The Ottawa free trader., 1881-07-09
THE ASSASSINATION OF THE PRESIDENT


ington that President Garfield had been assas
sinated The theme of course has ever since
then so largely occupied every ones thought
and all the details of the stupendons crime
have been so eaborately discussed and be
, come so familiar, that it only remains for u.
briefly to relterate the facts, not by way Of
conveying any news to our readers but rather
to place them on record In our weekly chroni
} Gle Of passing events,
The attempted assassination occurred al
about 20 minutes past O'Clock on Saturday
morning, July Cd, IN the depot building of the
!, Baltimore and Potomac railroad at Washing
J ton. The President had arranged for an ex
cursion via New York through New Eng
J land as far as Maine and back, taking in the
White Mountains, Concord, the college com
mcncement at Wllliamstown, Mass, &c, the
trip to occupy some three weeks and the com
J pany to consist, besides the President family
and attendants, of Secretaries Window, Lin
coin and Hunt, Postmaster General James,
Judge Advocate General Swain and Others
and 1t was to start on this trip that the Presi.
dent, IN company with Secretary Blaine, had
driven to the depot on Saturday morning to
take a special train that had been provided
and was to leave at 8 30 o'clock, to convey the
Washington portion of the proposed excur.
sion party to New York, where they were to
be joiued by the Presidents family and others
from Long Branch.
A., ,hn Drno nd Sa, DI,t,
ed the ladies' reception room of the depot
from street on the south side to pass through
to the tram on the north side, Blame appar.
emily little in advance when about in the
middle of the room, he was arrested by the
sharp, loud report OF pistol, and looking
around another shot was fired, upon which the
President fell. Blaine instantly made a
"lunge" for the man who had fired the shots
and who, tourishlng his pistol and attempting
again to shoot, IN reply 10 question as to
what he meant, sald, II am stalwart and
want Arthur for President" But being IN.
stan.ly seized by others, Blaine left him and
turned his attention to the Presidcdt, who, it
was found, had received two wounds one in
the shoulder, more painful than dangerous,
and another in the back. the ball entering q
little above the mp and about 2l5 inches from
the vcrtebrp, shatterIng in Its passage the 10th
rib and lodging, 1t is feared in the liver, tho
it is still uncertain exactly where. The Presi.
dent was soon in fainting condition, but
stimulants being administered he so far recov.
cred that IN half an hour he was conveyed to
the White House.
During all day Saturday the symptoms of
the wounded President were so serious, and
no satisfactory probing of the wound having
been found possible, that his dissolution was
almost hourly looked for, and indeed at half
current In Washington, and was telegraphcd
to different parts of the country, that he had
died. In the course of the night, however, he
so far rallied that the attending physicians
encouraged hopes that he might last several
days and some even went so tar as to suggest
the possibility of his recovery. SO little faith
was placed IN this, however, that at a meeting
of the cabinet 1t was decided Immediately to
summon Vice President Arthur to Washing.
ton, and all the preliminary arrangements
were made for administering to him the oath
of Office immediately upon the dissolution OF
the President. Happily, however, no occasion
has yet arisen to carry the arrangement into
effect and the prayer OF the whole country has
apparently been heard by kind heaven that
the occasion may never arise. The President
b it gives us unspeakable qualification to say
has been SO steadily improving ever since tha,
at this writing all fear of his wounds proving
fatal have been measurably dismissed and his
speedy restoration to health Is confidently
looked for.
AS to the wouldbe assassin, his name is as
certaned to be Charles Jules Guitfeau, about
81 years of age, of French descent as the
uame imports but born and raised at Free
port, Illinois. His father while Charles was
yet boy, with his wife and family, joined
the Oneida community near Utica, New York
but after some years withdrew and returned tC
Freeport, where he became cashier of the First
National bank, holding that position until his
death, some four years ago. Charles, who has
a couple OF brothers and sisters well situated
in life, at about the age Of eighteen, manifest
= ing IN an increased degree all the eccentrici
. ties of his father, returned the Oneida commu
o nifty, but after year or two left there and il
next heard of as law student in Chicago
where he afterwards opened an office II,
was so nearly crazy, however, that he met with
a no success as lawyer, either ia Chicago, New
= York, or elsewhere where he attempted to prac
, tice and became little better than rowing
such occurring all over the country, there be
ing scarcely prominent city which has no
some police record of one or more Of his ex
!, ploi,s.