The Columbus journal., 1881-07-06
MurderOus Assault Upon Pres.
fdent Garfield.

reacneu us since the tragic event 0i
of Saturday morning we gather the
following facts. The President was
at the Baltimore and Potomac depot
in Washington, about to take the
train for Long Branch to meet Mrs.
Garfield. An eye witness of the at
tempted assassination states: 81
was coming down Pennsylvania av-
enue when saw q carriage coming
so fast that the horses were running
away, when I saw a man put his
head out of the window and shout,
faster! fasterl faster! damn it, fas-
terri Hearing this, I thought there
was something wrong, and l ran
after the carriage. When it reached
the depot man jumped out and en-
tered the ladies' room. He had not
been there more than three minutes
when the President arrived, stepped
out of his carriage and entered the
ladies' room. The President, after
passing through the door, was just
turning the corner of a street when
the assassin who was standing on
the left of the door, fired. The ball
struck the President in the back, and
he fell forward. | ran into the de-
pot and just then the man fired
again, while the President was fall
ing. The moment the PRESIDENT fell
a policeman, who had been standing
at the depot door keeping the way
clear for the President and his party,
grabbed the assassin by the neck,
and as he pulled him out of the de-
pot another policeman came to his
assistance. Just after firing the shot
the assassin exclaimed, Il have killed
Garfield. Arthur is President. l
sm a Stslwsrt.' While the President
was lying in the ladies' room he was
surrounded by Secretaries, Window,
James and Blaine. Mrs. Hunt, Mrs.
Window and Mrs. James were also
standing near the President. In
three or four minutes after the
shooting DR.. Bliss arrived. The
President was then put on bed and
carried up stairs, where an examin-
alton was made by the doctors.
Gen. Sherman then came and called
an ambulance to carry the President
to the White House."
The news of the attempted assas- :
sinstion spread like wild fire over
the city, and when il was said that
though the President was not dead
he was mortally wounded, every
countenance expressed deep sorrow
at the small hope of life for the good
President.
Very tenderly the President was
carried from the depot to the ambu-
lance, and laid on q mattress. The
was then driven to the
White House, and the President
borne inside, and was followed by
Surgeon General Barnes and DR..
Bliss (who had attended him from
the firsD and other physicians.
THE ARREST.
Benson, ex-chief of the secret SER
vice, who happsned to be standing
near, heard the shots, rushed to the
assassin, and il is thought throttled
him and threw him to the ground.
The pistol found in the assassin's
hands is a murderous looking wea.
pom. 1t was a five-chambered,
heavy navy revolver of 44-calibre,
and would make hole as large as
q musket ball. The balls remaining
in it were designed for self defence
or for Blaine. Those who stood
near say Gitteau made a move when
stricken down as if to shoot Blaine.
The latter was very calm aud COL
lected, but intensely pale. Doctors
were summoned by telephone and
and after Bliss speedily
upon the scene there soon
him q score of prominent
In the city. DR.. Bliss at
first said, at is safe wound" AT"
ter he had watched the President
for a few moments he said with
great thoughtfulness, at is not
mortal wound" Soon after that
Colonel Robert Ingersoll was ad-
mitted to the room. The President
stretched out his hands and in a very
strong way said, 81 am glad you
have come"
Col. lngersoll said, ARE you IN
pain 2"
The President answered, 81 feel a
prickly sensation in my feet"
One of the physicians said that
prickly sensation was not q good
symptom.
THE ASSASSIN.
Charles Gitteau has been more or
less known in Chicago for the past
ten years. He was a disreputable
lawyer and generally considered in
sane. He went to New York seven
or eight years ago, and upon his re-
turn in 1876, professed to have been
and delivered several lee
lures under the auspices of the Y. NJ.
c. A. He extappeared at the head
ofs scheme to buy the Chicago Inter
Al Al