts on the Lives of Twelve US Presidents Online
Authors: Brendan Powell Smith
LEGO
®
is a trademark of the LEGO
®
Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize, or endorse this book.
Custom presidential face designs from Saber-Scorpion by Justin Stebbins,
www.saber-scorpion.com
. Additional custom brick elements by BrickForge,
www.brickforge.com
; altBricks,
www.altbricks.com
; BrickWarriors,
www.brickwarriors.com
; and BrickArms,
www.brickarms.com
.
Copyright © 2013 by Brendan Powell Smith All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles.
All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.
Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or
[email protected]
.
Skyhorse
®
and Skyhorse Publishing
®
are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
®
, a Delaware corporation.
Visit our website at
www.skyhorsepublishing.com
.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
eISBN: 978-1-62873-427-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Brendan Powell.
Assassination! : the brick chronicle presents attempts on the lives of twelve US presidents / Brendan Powell Smith. pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-62087-998-6 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Presidents--Assassination--United States--History--Juvenile literature.
2. Presidents--Assassination attempts--United States--History--Juvenile literature. 3. LEGO toys--Juvenile literature. I. Title.
E176.1.S644 2013
364.152’40973--dc23
2013018382
Printed in China
Editor: Julie Matysik
Designer: Brian Peterson
Managing Editor: Abigail Gehring
Chapter 1 Andrew Jackson: January 30, 1835
Chapter 2 Abraham Lincoln: August 1864
Chapter 3 Abraham Lincoln: April 14,1865
Chapter 4 James A. Garfield: July 2, 1881
Chapter 5 William McKinley: September 6, 1901
Chapter 6 Theodore Roosevelt: October 14, 1912
Chapter 7 Franklin D. Roosevelt: February 15, 1933
Chapter 8 John F. Kennedy: December 11, 1960
Chapter 9 John F. Kennedy: November 22, 1963
Chapter 10 Richard Nixon: February 22, 1974
Chapter 11 Gerald Ford: September 5, 1975
Chapter 12 Gerald Ford: September 22, 1975
Chapter 13 Ronald Reagan: March 30, 1981
Chapter 14 Bill Clinton: November 1996
For Lucia, Jessica, and Lila.
“Assassination is not an American practice or habit, and one so vicious and so desperate cannot be engrafted into our political system. This conviction of mine has steadily gained strength since the Civil War began. Every day’s experience confirms it.”
—William Seward, 1862
A cold, damp January morning in 1835: Andrew Jackson exits the Capitol building where he has just attended a funeral service for a congressman.
Leaning on his cane and on Treasury Secretary Levi Woodbury for support, the sixty-seven-year-old president approaches the Capitol steps, unaware of the lurking danger just behind the next pillar.
Suddenly, a flamboyantly dressed man emerges in front of the president with a pistol aimed directly at Jackson’s chest. Standing only six feet away from his target, he pulls the trigger and a loud bang is heard.
Jackson is momentarily stunned, but unhurt.
Realizing it was a misfire, the man quickly discards the pistol and produces a second pistol from his coat. He takes aim at the president again and pulls the trigger.
Another loud bang, but the second pistol also misfires. By this time, Jackson has become outraged and charges at the assassin with his cane.