Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-18
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS. ROOM t FOR HOPE. Better Prospects at the
 White House. The Symptoms More Favorable. A Hopeful Feeling Among
 The Visitors. The Assas sin Growing Vicious. A Desperate Attack on His
 Keeper.
THE PRESIDENT.

3 THE PRESIDENT.
 More Hopeful FeeI1ng-The General
 l Symptoms More FavOrab1e-The Doc tors Still Hopeful for the Case-No
 | Nausea VomttIng-Guitsau Makes a
 Desperate Attack his Keeper Story of the Bulletins.
 WASHINGTON, Aug. 17.-Since early this
 morning there has been growing hope at the
 White House, but it will never reach to the
 old confidence until the President is taking
 solid food sufficient to a1lay all fear of
 further trouble from debility. The entire
 interest of the day has centered first in the
 question how soon was nourishment to be
 administered in the natural way and next
 whether it would be retained on the stomach.
 These were questions that were asked on
 every hand. The succeeding bulletins seemed
 convincing as to the condition of the wound,
 hence the greatest anxiety manifested in
 the expected experiment of administering
 nourishment through the mouth. At the
 midday examination it was decided that the
 stomach had had sufficient rest for test ex- l pertinent. Dr. Bliss therefore told the Pres l ident that they were going to try if his stom- l ach would retain nourishment. This was at
 12:40 p. m. A dose was prepared consisting | of cold infusion of beef extract The quan- l tity was two drachms or about one-half a
 tablespoonful. The President took it with | apparent confidence, and it proved not to have
 been misplaced. He fell asleep after this, | taking slight nourishment with no indication
 of nauseau having appeared. Heretofore the vomiting has often appeared after the Presi- dent had been asleep, hence his waking was | an anxious moment. He slept for nearly an hour and awoke with no feeling of nauseau- l After a few minutes more Dr. Bliss told him | they thought they had better give him some 1 more and asked him if he felt like trying 1t. l He sad he did. After he had swallowed | it Dr. Bliss looked at him inquiringly. The President looked up and smiled faint l lY as he said, 'T guess it is all right" So 1t proved. No nausea came and after awhile the President fell asleep again. He slept rather longer than before, and when he awoke he said 'I can taste that" The l fact was that the second nourishment had caused faint sensation of nausea It did not excite retching or vomiting, but was l just enough to warn the physicians not to proceed too fast. This seems like very slow progress, but under the circumstances the physicians gathered great deal of encour- agement from it. It showed that his stom- ach was on the mend, however slightly, but | on the mend. Before the evening examina- | ton another enemata was administered. l These are to be continued until his stomach l can carry enough to meet the demands. NO VOMITING DURING THE DAY. Conflicting rumors in regard to the effect | of the nourishment administered decided the | agent of the National Associated Press to get at the bottom facts. Accordingly at 4:45 he sent message in to Dr. Bliss asking for the
 facts in the case. An answer came in writ
 ing:
 'sThere has not been any vomiting to-day; Further inquiry elicited the above particu-
 lars. These developments becoming known, the feeling of hope grew stronger. It is con- fidently believed by nearly all those who watch the case closely that if the stomach acts it's part the President will recover. Such | good effect had the news that there were less inquiries for bulletins tonight than on any 1
 night since the new complication arose. A fair bulletin was expected, and no murmurs of disappointment were heard when it ap- peared. A lower pulse and an ordinary but l safe temperature and respiration tended to 1 add to the satisfaction. The bulletin was 1 more detailed, and this had quieting effect | No one seems to deny that all the indications 1 still show the case to be @ very grave one. l
 The excessively weak condition of the patient l
 is alone convincing of that. Hope is founded |
 on the improved state of the stomach, and l will increase as that improvement continues. | GU1TEAU ATTACKS JAIL KEEPER.
 This morning at 4:30 o'clock the guard who |
 walks the corridor which passes Guiteau's |
 cell noticed the prisoner standing on the |
 window sill as if examining the bars He |
 was acting in very peculiar and suspicious |
 manner. The guard, J. W. McGill hailed |
 him and asked what he was doing. Not re- |
 ceiving a reply he unlocked the cell door and |
 entered. He noticed knife clinched in the |
 assassin's hand. Drawing his revolver he |
 lad at ea fbot
 knife. The revolver not cooked and l
 was drawn merely to intimidate. When the |
 knife was first demanded the prisoner re- |
 piled: By God, I haven't no knife,'' and |
 upon the reiteration of his command the |
 guard approached nearer and to the right of l
 the prisoner. There was a space of about |
 two feet between them. Guiteau then sprang |
 to his feet and springing forward made a |
 downward sweep with the knife, cutting the |
 outer clothes of his guard. Seeing that his |
 attempt was unsuccessful, he made rapid 1
 retrograde movement and managed to secure |
 the guards arms. Thereupon 8 struggle |
 took place that was fast and furious for five |
 minutes. The rest of the officers, being eu the |
 rounds, were not aware of the struggle that |
 was going on inside. Finally both fell upon |
 the bed, and while struggling the pistol was |
 dropped upon the mattrass As soon as | this was done Guiteau, whose evident inten- | ton to secure the pistol, loosened his |
 grasp and made savage grasp for the wea- | pon, but the guard was too quick for him | and secured it. He cooked it, but before he l
 could use it, Guiteau was upon him. Mir. | McGiI warned him to release him or he | would fire; but Guitsau did not heed him | and made frantic efforts to secure the re- | volver. By an almost superhuman effort | the guard managed to free his right hand | and placed the pistol over his right shoulder | with his finger on the trigger. Guiteau l grasped his arm and disconcert- Ing his aim caused the pistol | to go of towards the ceiling. Thebal passed | between the bars of the cell doors and lodged | in the opposite wall across the corridor. The | report brought the guard MT. Jones, and the | sergeant of the soldiers who are stationed at | the jail to the cell When they came Guiteau | released his hold and dropped on his bed, l crying They are trying to kill me; give mo ny pistol it belongs to me-" He was se- | cured and locked up, and the knife was taken | from the cell which was thoroughly searched l for other weapons The knife which the as- sassin used 1 what is known as the ''cheeser' | at the iail It is 6 shank used in the sole of l shoes, and is very often removed by prison ] CTS, who can sharpen 1t on the standstone l window-Iedget to almost razor-like sharpness
 It is used by them for shaving. and is of the | best of steel. It is about five inches in | length and a quarter of an inch in width. | About three inches of this weapon were | sharpened and the rest was wrapped in pa- per and tied by twine so as to form sub- | stantial handle It is altogether an ugly l weapon in the hands of desperate criminal | who has shown no more regard for life than | dog What his motive was cannot be imag- ined unless it was to revenge himself for tho | command to yield up his knife He is an ex- tremely sensitive man, and probably the I rather harsh command, drop that cheeser,' |
 angered him, for he made no demonstration |
 when his cell was first opened. Another mo- tive has been brought forward is that he did |
 it for revenge, as McGil was engaged in |
 making fun of him about week ago" GU1TEAU ExULTs OVER HIS ATTEMPT.
 The prisoner after the act was exultant, |
 and showed no indications of regret for what |
 he had done. In answer to personal ques-
 tion he said he had received instructions | from God, and was willing to abide by the l
 result. nGeneral Crocker believes the piece of |
 metal with which Guiteau wounded McGin l
 was not sharpened by the prisoner, but was
 found by him in one of the creYices of the |