Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-11-18

On the night of July 1st was engaged with
the President until near midnight on public
business. On parting, he suggested that /
had better call and see him in the morning
before he left, because he thought there
would be some matters to which be wanted
to call my attention. went to the White
House in the morning, reaching there at g.
not later than three minutes past. I was de-
tanned some little time in conference with
the President in the Catinet room, and in
the library very few minutes. I then
started with him fer the depot, he
riding in the carriage in which l went
to the White House-the State Depart
ment carriage, ia daily use by myself
following out of the White House grounds
his own carriage, in which his children were
carried, under the conduct of Colonel Rock.
well. Arriving at the depot on the Eighth.
street side-the ladies' entrance-we sat
moment finishing the subject on which we
were then conversiug, and tie President
says 1, 81 will escort you" I thought il net
proper that the President should go entirely
unattended. 81 will escort you, I said, aud
besides, wish to see the gentlemen ef the
Cabinet who are going to leave with you"
With that he alighted He had got in of
course first at the White House, and that
brought him on the side next to the
pavement at the depot, and as the car
riage was a small coupe, he got
out first. As o matter of convenience he
took my arm as we assembled the steps, and
turned on the left (he was on my left) to
speak to some one-I think police officer,
the same officer who had told us we had ten
or twelve minutes remaining. When he
turned to speak to him our arms became
diseDgaged, according to my impression, and
as we walked through the ladies' waiting
room we were not arin-in-srm, but side by
side. He had got two thirds across the
room, when suddenly, without any premo-
milton whatever, there was very loud
report of a pistol. The discharge was followed
in very brief interval By a second shot. At
the instant L first heard the report it seemed
to me thst it was some trouble between per-
sons to whom we were in 10 way related, or
some such deed of violence, and I touched
the President as though to hurry him on, as
[ thought there might be SEINE danger to his
person or my own. just as did that the
Presi ient threw his hands up and said, My
God what is this?" II seems to have been
almost between the shots that he said this.
OF course it was
AN EXCITING AND HORRIBLE SCENE.
minute statement. Then there rushed
past man. According to my recol.
lection he passed on my right. l imme-
diately followed after the man instinct
lively, and went suppose thence eight feet.
l remember stopped just outside the door
which led from the ladies' waiting, room TO
the main room. Then shout came up,
"We have got him." found that the Presi-
dent had quite sunk down. He was sinking
as left. When L got nearly back to him
Il was the first or second person who got
back to him) hs was vomiting, ard [
think at that moment was unconscious.
crowd surrounded him. and mattresses
were brought, 1 think from a sleeping car,
and he was removed to an upper room in the
depot. Medical aid was as hand as soon as
possible, and an examination made. He was
returned to the White House, reaching there,
I should say, in about fifty minutes, or pos
sibly an hour. I know l returned to my own
room and wrote dispatch to the public, es-
pecially the European public directing it to
Minister Lowell at London. In that dispatch
said, Z" AT this hour, 1920 A. NJ" the Pres
ident being shot about 920. That enabled
nae to identify the time at which the Presi-
dent got TO the White House. He got there
about the time got to my house. possibly
little before.
THAT MAN WAS GUITEAU.
These are, in brief. the circumstances
connected with my observations when in the
upper room of the depot. There was a gath
ering around of Cabinet Ministers, who i'm
repaired there from the cars.
There had yet been no report made of whom
it was, but gave the information that the
man / saw run, and whom | went after, ard
whom [ saw fall into the hands of the police,
was Guiteau. L recognized the man.
made that statement to the Cabinet, the at
tending surgeons and General Sherman be-
fore the police had discovered the name. OF
course, the shot being behind my back. did
not see him with pistol in his hand. He did
not, in running, have his pistol exposed.
According to my recollection, Guiteau visited
the State Department twenty or twenty-five
times. 1t might possibly be not over ten
but eight or ten visits of that kind are apt to
make the impression of twenty or twenty
five. Laughter. He was a very persistent
applicant for the Consul -Generalsbip at Paris.
1 never gave him the slightest encourage
ment that he would receive the appointment. 1
remember, afterpersistent and repeated visits,
l told him that there was. in my Judgment,
no prospect whatever of his receiving the ap-
pointment, and that l did not want him to
continue his visits. wanted to bring them
pect of his receiving it.
Witness here identified a number of letters
from Guiteau taken from the files of the
State Department, and said: 81 observe
that these letters contain the signatures that
[ made on them for Identification, and this
indicating paper is a speech inclosed 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 lindicat-
inel is letter that came from the White
House, with the ordinary Executive Mansion
blank. It is mere Endorsement of Gui.
teau. Charles, applicant for the Austrian
mission That letter came from the White
House in this envelope. I did not see the
body of the President after his return here.
Il was not pleasant sight, and I did not go
10 tae rotunia of the Capitol to see it."
CROSS EXAMINATION.
Blaine, cross-examiued, testified as to the
locality of the shooting, pointing cut on a
the spot on which the shooting occurred. He
had received numerous letters from the
prisoner persisteatly TO be assigned to speak
in the Maine campaign. The letters were
destroyed, with other campaign
debris. Regarding Gu;teau's visit to the
State Department, the Secretary said he was
one of perhaps forty applicants ON the days
he came, and that he suffered the disappoint-
ment of the rest in endeavors to obtain ap-
He at no tine noticed anything
which would indicate any arrangement of
mind.
Scoville, in questioning Blaine, referred to
the difficulty which arose in the Republican
party in New York after the appointment of
Collector Robertson, and requested the Sec
retary to,explain the situation as it existed.
THE NEW YORK CONTROVERSY.
Secretary Blaine answered that Senators
Conkling and Platt resigned because the
President appointed Robertson. Considera-
bic feeling existed III the Senate and in Wash
ington over the disagreement. There was a
struggle in the New York Legislature.
Objection being made to Scoyille's question,
he gaid he wanted to show that the quarrel in
the party was outspoken and persistent. and
instead OF being healed was growing wider,
if possible, SO that even the death of
the President did not interrupt the
daily chickering's and strife that existed
in the Legislature at Albany, in
which the leading men of the country
were taking part with spirit, in order to show
the relation of the influence that was brought
to bear on the mind of the prisoner.
Blaiue-I can say to counsel that after the
President was shot, that political canvass
gave me as little concern, and elected from
me as little observation, as any individual in