Connecticut western news., 1881-07-20
Guiteau's Jail Life.

1 Of 1t 1n the 1a1l far out on the eastern border of the city, writes a newspaper correspondent from Washington. He is quarantined from anyconnection with the outside world even more effectually than the President is. He gets his meals delivered to him by very mute messenger who under orders returns cast-iron 'I don't know" to every question put by Guiteau. Five times he has been taken out into the office of the warden of the prison and permitted to narrate the story of his life. This he is perfectly willing and even anxious to | do. When started on his story he keeps on talking until the next meal-time ar rives, and when he goes away to get meal his victim escapes. Thus far he has talked only to those coming from the office of the District-Attorney He has secured no counsel and beyond visit from his relative, MT. Scoville, he has net seen an acquaintance since he was lodged. He has one of the lower interior cells, and despite his profane protests against the deprivation he has not been permitted to read the newspa- pers. A Bible is the only book in the cell and this he is devouring, at times reading on for hours at stretch. He complained to the District-Attorney at the last Evisit of that official to the jail that he was suffering for want of exer- else, and asked that he permitted to have the run of the jail. Colonel Cork hill offered to bring down h1s carriage and give Guiteaua ride on the outskirts of the city, but this offer was quickly declined by the prisoner, who in his cowardly conceit imagines that there is crowd without the jail waiting to make short work of him. He has been very consistent in his statements, as his | fine memory anahles-hina to recall l names, dates and places with readiness, and while he has been allowed to talk his story over nearly half dozen times, has not tripped or deviated in one single instance. All that he has said has been taken down, and he has been led to be- lieve that hls yarn has been set forth to the public, and several times he has asked the keepers whether all the peo- pie were not talking of him! But he got only the regulation "I don't know !" from the keepers. -'tF'
 Guiteau has insisted from the start that he himself conceived the idea of shooting President Garfield and that nobody else had any previous knowledge of the act. The more the officers of the District Attorneys office study the man,
 the more they are convinced that he is correct in this statement, since his ego tism would not permit him to share the | glory he thought he was earning with another. He insists, too, that he was inspired to perform the act and that | the inspiration came few days after resignation of Senator Conkling. He has found out that the President is not dead and seems disappointed that the shot was not fatal. He appears lively enough in exchanging the common salutations with the officers, but 1t is ap- parent that he regrets that the Presi- dent has lived so long. He says his trouble is the pain which he has caused, for he desired that the shot should have proved fatal. At first he seemed inclined to the opinion that the first shot he fired l struck the President in the arm and the second one in the back. He is not now so certain, for he remembers that the l first shot was fired horizontally and the President raised his arm, slightly turned and Hooked scared" He likes to talk of how he would reorganize the Govern | ment and makes up cabinet slate with the greatest readiness and is never so happy as when he IS talking of politics.
 There have been large number of let ters sent to the jail intended for and directed to him, but they are not de- livered to him. A number of postal
 cards contain threats and others have jeering remarks. No steps have yet been taken towards bringing him to trial, and nothing will be done until definite report on the condition and prospects of the President has been received. A guard of soldiers still remains at the | jail, and an extra force of police as we'll. Tn case of the sudden death of the Pres ident, immediate precautions will be taken for the safe keeping of Guiteau, as there is 8 fear that a company of Marylanders and Virginians might apply | lynch law to his case. He is not suffer- ing at all in his new quarters. He eats every meal with avidity, andis gaining flesh under confinement.