Blaine & the poison dagger?

In digging around after another story this weekend, I came across a curious snippet of bizarre hearsay in the October 8, 1892 issue of the Illustrated American, on page 300:

Fads, Facts and Fancies

A citizen of Augusta, Maine, name G. W. King, has been telling Western reporters that ex-Secretary Blaine is constantly haunted by the fear of becoming mad, and that in anticipation of the dread moment when his mind will become a blank, the slighted leader of the Harrison cabinet carries with him, for ready use, a poisoned dagger, obtained in Italy from a professional assassin.

I don't think I've heard that story before!!!

To quote Wikipedia: "James Gillespie Blaine (January 31, 1830 – January 27, 1893) was a U.S. Representative, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State. He was nominated for president in 1884, but lost a close race to Democrat Grover Cleveland." Photo from Wikipedia as well.