The Evening critic., 1881-09-20
OUR DEAD PRESIDENT.

as 1875. This was Edward Garfield, ma
tive of Tuddington, Essex COunty-nOt of
Wales as has been generally reportcd-but|
of England. He died in 1872. His grand
son, Capt Benjamin Garfield, was quitel
celebrated locally MS Justice Of the peace,|
|and the most popular man in his section of
the commonwealth. His grandson was the|
grandfather of the Prcsident-Mr. Solomon
Garfield. He married Miss Sarah stimson|
and removed to Otscgu, n. Y. His som
Abmm Was the father of President James
Ia. Garfield
Abram Garfield was laboring man, of
enormous physical strength, and though
(auict and peaceful was always physically
las well as morally the leader of his asso-
Iciates in labor. lie married Miss Eliza Bal
lou, of Mount MOnadnOck, n. H., and Prcsi-
dent Garfield was their fourth son, q de-
Lscendant through the ninth generation of
the original settler of the family In America.
He was born In Orange, Cnynh0ga County,
Estate Of Ohio, on the 10Th of Novcm-
|bcr, 1881.
A peculiar coincidence in this respect is
THAT " Ruthiel,' the celebrated Baltimore rs.
|trclcgist, and correspondent of TIE CkiTtc
land Capital, of this city, in making up the
horoscope of Garfield on that very day last
[year, prophesicd the assassination, and at the
Same time predicted the bomb-bursting of
Lthe Car of Russia in the March following.
The father OF President Garfield died
suddenly from Il severe cold. she over
worked himself, contracted sore throat,
(which proved fatal. The last act Of his
Ilife--we quote from Mr.. A. G. Riddles
life of Garfield-was to say to his wife,
/" Eliza, have planted four suplings (rc.
Herring to his childrcn) In these woods,
leave them in your care" He walked to the
window, called his oxen by NAME and died
The blood and social Relationship existent
between DIR, Boynton and the Garfelds
arose from the fact Amos BOynton was
the half-brother Of Abram Garfield; his
father having married n widow lady, and
the Garfield and BoyntOn families grew up
together, isolated from others. BY neigh
borhood, education and habits of life they
were entirely dependent on each other fol
society. and grew up almost as enc family
Mrs, Garfield, tho muthtr of the Presi
dent, WIS the first tutor that he had, and
being u lady of great natural ability and
very fairly educated she was exceedingly
able and successful. Garfield was mo-
unlike the boys Of the present generation
BY some accident he got possession OF
novel called "The Pirates Own Book
when quite a lad, and after reading it unit
liiti ~ Wy nCNIu ucciucu tlltt tht Dto
course for him to pursue in life was tina
of u seafaring man. His mother, however
discovered his purpose and prevented it.
Broken up in his first aspirations Mr.
Garfield turned his attention to other pur
suits, and of an agricultural order, until HI
Twas 16 years of hgc. He was very preto
cious, physically as we'll ds mentally, ant
when scarcely Is years of aye was as larg,
land powerful rs on the day that the bcastl,
eur Guiteau fired upon him from behind.
He always had laundering for marin,
life, and went to Cleveland to obtain EN-
ployment as hand on a schooner. TIL,
captain of the boat-drunk and profane-
soon ran the boy off the schooner amt
oaths and insults. Finding that HI
could not make success as
sailor, Garfield turned his attention
to canal-boating, and started in lif
las driver, On his frs
"Trip he fell overheard fourteen times, and
8being utterly unable to swim, his escape
were miraculous. Fever and aguc set
and he gave up the scheme, and witt
what little money he had saved and con
tributions from friends, entered the Geaug
Seminary, at Chester, Ohio. He wa
IN splendid Latin and Greek scholar
mastering the languages almost with
1out an effort, and strangely enough
for it is rare that a classical scholar is APP
MT figures, was an excellent mathematician
He went from Chester to Williams College
where he outstripped all competitors, an,
was as popular as comradc among the stu
kdents as he was eminent as an intellectual
#giant among the professors,
Returning to Ohio he was appointed to
Xprofessorship at the Hiram Institute
About this time he began preaching
&Politics followed, and in 1853 he wa
elected to the Ohio Senate. He wa
then but twenty-eight years of ag,
He entered when the leaders of SLAYER
had so far changed the forms of resist
lance to the exercise of their constitutions
Hrights by the Northern people, that the con
test would inevitably escape from the form
Hof political action and assume those of wai
1t cannot be said that the North were no
amply warned in time, But hardly u ma
of that region, year later believed tn
*South meant an actual collision of arms /