The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1881-07-09
The President Shot by am Assas-
sin, Who styles Himself
IN Stalxyart Of the
StaIwarfH.


. Last Saturday morning President
Garfield was shot twice, as he wa:
about leaving Washington for the New
England States. The weapon was a
large sized revolver. From the tele.
graphic dispatches which have crowded
the papers since, we select the follow
ing for our readers in the country. 1t
is impossible to publish them all with
out filling our paper with them:
WAsHIsGToN, July 2, 1926 A. NJ
President Garfield was shot twice in
the back as he was boarding train at
the Baltimore and Potomac depot.
| The President was about to board the
train for New England when shot. He
received one ball in the arm and one
between the hip and kidneys.
Secretary Blaine, on hearing the
I pistol shots, two in number, rushed in
the direction from which they came,
with view of arrcstiug the assassin.
Before reaching the man he noticed
the President fall, and returned to him
and lifted him up. Both shots took
effect, the first in the right arm, and
the second just above the right hip,
near the kidneys.
The man who did the shooting is
Charles Guitteau, attorney at law, Chi
eago. lie is a foreigner by birth, and
has been very persistent applicant
for consul, which was refused him by
the President. He has haunted the
executive mansion for two or three
weeks, aud his not getting what he
wanted, it is believed, resulted in tenn
porary alteration of mind.
Charles Guitteau is about thirty
years of age, aud supposed to he of
French descent He is about 5 feet
inches in height, sandy complexion,
and is slight, weighing not more than
l25 pounds. lie wears moustaehe
and light chin whiskers, and has
shrunken cheeks and eyes far apart,
which gives him sullcn, or, as the
officials describe it, a '1oopey" appear
anee.
WAsHiNGToE, July 2.-The follow
ing letter was taken from the prison
er's pocket at police headquarters
"July 2, ls8l.-1he White House
The Presidents tragic death was sad
necessity, but it will unite the Repub-
lican party and save the Republic.
Life is a tlimsy dream aud it matters
little when one goes. A human life
is of small value; during the war thou
sands of brave boys went down with
out tear. presume the President
was a Christian, and that he will be
happier in Paradise than here. 1t will
be no worse for Mrs. Garfield, dear
soul, To part with her husband this
way, than by natural death; he is liable
to go at any time.
Anyway, | had no i'll will toward
the President; his death WAS political
necessity. ! am lawyer, thcologian
and a politician; am stalwart of
the stalwalts. was with Gen. Grant
and the rest of our men in New York
during the canvass. have some pa
pers for the press which shall leave
with Byron Andrews aAl.h co-journ-
alists, 1920 New York Avenue, where
all the reporters can see them. am
going to Jail. CHARLES GuIrrEAr.
WAsHISGToN, July 2.-I'he follow
ing letter was found on the street |
shortly after Guitteau's arrest, the ell
velope unscaled, and addressed to Gen.
Sherman or his first assistant in charge |
of the War Department.:
To General Sherman
j have just shot the President. / |
shot him several times, as wished |
him to go as easy as possible. His
death was political necessity. am
a lawyer, a theologian, a politician; | |
am stalwart of The stalwarts; / was
with Gen. Grant and the rest of our
men in New York during the canvass.
| am going to the Jail; please order
out your troops and take possession of |
the Jail. Very respectfully,
CHARLES GuITTEAU.
On receiving the above, Gen. Sher-
man gave it the following endorse
ment:
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, /
Washington, July 2, 1881. |
1885 A. M.-This letter was handed
me this minute by Major William 4.
Twining, United States Engineers,
Commissioner of the District of Co
lumbia, and Major W,n. G. Brock,
Chief of Police.
j don't know the writer, never
heard of or saw him to my knowledge,
and hereby return it to the keeping of
the above named parties as Testimony
in the ease.
w. 4. SHERMAN, General.
Guitteau said on his way to fail that
the Presidents assassination was pre-
and that he went to Long
Branch for the purpose Of shooting
him there, and was deferred by the
enfeebled and saddened condition of
Mrs. Garfield, which appealed so
to his sense of humanity that
he came back without carrying out his
Intention.
CHICAGO. June 2.-Charles j. Gut
tean, who shot President Garfield this
morning, has been known in Chicago
for the last twelve years, and for much
Of the time has been considered as
more than half insane. lie may have
had French blood in his veins, but was
10 all appearances an American. lie
wore his hair brushed up ia front. civ