Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1881-11-24
A BAD SHOT.
A Third Unsuccessful Attempt Upon
tae Life of the Assassin of Prcsi-
dent Garfield.

the Life of the Assassin of Presi-
dent Garfield.
Another attempt upon the life of the assas-
sin Guiteau was made shortly after the ad-
jeurnment of court on the sixth day of the
trial
The prisoner was being conveyed back to jail
in the prison van. Perry II. Carson, guards
man, stood upon the rear steps of the van.
The driver, James Leonard, was accompanied
By officer Edelin,, of the mounted police force
but upon this occasion Edelin, was not mount
cd, and sat upon the box by the side of the
driver.
As the van turned into East Capitol street.
heading for the jail man mounted upon
wiry sorrel gelding dashed up to the side of
the vehicle. The rider deliberately looked in
through the narrow barrel yentiator upon
the side of the wagon until he saw Guitpau
crouching down upon the right hand Of the van,
"Oh, there you are, YOU son of -" shouted
the rider, as he wheeled of and disch arged one
shot from revolver through the side of the
van at Guiteau. shrek of abject terror was
heard inside, Guiteau yelling ''Oh, NV God
my God / am shot Help Murder ~ Then
he fell III tit of fright upon the floor of
the wagon. The would-be assassin of the
occasion dashed away without risklDg
second shot. As he put spurs to his horse
lie held his revolver upon the officers
his horses neck and spurred with fiery energy
toward the north. The officers were so over
whelmed with surprise at the suddennesg and
unexpectedness Of the attack that they hardly
realized what was dens until the bold rider was
off and away Officer Edelin, fred one shot
after him, but it did not delay him at all.
as it went very wide of its mark.
The officers at first paid no attention
10 Guiteau, who kept shrieking with terror.
saying that he was killed, and constantly calling
for help. The officers stupidity imagined that
they could pursue the fleet rider with theii
heavy van. Ii was wheeled about and the
horses attached 10 il were dashed TO gallon.
while Edelin sat with a cooked revolver in his
hand looking for shot at the flying man The
van reached the high incline overlooking the
railroad tracks only in time to see
the sorrel gelding bolt straight across
the tracks toward the open country.
Some hours of afterward drunken. half-w IL
ted fellow named Bill Jones was arrested in the
vicinity of the Soldiers Home, but he proved
to he the wrong man, after lying in Jail twenty,
four hours The real shooter escaped. The
easy manner In which he succeeded in making
himself scarce, and the general conduct OF The
police officers, leads TO the belief that there Is
a conspiracy in Washington to make way with
the assassin, and that the men who have beer
detailed to guard the wretch are at least dis
posed to wink at, if not aid, the conspirators in
their plans. When the officers saw that further
pursuit was impossible, they opened the
van and looked for Guiteau. He was
in pitiable plight Already he had
suffered hundred deaths from abiect terror
His face was liyid and bathed in cold sweat.
His teeth were chattering as if in some deadly
chill. His wound was bleeding quite freely.
staining his murderous right hand bright red
His terror had also produced spontaneous
movement Of the bowels, so that, ali combined
he presented disgusting appearance.
On examination it was found that the ball
had just grazed Guiteau's left wrist, infctng
n mere scratch. The ball struck the opposite
side of the van and fell upon the floor, where
it was found on reaching the Jail.
II was not until Guiteau was inside of
the jail that the assassin recovered his
composure in a measure. He was taken
TO his cell, where the slight wound
was dressed, and a change of clothing provided
for him. After all was done Guteau said Z"
want after this to have a strong body guard /
desire to prevent "a recurrence of this attack
Then he subsidized into a gloomy it, as if the
fact was beginning to pierce the dense shell of
his vanity thst he did not have a friend upon
the earth, and that death was reaching ont its
hand for him from every quarter.