That's an excellent point, and Stennis is somebody who had been in my mind since I read about that near-fatal shooting.
I remember it was called a robbery right away. Watergate was just breaking, the Ervin Committee had convened, and Wallace had been shot the year before, so a report of a Senator having been shot made the mind immediately leap to "assassination," but it was reported as a bungled robbery. The perps were captured, two of them, if I recall correctly. Here are a couple of links, though they are sparse on info... Several years ago, the late United States Senator John Stennis of Mississippi was shot during an attempted robbery in front of his Washington, D.C. home. One of the first persons to rush to his bedside was Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon. The reported story of their friendship amazed many students of politics. Mark Hatfield was a liberal Republican and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. John Stennis was a conservative Democrat and one of the war's staunchest supporters.
Faith in Politics
Paul Hillegonds | Fifth Annual Henry Lecture
Calvin College | April 30, 2001
Senator Stennis' unselfish achievements during his long years of hard work did not come without great adversity. In 1973 he was shot twice during a holdup attempt in his front yard in northwest Washington, D. C. Although doctors didn't at first give much hope of Senator Stennis' survival, then later of ever walking again, he surprised practically everyone and recovered almost completely. He said his chief thought during those doubtful days was, "Would I be useful?" Senator Stennis' dedication and commitment to duty would not allow him to stop or slow down.
U.S. Senator John C. Stennis
www.ssc.nasa.gov/about/history/stennis
This is a weird one, apparently from a foreign language reading comprehension test, but it basically fits with my recollection... Senator Stennis was the victim of a classic street crime. He happened to be an important politician, but that is not why he was shot. What happened to him could happen to anyone else. Senator Stennis, Who is 71, Got out of his white car at 7:40 p.m. , outside his home at 3609 Cumberland Street. Two youths said, "Get them up." He put up no resistance. He handed over his wallet containing credit cards, driver's license, and the like, a gold watch and all the cash he had in his pockets-- twenty-five cents. The youths said, " Get them up." He put up no resistance. He handed over his wallet containing credit cards, driver's license, and the like, a gold watch and all the cash he had in his pockets¬ótwenty-five cents. The youths said either "Now we're going to shoot you any way," or "We ought to shoot you anyway." Anyway they did. One bullet hit him in the thigh and struck the bone, and the other entered his chest just below the breast pocket of his suit. It narrowly missed his heart. Senator Stennis is a powerful political figure, but it is unlikely that the two young men knew who he was. More likely his offense was that he had no more cash than a quarter¬ónot enough for a taking of drugs or two cups of coffee.
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