The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-08-18
THE FIEND'S FEARS,
TIE AusAsslAs cEAVtN SPIRIT
A. shoWn By His sPrOlIe'' with one Of
Ria Guards HesleFdAy-WOFhed
up by the Gloomy News.
"Details Of the PuSB,

WASHINGToS, August l7.-In some wal
yeStsrday Guiteau gained information
that the President was In sinking copdi
tion. This made him extremely nervous
fsyerish and excited, and he paced, hil
cell In . hasty aud spxlous fashion, ask
ing again and again for more news
This excitement was intensified by tht
noise Of the drill Of the marines, as thu
guard had been doubled, caused by I
genuine fear that popular outbreak NIGH
result from the nights increased danger
OF the President. Gaitsau seemed nsrv'
ously TO take In the situation almost with
out the necessity ot telling to him.
In the evening the people at the all be-
lieyed the President was dying, and In
some way Guiteau heard that also, and
bsCsme more restless, He climbed TO the
window OF his cell aud down again cease.
leasly, acting much a. crgzy man under
intense exciteLnsDt. Gnitean's condition
attracted the attention OF every one Ab but
the j4il who saw him, and W, O. McGill,
who has charge OF the ieil on alternate
nights, visited the cell several times.
From what be there saw he concluded Gui.
teau had heard from some oi the prison.
ers the alarming rumors. He watched
him carefully, aud ,seVerAl times be. saw
him climbing 10 the lrou bars,
McGill suspected the assassin was at.
tempting to escape or to hang himself and
at 4;30 A n. he visited the cell. He found
GutIsAu Ooncsalipg something In his hands
and supposlng II was kuifs, aSked him
whathe was doing with Il. GuiteAu look.
ed up exclledly, and cried: $50 help me
God, have NO kniIe" McGill insisted
that he had and stepped toward him,
when Guiteau eprang up, rushed at him
furiously aud made a savage cut Of bic
throat McGill drew back and the
knife palssd through his collar,
cutting of the upper button and
making clean cut on the left
shoulder. The guard drew his revolver,
when Guitesu dropped his knife and
grasped bis more formidable weapon, cry.
INK for help and calling that he was being
ahot. The pistol was AcCidently diBChaig
cd and several guards rushed 70 the cell,
when Guitsau was dlsArmed. Guiteau
said he was acting in self defense and that
McGill had attempted To shoot him. How
Guiteau obtained the knife 10 ex xplained by
the lact that "Babe" Bedford once ocCu.
pied the cell, and that several similar In.
strumsnts had been concealed BY that
criminal
The knife l. known by the prisoners as
a"Oheessr," and is q criminals substitute
for Jack knlis, carving kplie, rsslr or
dagger III made out OF The piece Of the
steel found 10 the sole Of q boot At the. 10.
step, and can be sharpened on y stoue iur
window sill until II becomes exceedingly
keen. The blade 10 generally about two
or three inchea long, hall an ipch broad
and an inch or more Ia LETT unaharpe
and wrapped 10 rpgsor paper for o handle,
These instruments are used by prisoners
for various purposes, being Coba ,caled by
jailorS whenever found. II 10 CustomaTy
lor prisoners 10 hide them carefully In
walls or ofeVices OF cells.
The assassin considers his escape very
fortunate, and when y guard said In his
presence that he had thought the pistol
shot had settled the poor dog, be replied,
"My dear Sir, this 10 too important q sub.
ect Tor joking; lie 10 too valuable" /" The
episode created intense excitement ID the
fall. MCGill said he supposed GuileAu
thought the President was dead aud took
this means oil proving his insanity Conclu.
siyely. TIE suCcets oIlbe plan to kill the
guard would not have given Guiteau any
chance 10 escape. That motive could not
have prompted The deed. The guards Of
the jail are retcent and refuse 10 say any.
thing on the aubjeCt. Warden Russ and
army oticers who are doing duty there all
refuse TO talk, and say they had been 10.
structed not 10 communicate anything to
the public about the assassin. lH
A thorough investigation will be or.
defed by Gen. Crocker at once. and oil
the facts brought out. The guard Of col.
diOrs at the jail now consists Of twenty
men aud three commanding officers, and
the most yigilAnt watch is kept over the
prlAon. to
II 10 evident now that The Warden Of
the jail not only concealed the fact1, bu.
mlsrepresenied Them about the assault oi
Gniteau while on guard this morning.
The only motive tor this misrepresenta.
ton that can be conceived is that the
Warden wanted to protect himself and aS.
sistaAt1 from the appearance ol having
been relax with Guiteau, and Of having
permitted him 10 gst possession Of q deadly
weapon.
Warden Utocker was interviewed about
the affair and made the following state.
mehl.
"There is not much 10 IT," he siid.
"About half past four o'clock this morn.
log % the guard was passing Gnltean'a
cell, he saw GuiteAn at the window, and
he asked him what he WAS doing there.
GuiLeAu did not give any Rati fACtory
ahAweh The guard then went into the
cell 10 see what was up, and Gnitesu
lnrned uBon him aud Cll1Ghpd With him,
and in The struggle the guards pistol was
discharged. Tbs ball went out Of the door
and struck the dead wall opposite. There
was nobody hurt. o.,
"DId not Guiteau Gu! tue guatd7"
"Ha did not Neither the guard or
Guiteau was hnrL Why, Guileau did mot
have anything to cut him With" /
"WaS there no s1oe shank ID the cell 2"
"NO," replied the warden, and CJntinu.
Ing he said, Illustrating with his hand,
"supp,ss this tO be the cell, and that the
passage, There is the dead wall which ihe
bullet struck when the pistol was dis.
charged. ttis the wall that separates the
passages. The guard when he saw GuiteAu
At the window, Thought his aCtions we're a
little unusuAl, ahd went ID 10 ascertain
what he Wac abjut GuitsAu says that he
did not intend TO hurt the guard. When
be ClinChed MCGll another guard came
to bic assistance"
"Dld The struggle last iong2' asked the
reporter.
"No, II was all over In half minute
quicker than IL takes 10 Lsll II, But before
they ws'e parted the pistol WIS dis.
charged"
"fhS assault, then, was mnde BY
Guiteau2"
"Yes; as the guard went into the cell
Gnttean turned upon him and ClutChed
him