Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-09-03
Singular Condolences.
SOME SrRikiNG Tunes ABour GARFIELD
Tom BY PRIVATE DALzELL.

loLp BY PRIVATE lpALzElL.
| Just one year before he was shot to a day.
| almost to an hour-for the letter was mailed
| at Mentor, Ohio, July ,, 10 A. NJ, President
| Garfield wrote these remarkable words to
me: Il knew YOU would be rejoiced, but TO
me tne.e is something sad about it all, which
| suppose neither you nor any other but my
self can fully understand" j give the fact
rs singular condolences; rather as re-
markable and perhaps unthought-of prophecy
| of the terrible disaster that should overtake
him one year from that hour and day. A
new spaper man, and no dreamer, poet or
spiritualist, | do not pretend to explain it.
but merely gre the fact, and leave others,
according to their temperament and philoso-
ply. to explain it if they can.
While out stumping with President Gar,
| field four years ago, when was candidate
| tor the Legislature, we rode from place to
place over this hilly country In a rough-go-
| ing old-iashioned country hack, and as we
rode along he told me many things, some of
| which will be interesting now.
| do not pretend to remember his words,
| but the facts we're so strongly impressed on
nv memory that there is no danger Of any
error in recollecting and restating them now.
| even after the lapse of four years. AS We
| dritted along the assassination Of Lincoln
came up. and after talking about that for
| little he passed on to say that as for himself,
outside of the army, he did not know that he
had ever been threatened with personal vio-
| lence but twice in his lite. The first time
was during the electoral contest of 1867.
| when he was member of the Electoral
Commission. Some of the young men about
Washington who were ardently attached to
| him constituted themselves, without his
knowledge. into a sort Of body-guard, take
him down to the Capitol every time he went,
and escorted him back home at night at the
| close of the sessions. 1t was rumored that n
conspiracy had been formed to kill Garfield.
land YOU know" said Garfield quietly, 1.-THE
| Democratic House would not have consented
| to fill the vacancy caused by my death, and
| there the whole business would have come to
a standstill. What would then have followed
| no man can tell At first protested against
| being guarded in that way, but when found
there was real danger reluctantly consented
and it was kept up till the close of the
Court was reached"
Another time he said some violence was
threatened, though possibly not as serious rs
that above roughly sketched. II was when
he made his great speech in Faneuil Hall,
Boston, during the greenback and railroad
riot times of 1877, when Ben Butlerism was
rampant in the State. Ben Butler hired 500
roughs to go TO Faneul Hall and disturb the
heard of it. The hall was full His quick
eyes soon took in the situation, and there be-
| fore him he saw here and there knots Of ugly
looking roughs vocfrrating boistrously and
making all sorts of rude noises. 1t looked
anything but inviting. But quietly taking
the stand, and stretching up to his full height
ooh. what a man he was then y he rolled up
his sleeves and looked right in their faces a
moment before he commenced his speech.
He had not spoken dozen words until such
| a racket was raised that his stentorian tones
were drowned out in confusion. He paused
| for moment. when the noise stopped, and
then quietly resuming as if nothing had hap
pened, he began again, only again to be in
| terrupted in the same way.
But nothing could daunt Garfeld-nothing
discompose him. He always controlled his
| temper supremely. and was not to be sur
prised into anything idle or foolish. He made
| no complaints of the interruption, nor did he
allu1e to it other than to say-"BOys, see
here Let us have fair play. II you have
any questions to ask, rise and ask them. /
will stop and hear your questions. Them il
you will be quiet will answer them If I can"
sense of fair play constrained the Williams
to grant his reasonable request, for there is
honor of II sort even among horse-thieves.
| Garfield had keen knowledge Of human ma
ture in the rough. He knew how to take
such fellows, and could adapt himself to
them just as readily as he could have adapted
himself to the lecture-room of Harvard or
the awful dignities of the Senate. A question.
was put and answered ably; another and an
other, until at last the questions were fewer
and more modest, and finally "peace reigned
in Warsaw every lip was silent, and ~ Gar
field expressed it-'I saw I had them
Now, he said, 'boys, | have given you fair
play, haven't I? p A shout and cheer was
their answer, and then he quietly proceeded
to the close without another interruption.