The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-10-20

detail and to buy revolver and to pre-
pare myself for executing the idea.
This required some two or three weeks,
and / gave my entire time and mind In
preparing myself to execute the con-
ceptiOn 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 go to the Arlington and the
Riggs House daily to read the papers.
WATCHING AN OPPORTUNITY.
"After had made up my mind to re-
move him, the idea when | should re-
move him pressed me, and / was some
what confused on that. knew that 1t
would not do to go to the White House
and attempt it because there were too
many of his employees about, and L
looked around for several days to try
and get good chance at him; and one
Sunday Che Sunday before he went to
Long BrancD went to his church IN
the morning. 1t is small frame build
ing. and stood there at the door a mo-
ment. l was little late; the service
had progressed about one-third. l no
ticed the President sitting near an open
window about three feet from the
ground, and 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 deyOtiOns. | had my
revolver in my possession when l 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 Sunday. During that whole
week read the papers carefully.
thought it all over in detail / thought
just what people would talk. and
thought what tremendous eqcitement
it would create, and L kept thinking
about it all week. l made up my mind
that the next Sunday l would certainly
shoot him if he was in church and got
a good chance at him. Thursday of the
same week / noticed i'll the paper that
he was going to Long Branch, and on
the following Saturday he did go to the
Branch for Mrs. Garfields health. |
went to the depot all prepared to
remove him. had the re-
volver with me. l had all my, papers
nicely prepared. l spoke to man
about carriage to take me, as told
him, over near the Congressional Gem
etery. He said he would take me over
for So, and seemed to be a very clever
fellow and glad to get the job. L got to
the depot about nine o'clock and waited
there until the Presidents White House
carriage drove up. About twenty-five
minutes after nine the President and
his carriage and servants and friends
came up. He got out of his carriage.
| stood in the ladies' room, about the
middle of the room, watching him.
Mrs. Garfield got out and they walked
A.. Il. = 10, nd ha
ence of Mrs. Garfield deferred me from
firing on him. L was all ready; my
mind was all made up; / had all my
papers with me; had all the arrange
mentS made to shoot him and to jump
into a carriage and drive over TO the
Jail. Mrs. Garfield looked so thin and
she clung so tenderly to the Presidents
arm that did not have the heart to fire
on him. He passed right through the
ladies' reception room, through the main
entrance, and took the cars. i waited
few moments. l went outside the depot
and walked up town toward the Hlggs
HOnse and Arlington and the paak. L
think that went to the park and sat
there an hour or two thinking about it,
and | went to my lunch as usual, and
after my lunch went to the library of
the Treasury Department and read the
papers as usual, and l think stayed
there until three O'Clock on Saturday,
and then went out. l do not remem-
Der where | went particularly; think
/ went to the Riggs. the Arlington or
the park. That was after L lett the
library. HuH. N r'
81 AN ASSASSIN IN AMBUSH.
81 noticed in the papers," Guiteau con-
tinues, ''that he would be back the first
of the week. watched the papers very
carefully to see when he would return,
but he did not come back that week, but
he did come back on the following Mon
day. The following Monday was a
terribly hot, sultry day. remember
suffered greatly from the heat, but not
withstanding that, l prepared myself
again and l went to the depot again on
Monday with my revolver and my papers,
but did not feel like firing on him. l
simply went to the depot. | sat in the
ladies' waiting room. got there ten or
fifteen minutes before the train time,
and waited and thought it all over and
made up my mind that would not fire
on him that day. did not feel like it.
The train came and he came. and Mr..
James, the Postmaster General, was there
and Mr.. Hunt, the Secretary of the Navy,
and their lady friends. They all came
the ladies' room together, and
the Presidents son and thickset gentle
man that came from the White House to
meet the President were there. They
went right to the gate and got the Presi-
dent, and they all walked together to the
Presidents carriage and they all got in
and drove off. 1 stood on the entrance
of the ladies' waiting room door, and
noticed James and Hunt there with their
families, and the President and his
friends drove up in his White House
carriage and then James and Hunt went,
and then went got into car and
went up toward the Riggs House.
'' VIGIL OF A MURDERER.
"Well, was watching for the Presi-
dent all that week. 1 got up one morn
ing at half-past five, thinking that
might get the President when he was
out horseback riding, but he did not go
out that morning. l sat there in the
park for two hours, watching for him
with my papers and revolver, thinking
that might get chance at him, but
he did not go out that morning, so
went back to my room, took breakfast,
put up my papers and my revolver and
let the matter drop until night. In the
evening, after my dinner at five o'clock,
Invent up to my room and got my revolt
yer out and carried it in my pocket.
This was either Wednesday or Thursday
night. He went out riding that night