Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-08-30
GUIrEAU WANTS PROTECTION
He is Fearful of Violence and Asks
60 BE Made safe Against Any ATT
tack.

Guiteau, since his recent encounter
with the guard, McGill. has been more
quiet than before, and the jail officers
have little occasion 10 speak to MIN. he
seems to have an idea that he is in danger,
and has recently expressed desire to be
better protected. From both the gate
and the back window of his cell he can
be seen from the outside, and he appears
fearful that an attack may come by way
of the window. There has been close
examination made, and it is found that
from no quarter can he be reached from
outside unless he puts himself In
the way. With the idea of protection
he has asked for iron shields or
shutters for his cell. A day or two ago
he asked for a rope to stretch across his
cell to hang his blanket on so that 1t
would answer the purpose of a screen.
He described the rope wanted as about
fifteen feet long and quarter or one
half inch thick, and stated emphaticallY
that he did not want it to aid him in
committing suicide, but solley for the
purposes stated Although perfectly
composed now, it is pretty evident that
if he sees any danger approaching him
he would anticipate it if he had an OPP
portunity. The guard in and about the
iail remains about the same as it has for
a week past. The military occupy the
same posts in the building and one or
two pickets are posted outside. There is
no truth in the report of Guiteau's re-
moval from the jail to United States
war vessel.
Col. Corkhill, United States District
Attorney, is reported as saying that he is
| fully aware of the existence of a secret
organization in Washington city whose
purpose is, in the event Of President
| Garfield's death, to break the jail and
put an immediate end to the life of the
assassin Guiteau. Their desire is to
hang Guiteau by slow process, and in
the meantime each member of the or
ganization is to be allowed to put bull
let in Guiteau's body, taking care not to
| strike him in any vital point until the
last possible moment. The Colonel says
| he has good reasons for the belief that
the guards of the Jail, who are all OF
them ex Union soldiers, know of
this secret organization and are In
sympathy with it. He says that it has
been with the utmost difficulty that the
warden of the jail has prevented these
guards long ere this from fndlng some
excuse to kill Guiteau. This explains
the encounter between a guard and Gui-
teau, which took place in the latters
cell recently. Guiteau knows the guards
want to kill him, and for that reason has
suffered great mental anguish since the
first relapse of the President. he is so
nervous that he gets little or no sleep.
The Colonel says that while he believes
that no torture too great can be visited
on Guiteau, he must see that the law is
obeyed, which protects Guiteau and
secures for him fair trial before jury
of his countrymen. He says that it
would never do to go to the world that
in the capital Of the nation the officers
of the law were unable to enforce its
mandates, and were at the mercy of a
mob. All that will be necessary to secure
the jail from the interference of a mob
will be battery Of artillery. There are
now three batteries of United States
artillery stationed at the arsenal in
Washington, and about two hundred
and fifty marines at the navy yard.