Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-10-08
GUITRAU,S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
A Chapter From the Murdorer's Hlstol

The autobiography which Guiteau gave
District Attorney Corkhill's stenographer
contains, among mass of rubbish, the fol-
lowing:
s'During the time that 1 was pressing my
application for the Paris consulship, called
at the White house several times. handed my
card to the door-keeper, and he would take it
to the president The reply came back on
several occasions: "Mr. Guiteau, the presi-
dent says that it will be impossible for him to
see you to o-day." I understood by the presi.
dents statement that he could not see me to-
day, and that was the statement that he sent
through his door-keeper several times, be.
cause he was trying gracefully to get rid OF
notes to the president l asked him directly
"Can have the Paris consulate?" and the re-
ply, as usual, came back: "Mr. Guiteau, the
president is
VERY BUSY
and can not sec you to-day These inter-
views occurred several days apart, sometimes
a week apart. They all occurred during the
time l was pressing my application for the
Paris consulship. The case was pending at
the time shot the president, and, as l have
before stated, confidently expected favorable
answer when they had got rid of Mr.. Walker.
understood by the presidents statement that
he could not see me, that he was trying in
some way to gef rid of Walker gracefully, and
that as a matter of fact he intended that l
should have 1t. My getting or not getting the
Paris consHlship had nothing whatever to do
with my shooting the president. 1 shot him
purely as
Is A POLITICAL NECESSITY,
under divine pressure, and it was only by
nerving myself to the utmost that shot him
anyway. If he should recover, and should
meet him again 1 would not shoot him; and
now leave the result with the Almighty In
case the president had said 1 could not have
had the Paris consulship intended to go to
New York or Chicago and open law office
and let politics CO. 1 shot the president with
out malice or murderous intent I deny any
legal liability in the case. In order to con-
stltute the crime of murder two elements
must exist: 1. An actual homicide. q.
Malice; malice in law or malice in fact. The
law presumes malice from the fact of the
homicide, The degree of malice depends on
the
CONDITION OF A MANS MIND
at the time of homicide. If two men quar-
rel and one shoots the other in heat Of pas
sion, the law says that is manslaughter. The
remoteness of the shooting from the moment
of its conception fastens the degree of NAL
ice; the further you go from the conception
to the shooting the greater the malice that
breaks the law. The law says that in the
shooting of man few years or few days
after the conception the mind has chance
to cool, and therefore the act is deliberate:
Malice in fact depends upon the circumstan-
ces attending the homicide. Malice in law is
liquidated in this case by the facts and cir
cumstances as set forth in these pages at
tending the removal of the president. I
have none but the best of feel
ing personally toward the presidents
1 always thought of him and spoke of him as
Gen. Garfield. never had the slightest idea
of removing Mr.. Blaine or any member of the
My only object was to re-
move Mr.. Garfield in his official capacity as
president of the United States to unite the Re-
publican party and to save the republic from
going into the control of
REBELS AND DEMOCRATS.
This was the sole idea that induced me TO re-
move the president. I appreciate all the re-
ligion and sentiment and honor connected with
the removal. No one can surmise in this, but
I put aside all sentiment and did my duty to
God and to the American people"
Guiteau's speech, Garfield against Hancock,
he used everywhere as his letter of introduce
tion. If public man failed to recognize
him, out came the speech He tells how he
was
sNUBBED BY MR.. CONKLING,
whom he styles "My Lord Roscoe" Mr..
Jewell was always affable and appeared to like
him. Mr.. Blaine he met two or three times at
the state department. He describes one inter
view IN the first week of March: 81 gave Mr..
Blaine my speech, headed Garfield against
Hancock and he Immediately recognized me.
My standing with Mr.. Blaine ran along in this
free and familiar way until he told me one
day that he did not think the president would
remove Mr.. Walker Since that time have
not seen him.
Mr.. Conkling he saw one day in the vice
presidents room at the capital: 81 sat with
in few feet of him." says Guiteau, "on the
sofa. eyed him and he eyed me and when
through with his friend stepped up to him and
said: Good morning SENATOR and he said
Good morning. / said: Il hope to get an
appointment, senator, and l hope when the
matter comes up you will remember it, and
he simply said, Perfectly and bowed and he
bowed, and we parted"
In bringing his autobiography to an end he
says. "And now 1 speak of two matters
strictly personal. First, am
LOCKING FOR WIFE
anu see no OUJecllOn 10 mentioning IL mere,
and such lady can address me in the utmost
confidence. My mother died when was only
z, and I have always felt it q great privation
to have no mother. If my mother had lived
never should have got into the Oneida COM
munity, and my life. no doubt, would have
been happier every way. Nearly three years
after left the community was unfortunately
married. At last made up my mind that |
would sever the bonds, and / was divorced in
1874. l am fond of female society, and I
judge the ladies are of me, and 1 should be
delighted to find my mate.'
The second subject on which he desires to
take the public into his confidence refers to
the presidency. "For twenty years." he writes,
81 have had an idea
1 SHOULD BE PRESIDENT.
had the idea when 1 lived in the Oneida
community, and it has never left me. When
l left Boston for New York in June, 1880, re-
member distinctly 1 felt that was on nv
way to the White house. had this feeling
all through the canvass last fall in New York,
although | mentioned it to only two persons
My idea is that / shall be nominated
and elected as Lincoln and Garfield
were-that is, by the act of God. If 1 were
president 1 should seek to give the nation a
first class administration in every respect
want nothing sectional or crooked around
me. My object would be to unity the entire
American people and make them happy, pros
porous and Ged-fearing."