Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1881-11-24

| the prisoner, to the best OF your recOt
elction?
Ans.-Very often. Numerical state
ments are apt to be exaggerated wher
we are recalling a statement of this
kind. According to my recollection he
visited the state departm ent twenty OF
twenty-five times. 1t might possibly
be not over ten, but eight or ten visits
of that kind are apt to make an i'm,
preston of twenty or twenty-five
! Laughter.
Ques.-Was he an applicant fol
office?
Ans.-He was a very persistent ar
plicant for the consul-generalship al
Paris. never gave him the slightest
encouragement that he would receive
the appointment. l remember, after
persistent and repeated visits, l told
him there was in my judgment no
prospect whatever of his receiving the
appointment and did not want him to
continue his visits. I wanted to bring
them to an end, and told him there was
no prospect of his receiving it. Wit
ness here identified number of letters
from Guiteau and taken from the
files of the state department, and
said: | observe these letters con-
tain the signatures / made on
them for identification and this
| (inicating papers) is the speech in
closed in Que of the letters. which he
alleged to have made during the politi-
cal campaign, on which ne based his
claim for office. Here (indicating) is
the letter that came from the white
house, with the ordinary executive
mansion blank; 1t is a mere endorse
ment: Guiteau, Chas., applicant for
a foreign mission;" that letter come
from the white house in this envelope.
By Mr.. Porter:
Ques.-Did you see the body of Pres
ident Garfield when it was brought to
the district after he was dead
Ans.-I came with the funeral train,
and did not see the body of the presl-
dent after its return here, it was not a
pleasant sight, and did not 60 to the
rotunda of the capitol to see it. Saw
the body after death, at EIberon, at
Franklin cottage, belonging to G. G.
Franklin, we'll known citizen of New
York, who had very kindly rendered
the use Of the cottage for the president.
This ended the direct examination
CrCss-examed by Mr.. Scoville:
Blaine AS to the indentical day l
first saw Guiteau) I can't say; it was
early in March.
Ques.-Did you meet him during
the campaign last year?
Ans.-It is possible did. He CORE
sponded with the main committee, at
tempting to get into the campaign as
speaker. [ know there were several
persistent letters from Charles Guiteau,
of whom | then heard for the first time
as desiring of speaking to me.
Ques.-Can they not be produced?
Ans.-I don't think they can. The
debris of the campaign is generally
swept away into the waste paper basket
and into the fire. It is wholly unim-
p rtant. Very often persons try to get
into the campaign as speakers. This
is not an exceptional case. It is the
transaction of every committee in the
country that is familiar with the gen
eral rule, it being never to take a
speaker who applies himself to speak.
| (Laughter.)
Ques.-What is the reason that that
is the rule?
Ans.-Because men of enough repu-
tatiOn and influence are only sought
for.
Ques.-Had your attention been di-
rected to this man or to his name suf-
fciently that the name should be IA
millar to you when you came into the
state department.
Ans.-No, sir. 1t made no impress
sion on me at all. The thing had pass
ed out of my mind, until the private
secretary said that this man had per-
sistently applied to speak in the cam
paign. [ should never have recalled it
in the world. He introduced himself
to me in the state department.
Odd he come at any time with
any backing for the office, either writ
ten or personal?
Al do not recollect that he did.
He continually referred to the fact OF
General Logan being his friend; I am
not sure he did not have some letters.
That is fact could not now state.
Q.-Has it been a usual thing in ap-
plication for office, that applicants
come without any backing?
Avery common. He would often
be one of forty, in single morning, ali
alike, in desiring, and partly nearly all
alike in disappointment. Laughter.
The case was not a peculiar one.
Q.-How did you treat him?
A.-Possibly if [ had never seen but
one Office seeker, might have thought
he was persistent; having seen so many
of the same kind, did not notice him.
(Laughter.)
Q-When did you finally reject his
application?
Ale had come there repeatedly
without encouragement and the office
was more or less filed every morning
with gentlemen who were applying for
more places than the administra-
ton had discretion to bestow.
He was like others, persistant in his
application, coming and coming again.
l finally said he need not have the
faintest expectation of procuring the
consulship, and | did not desire him to
speak to me about it. / did not do il
with any harshness.
| Ques.-Did you say substantially
that if the president chose to appoint
him you had no objection? Was not
the interview concluded with some
such remark T.?
Ans.-I should say not. I should
have decided objections.
Ques.-On what grounds?
Ans.-The Paris consulate is a very
important Office, an Office of great con,
i sequence, and I did not think Guiteau
belonged to the rank and class of meu
that would be naturally assigned to it.