The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-07-09


taken Gy Mr.. VIM. i. Hnrira;u. of falti-
/ more, rom photograph of the original, Il
/ duplicate of which was furnished The WASH
! in9tun Post.
/ Who Is CIitcau? What is he" Why
did he commit this ,iiabolical crime? What
/ is his past history Next to the condition
of the President. these are The things which
interest the people most, and these are the
/ questions they are constantly asking one
another. In reply 10 these Inquiries we
herewith give 4 condensed history OF the
life OF This miscr"ant So far as il Is known
or has been ascertained since the committal
of the deed which has made his name for
ever infamous, together with lis portrait,
taken since hi, arrest.
Charles Julius was born in Frccport, H..
N 1871 or 1872. He was one of the children
o. l.. W. Guitrau, late cashier Of the Second
National Bank of f'reeport. MIR. Guiteau,
ST., died recently, aged seventy Years, and
was one OF the oldest and most esteemed
citizens of the place. As Il Youth Charles is
reported TO have been 4 good, tractable boy,
with norhng to mark him as erher better
or worse than the average -. his associates.
Several years before lac herame of age and
while preparing, for college AT the niver
Sity of Michigan he conceived the idea ot
joining the Oneida Community and did so
He dwe.t there fer some years aud snhse-
puentiN left because he could not live up to
the restrictions OF the order.
Immediately ;siterwara he entered upon
/ the study of law i'll the Office of George
Scovil,s, Il hrothrr-iu-law. in Chicago. He
was admitted to the bar in that city about
eighteen years ago hut is said TO never have
had other than small office practice in way
OF bill collecting and such like small work
1t is reported that he was prosecuted and
fell into bad OdOr in that city un account Of
collecting sums OF money which he tailed Ia
turn over 10 owners. lie eventually had 10
leave town.
The assassin has been travelling through
ont New England mere or less for Il year or
two past as II lecturer, and assuming the
title of reverend he advertised himself as a
lawyer and thrologian. He once claimed
IT, be an honorable, and his brother telling
, him that he had no claim TO such little, hay
ing never horne political houorS, he replied /
thai ;nv lawyer was an honorable, and he
knew 4 lawyer in Chicago " no had been in
the State prison who advertised himself as
an honorable. This and the matter of nu-
nerouS unpaid board bills in Boston led Ia
Il w0rdy controversy. which resulted i'll
Charles being expelled from his brothers
house. and subsequently violently elected
from his office, ne would neither take al
vice nor mend his evil ways and fraudulent
practices. This was about fourteen months
ago. Charles has been in Jail in New York
for debt. He has been shown up by Chicago
and New York papers for Irregularities ard
has sued them in return for libel, with no
favorable result TO himself Atone time he
formed II scheme IL buy the Chicago Inter-
Dco0,,, and asked the President of the Sec
ond National Bank of Freeporf, ILL.,, TO loan
him S25.aOo with which t. purchase it,
promising the president OF the bank an
inducencnf that he would secure his 2lec
ton aS Governor of Illinois. The project
was not entertained. in numerous places
he has lectured 10 very small audiences, adj
vrr.iSuy himself a. Charles j. Guite%rl the ,
celebrated Chicago lawyer of emineurc aud
ability, etc, and shipping out without
paying his hotel aud other bills The |
brother above quoted saws that he never
knew that he was Il driukcr or given 7" any
rllinOuS species of diSspation; that he has
seen little of him for twenty years. but has !
often heard from, or rather of him; that he /
has long considered him crazy and expected
sooner or later. if he lived, that liz would
bring up in lunatic asylum or meet u
worse fate.
HIS LIFE IN enc AGO.
His name is on The dead beat book his
photograph is i'll the rOguc> gallery III the
police headq quarters, and his general record
Tor raScality is quite toe lengthy for recital.
( He is Of medium height, rather we'll
built. but Of the MOST disgusting and repul-
Sive appearance. He was one of those rre,-
lures who Impress everybody with dislike ,
ut trst sight. Clammy III appearance, sui
len and dirty. he seemed 10 feel that every
man he met wanted nothing To ,io with him
, and the feeling only made him the more
persistent in his sycophancy. He was an
/ lshmacite by nature. He was a hanger-on
| of the Young Mems Chri stan Associations
withStanding their attempt to snake him
| OFT, and he took an active part iii the Moody
. revival. Two Years ago he Published II
/ book entitled Companion To the Bible ,
which he intended, he said, as Il reply to
! the attacks on the Bible by iuiidelS, eSpc-
! cally by Ingersoi!. III the same volume lie
I published an ESSAY on st. Pau and another
! on the coming of Christ, which argued that
/ Jesus came again 1T the destruction of
/ Jerusalem.
In the cuurSe OF this s-say lie quoted and
/ commented on every passage OF the New
! Testament which bore on the second advent
/ showing that he WAS sane enough IL do that. ,
/ Another essay was on HE'LL i'll which he took
/ the ground that future punishment for the
| wicked was eternal, and that Canon Farrar
! and other distinguished theologians vino
! thought differently We're not scholars.
His career as Il dead beat and cmbrZZler
! GOT him into trouble and he had to leave
| Chicago, and hs Went III New York, where
| lie soon got into Jail ior some misdemaaGur,
! and after MS release he returned to Chicago
/ and STAYED there year or more and then
! left for good. Mayor Harrison says that
! when he was in Congress. Guiteau came to
! him with crazy scheme for the erection of
/ an immense mausOleum by the national
government, to be higher than the Rocky
Mountains, and to cost millions of money.
I He also had IL scheme TO start Il daily paper,
/ which should throw into the Shade AM
! ether paper on earth, and his scheme i,r the
! expenditures OF vast sums of money We're
/ only equaIed in number by the instances in
! which he neglected to pay small bills.
! Treasurer Giltillan says that he has known
/ about GutcaH many years. When he was
appointment clerk in the Treasury Depart
/ ment, in IaI4, GuiGaau's wife was IN appli-
! cant for a place and he mail, cave Ler IA
! position in the bureau nj Engraving and
! Printing. during her employ ment there
: she frequently Told Mr Giltilan Of the
crucitieS practiCed upon her by her luS-
band. who deprived her of needed food.
beat her and would sometimes lock her in Il
+ closet all night. Finally they Were sepa-
: rated by II divorce but not before the totally
deprayed character of the man became thor
y uughly well understood. There are a good
many, also, who believe THIS Of lGiseau's
character lhey look upon him rs an in
carna1c devil.
THE FATHER OPINION OF HIS son.
The following is an extract from Il let
ter dated March 80, 1873. from the father
! of the assassin 10 John ". GQiteagl, his
brother. III Philadelphia lii which. he re-
iers to his son Charles Us follows:
q" ! have been lead to believe him capa-
I BILE of almost anY folly. at;;nuiJy or raS-