Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-11-18

broueht hin ON the side next 70 the pave
ment 1t the depot, and - the carriage was
small coupe. he got out nrst IS Z ms.Ier ~
convenience. He took my arm as we A.
cenled the steps and turned to the left me
vas on nv left to speak to someone.
think it was to . police officer, the same one
who had told US that We had 10 or II minutes
still remaining. When he turned to speak
to him our arms became disengaged, accord
| ing to nv impression, and as we walked
through the ladies' waiting room we were not
arm in arm, but side by side. He had got
two-thirds across the room when suddenly
without any premonition whatever, there was
q very loud report of pistol discharge, fol-
lowed in brief interval by a second DIS
charge At the instant first heard the report
| it occurred to me that it was some trouble
between persons, to whom we were In no
way related, and touched the President as
though to hurry on, as l thought there might
be some danger to his person or my own.Just
| a. did that the President kind of threw his
hands up and said ''My God, what is this!
1t seemed to have been almost between the
shots he said this Of course in so exciting
and horrible scene can only
give impression not absolute statement
Then there rushed past me man, according
| TO nv recollection he passed on my rIgtt,
though am aware that this statement must
| be taken merely as my impression I'M
mediately followed after the man instinctively
and went, suppose. distance of eight feet;
l remember l stopped just outside the door
which went from the ladies waiting room TO
| the main room. Then shout went up, I'VE
have got him." l found the President had
sunk he was sinking as left. When | get
1 l.: I <ba Erst
who got back to him, he was vomiting. and,
think at that moment he was unconscious.
| OF course Immediately a very large crowd
surrounded him, and mattresses were brought,
l think from the sleeping car, and he was
| removed to the upper room in the depot
| Medical aid was at hand as soon as possible
| and the examination made. He was returned
to the White House, reaching there, l should
say, in about fifty minutes or an hour. |
know returned to my own room and wrote
dispatch to the public, especially European
public, directing it to Minister Lowell, at
| London In that dispatch said that, at this
hour, 10 20 A. NJ, the President being shot
about $50, That enables me to identify the
time at which the President got to the White
House. He got there about the time l got
| to my house, possibly little before. These
are in brief the circumstances connected with
nv observation. When in the upper room
| of the depot there was a gathering of the
cabinet members, who Immediately repaired
| there from the cars. There had yet been no
report made of whom it was, but gave the
information that the man l saw run, and
whom went AFTER and whom / saw fall into
the hands of the police, was Guiteau. rec
ognized the man; l made that statement to
the cabinet, attending surgeons and Gen.
Sherman before the police had discovered his
name. Of course the shot being behind my
back did not see him with the pistol in his
hand. He did not in running have the pistol
exposed.
The district attorney then produced dia-
gram of the depot in which the tragedy &C.
cured, amid at his request the witness in
Dictated the positions occupied by the Presi-
dent and himself at the time the fatal shot
was fired. He also stated that though the
second shot was fred Immediately after the
first it did not follow it as rapidly as shots
could be fired from selfcocking revolver.
Q.-How often have you seen the prisoner
to the best of your recollection?
Avery often numerical statements are
apt to be exaggerated when we are recalling
statements of this kind. According to my
recollection he visited the State Department
twenty or twenty-five times. 1t might pos
sibly not DE over ten times, but eight or ten
visits of that kind are apt to make the i'm
preston of twenty or twenty five. Laugh
ter.
Q.-You saw him personally?
A.-Yes very frequently.
Q.-Was he an applicant for Office
Ale was a very persistent applicant for
the consul-generalship at Paris.
Odd you ever have any conversation
with him on that subject?
A.-Several times. l never gave him the
slightest encouragement he would receive
the appointment.
Q.-Do you recolect ever having made
use of any particular expression to him with
regard to that appointment?
Al remember that after persistent and
repeated visits, told him there was in my
judgment no prospect whatever of his re-
ceiving the appointment, and did not want
him to continue his visits wanted to bring
| lobbying then to an end, and told him there
was no prospect of his receiving it.
Q.-Do you recollect the time of that re-
mark?
A.-There was no fact of special impor
| lance that could note, but am very posi-
tive that it was in May.
Q.-Had he written number of letters?
A.-Several.
Q.-You have seen his letters?
Al have.
| Q.-You are familiar with his handwrit-
| ing!
| Al am.
Q.-.Will you look at these letters? pro
ducing bundle of letters and handing them
to the witiness.)
| A.--(After examination.) These are let
tiers taken from the files of the State Depart
ment on request of the governme mt, to which
l complied, and have endorsed them. Let
tiers which bear my signature with date of de-
livery to government are genuine letters which
were received from Guiteau and believed to
be in his handwriting. l observe that these
letters contain signatures l made on them
for the Identification and this Indicating a
paper) is the speech that was enclosed in one
of the letters, which he alleged to have made
during the political campaign and on which
he based his claim for Office. Here (in1cat-
ing) is a letter that came from the White
House, on ordinary executive blank. 1t is "a
mere endorsement (Guiteau, Charles, appli-
cant. Austrian mission) that the letter came
from the White House in this envelope.
| Q.-Was the letter to Evarts found in the
| files of the State department?