Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-11-25
Gniteau's Trial.
WASHINGTON. Noy. IL.


answered as follows, the questions o
the counsel:
Question: you acquainted witt
the prisoner at the bar? Have yol
ever seen him before?
Answer saw him occasionally dur
Ing the months of March, April an,
May, not so frequently in May.
Q-Were you in company with tn,
president at the time of the shooting
Al was by his side.
Q.-Will you relate to the jury al
account of the proceedings in your owl
manner, so that they will obtain ful
narrative of the circumstances as they
ase familiar to you?
Witness-I wish TO take directions
as to what point to begin the narrative
The district attorney then produced
diagram of the depot, in which the
tragedy occurred, and at his request
the witness indicated the positions oc
cupied by the president and
himself at the time the fatal
shot was fired. He also stated thai
though the second shot was fired i'm.
mcdiately after the first, it did not fol
low it as rapidly as shots should be
fired from self-cocking revolver.
Ques.-How often have you seer
the prisoner, to the best of your recol
clction?
Ans.-Very often. Numerical state
ments are apt to be exaggerated when
we are recalling statement of this
kind. According to my recollection he
visited the state departm ent twenty OF
twenty-five times. 1t might possibly
be not over ten, but eight or ten visits
of that kind are apt to make an inn
preston of twenty or twenty five
| daughter
Ques.-Was he an applicant for
office?
Ans.-He was very persistent ap
plicant for the consul-generalship at
Paris. never gave him the slightest
encouragement that he would receive
the appointment. | remember, after
persistent and repeated visits, | told
him there WAS i'll my judgment no
/ prospect whatever of his receiving the
appointment and did not want him to
continue his visits. | wanted to bring
them to an end, and told him there was
no prospect of his receiving it. Wit
ness here identified a number of letters
| from Guiteau and taken from the
/ files of the state department, and
said: | observe these letters con-
tain the signatures | made on
them for Identification and this
(inieating papers) is the speech in
closed III Que of the letters. which he
alleged to have made during the politi-
cal campaign, on which ne based his
/ claim for office. Here (indicatingl is
the letter that came from the white
4 house, with the ordinary executive
mansion blank; it is mere endorse
ment: Guiteau, Chas, applicant for
a foreign mission;" that letter come
! from the white house in this envelope.
BY Mr.. Porter:
Ques.- Did you see the body of Pres
] ident Garfield when it was brought to
! the district after he was dead ?
| Ans.-I came with the funeral train,
and did not see the body of the presl-
dent after its return here, it was not a
! pleasant sight, and [ did not so to the
rotunda of the capitol to see it. Saw
the body after death. Mt Elberon, at
Franklin cottage, belonging to C. G.
! Franklin, II well known citizen of New
York, who had very kindly rendered
the use Of the cottage for the president.
This ended the direct examination.
Crcss-examed by Mr.. Scoville:
Blaine As to the indentical day |
first saw Guiteau) | can't say; it was
early in March
Ques.-Did you meet him during
the campaign last year?
Ans. 1t is possible did. He CORE
sponded with the main committee, at
tempting to get into the campaign as
/ speaker | know there were several
persistent letters from Charles Guiteau,
of whom | then heard for the first time
as desiring of speaking to me.
Ques. they not be produced?
Ans.-l don't think they can. The
debris of the campaign is generally
swept away into the waste paper basket
and into the fire. 1t is wholly unim-
p rtant. Very often persons try to get
INTO the campaign as speakers. This
is not an exceptional case. 1t is the
transaction OF every committee in the
country that is familiar with the gen
eral rule, 1t being never to take a
speaker who applies himself to speak
Laughter.
Ques-What is the reason that that
is the rule?
/ Ans.-Because men of enough repu-
tation and influence are only sought
for.
Ques.-Had your attention been di-
rected to this man or to his name suf.
ticiently that the name should be ia.
millar to ycu when you came into tine
state department..
Ans.-No, sir. 1t made no impres.
sion on me at ALL The thing had pass
cd out of my mind, until the private
secretary said that this man had per.
sistently applied to speak in the cam
paign. | should never have recalled il
in the world. He introduced himself
to me in the state department.
Odd he come at any time with
any backing for the office. either writ.
ten or personal?
Al DO net recollect that he did
He continually referred to the fact ot
General Logan being his friend; | am
not sure he did not have some letters
That Is fact | could not now state.
Q.-Has it been usual thing in ap-
plieation for office, that applicants
COlHS NllL0ut any DdCkl1S
Avery common. He would often
be one of forty, in a single morning, al
alike, in desiring, and partly nearly all
alike in disappointment. daughter
The case was not peculiar one.
Q-How did you treat him?
A-Possibly if had never seen but
one office seeker, l might have thought
lie was persistent; having seen so many
of the same kind, did not notice him
daughter.
Q-When did you finally reject his
application?
Ale mad come there repeatedly
without encouragement, and the office
was more or less filed every morning
with gentlemen who were applying fol
more places than the administra-
ton had discretion to bestow
He was like others. persistant in his
application, coming and coming again
finally said he need not have the
faintest expectation of procuring the
consulship, and did not desire him to
speak to me about it. l did not do il
with any harshness.
Qaes.-Did you say substantially
that if the president chose 10 appoint
him you had no ohjection2 " IS not
the interview concluded with some
such remark +?
| AnS.-I should say not. / should
have decided objections.
O1ps ON what grounds