Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-10-10
ESTABLISHED 1850.
GUITEAU'S CONFESSION.
His story of President GarfieId,s As
sassinatIOn-The Motive "PureIy
Political and PatrIOtIc''-NO Con-
federates, Etc.

sasstnattOn-The Motive NPureIy
Political and PatrIOtIc''-NO Con.
federates. Etc.
The New York Herald Of Thursday con.
tanned seven closely printed columns Of
what purports to be an autobiography Of
Guiteau, the assassin of President Garfield
as dictated by him to q stenographer, the
narrative being condensed, it is alleged, tC
one-third Of the actual amount Of matter as
taken down in a series of interviews from
Guiteau's own lips. His story of the assas
sination, or, as he prefers to style it, "the
removal of the President" " is one OF the most
cold blooded accounts Of a dreadful crime
that has ever been put on paper. "My
idea, simply stated" he remarks, "was to
remove as easily as possible Mr.. James A.
Garfield, quiet and good-natured citizen
of Ohio, who temporarily occupied the po-
sitiOn of President of the United States, and
substitute in his place Mr.. Chester A. Ar
thur, of New York, a distinguished and
highly estimable gentleman. Mr.. Garfield
l intended to quietly remove to Paradise
(Which is great improvement on this
world), while Mr.. Arthur saved the repub.
lie" And he adds: "Not a soul in the
universe knew of my purpose to remove the
President. II 1t has failed l shall never at
tempt it again. My motive was purely
political and patriotic, and l acted under
Divine pressure. It was the same kind of
pressure that led Abraham to sacrifice his
son Isaac"
All that part of his narrative relating to
his genealogy, his sojourn with the Oneida
Community, his shiftless life in Chicago
and New York, his Jaw studies and subse-
quent practice, his joining several churches
in succession, his career as a religious lee
turer and finally as a politician, we pass
over as being already generally known to
the public. The profound interest of his
confessions centres about his motives for
assassinating the President, and the series
of attempts he made to accomplish his pur-
pose prior to firing the fatal shot. After
giving an account of his application
for either the Austrian mission or the
Paris Consulship, and the little satisfac-
tiOn he obtained either from Presi-
den Garfield or Secretary Blaine in
respect to these appointments, he asserts
that the rebutfs he met with chad not the
slightest influence on him either one way
or another in reference to his removing the
President" He came, he said. to the
bloody determination pending the answer
to his request for the Paris Consulship, and
for several weeks after being denied an in
teFview with the President he did not press
his application either to him or to MIR,
Blaine. In the meantime, according to his
story, he was brooding over the quarrel
that had broken out between the stalwarts
and the half-breeds in consequence of the
resignation by Mr.. Conkling of his seat in
the SeraSe. At this point we follow closely
the narrative.
THE CONCEPTION OF THE CRIME.
"MY conception of the idea of removing
the President was this: Mr.. Conkling re-
signed on Monday, May 16, 1881. On the
following Wednesday was in bed. l think
retired about o'clock. felt depressed
and perplexed on account of the political
situation, and l retired much earlier than
usual. felt wearied IN mind and body, and
l was in my bed about O'Clock, and was
thinking over the political situation, when
the idea flashed through my brain that il the
President was out of the way everything
would go better. At first this was a mere
impression. 1t startled me, but the next
morning 1t came to me with renewed force.
and l began to read the papers with my eve
on the possibility that the President would
have to go, and the more / read the more |
saw the complication of public affairs, the
more was impressed with the necessity of
removing him. This thing continued for
about two weeks. I kept reading the papers
and kept being impressed, and she idea kent
bearing and bearing and bearing down upon
me that the only way TO unite the two fac
tions OF the Republican party and save the
republic from going into the hands OF the
the President.
1.-TWO weeks after I conceived the idea
my mind was thoroughly settled on the in
tention to remove the President. l then
prepared myself. l sent to Boston for a
copy OF my book, 'The Truth and | spent
a week In preparing that. I cut out para
graph and line and a word here and there
and added one or two new chapters, MT
some new ideas in It, and greatly improved
II. knew that 1t would probably have a
large sale, on account Of the notoriety that
tne act OF removing the President would
give me, and wished the book to 90 out to
the public in proper shape. That was one
preparation for 1t. Another preparation
was TO think the matter all out in detail and
TO buy revolver and to prepare myself for
executing the idea. This required some two
or three weeks, and l gave nv entire time
and mind In preparing myself to execute
the conception Of removing the President.
/ never mentioned the conception to a
living soul. did most Of my thinking In
the park and on the street, and used to on
to the Arlington and the Riggs House daily
to read the papers.
FAfter had made up my mind to remove
MIN, the idea when ] should remove him
oppressed me, and l was somewhat con-
fused on that. knew that it would not do
to go to the White House and attempt If.
because there were too many of his employees
about, and looked around for several dsvs
to try and get a good chance at him, and
one Sunday ethe Sunday before he went to
I fo at,,
morning. 1t is a small frame building, and
stood there at the door a moment.
was little late ; the services had pro-
gressed about one-third. l noticed the
President sitting near an open window about
three feet from the ground, and l thought
to myself, That would be good chance to
get him. intended to shoot him through
the back Of the head and let the ball pass
through the ceiling, In order that no one
else should be injured, and there could NOT
possibly be better place to remove a man
than at his dev0tions. l had my revolver in
my possession when first went TO the church
having purchased it about ten DAYS before
the Presidents going to Long Branch. This
was the Sunday prior to his leaving for
Long Branch on Saturday. During that
whole week l read the papers carefully
thought it all over in detail.
l thought just what people would
bAOuSAb HAdL
excitement it would create, and l kept
thinking about it all the week. ! made up
my mind that the next Sunday would Ger
tainlY shoot hin II he was 10 church and
got good chance at him. Thursday of the
same week | noticed In the paper that he
was going TO Long Branch, and on the fol-
owing Saturday he did go to the Branch for |
Mrs. Garfield's health. l went to the depot
All prepared to remove him. l had the re-
Volver with me. l had all my papers nicely |
| spoke to q man about car |
'iage to take me, as told him, over near
he Congressional Cemetery. He said that /
ne would take me over for 81, and seemed |
% be very clever fellow and glad /
o get the job. / got to the depot /
loout nine O'Clock, and waited there
Until the Presidents White House
,arriage drove up.n He did not kin him ar
hat time, he saws, "because he had not the
leart to fire while Mrs. Garfield was with |
lin, clinging tenderly to his arm,' Learn.
ng that the President was to return on the
ollowing Monday Guiteau went again to
he depot to watch for him, but when the
resident reached there SO many persons
we're about him that the time did not seem
pporTune. All that week, however, he
avs be watched for him and tried at vari-
US times to get shot at him, but did not
aceeed. How he lodged him everywhere, /
az by day, is minutely told. Finally he |
card from the pspsrs that the President
Tas going TO Long Branch on Friday, and
Te give at this point his own narrative of
that befell,
THE ASSASSINATION.