The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-07-14

ATTEMPT TO ASSASSINATE THE PRESIDENT. "
The Washington correspondent Of the Phil
adelphia Press furnishes the following under
late of the 9th 9 ,ts
y. ARTHUR's GRIEF. al.
Alter Vice President Arthur left the White
House Yesterday he returned to the residence
Of Senator Jones on Capitol Hill and subse
1uently took drive OF ten miles in the SUI
Durbs. Senator Jones was at home to a caller
who had come to his house TO-. see the Vice
Psesident. He was asked this question; "How
loes tile Vice President comport himselfin this
crisis ?" Like the thorough gentleman he
s.n was the answer 'He,is man scrupu-
ously observant of the niceties and punctilios
Of life, and, of course, it must grieve him be-
yond endurance to have an assassin shoot
,he President and then exclaim: 4 anna stall
yart and Arthur is President He feels SEN
,itive over it, as any high-minded man would,
out what can he do about 1t? Gulteau who
was such an egotist that he thought his service
entitled him to the Austrian Mission, and who
was passed from head of department to head
If department as a sort of butt, and who felt,
when he said he would take the Consul Gener
llship at Paris, that the Administration could
not refuse it to him-this fellow, who was q
mere mendicant for office and who wrote Gar
field that he was in perfect sympathy with
aim, finally got it into his head that he had
been wronged in not being appointedto office
md picked ON the President as the chief of
ender in the matter Then thinking it would
De of advantage to him to connect himself with
,ne of the factions of the party, he ayers him
self a stalwart after shooting the President,
md impudcntly, incidentally, couples Gen. Ar
,hul's name with the deed in manner that
out him in very undesirable light indeed
But, as said before, what can he do about it
[ was in New York attending to some of my
private business when the news ofthe shooting
arrived When the Cabinet summoned Gen.
Arthur here he sent for me and told me he
would like to have me come with him for com
)any sake He told me that as soon as he
heard of the shooting he felt that 1T was his
luty to come here, but he was deferred by his
dislike of doing anything that would make the
public think he was in haste and DESTROYS of
the robes of Office that seemed toibe
out within his reach in such an unlookedtQr
manner The request of the Cabinet for his
presence solved that dilemma and let him out
,....l..tf
NONsENSICAL REPORTS.
"Since he has been here lsis- conduct has
)een such as to win the plaudits of all fair
minded people From what | know of Gener-
i Arthur am satisfied il he could have fore
zen the events to-day when he was nominated
le would not have accepted the Vice-Presi-
lency under any solicitations, but he has been
elected to his place and he cannot shrink from
is requirements. Do any of the people who
ak about General Arthur stop to consider if
he President had been previously hurt in q
ailway or other accident it would have been
he duty of the Vice President to repair here,
N az tn no raa6v for ouV pn AhOut
he reports published in some of the New
ork papers relative to General Arthurs fears
If assassination and the employment of detec-
ives to protect him, the Senator said lit is
III nonsense. General Arthur has told me
hat life is not worth living if one has to be in
constant dread of losing it. All the detectives
Il the world cannot protect a man against as
assins. Alexander of Russia surrounded him
elf with armed Cossacnns, and yet glass bomb
nded his existence. fla man is to die by the
land of an assassin no detective can ward of
he blow. The story about the detectives
Watching over Arthur has just this grain of
ruth When he left New York, unknown to
Is some over-zealous friends employed a po-
iceman to accompany us on the train. We
new nothing Of the matter until the cars
tarted and had no need or desire for the mans
ervices. After we got here we told him so,
nd he returned to New York; 7it DqaI otis
coNKLlNG AND THE CABINET. "a inf
Speaking of different reports afioat Senator
Zones said members of the Cabinet visited
General Arthur at his house every day and
heir intercourse with him was Of the most
ordial character" He does not believe that
ven if President Garfield dies that sConkling
would accept the premiership under his sue
essor. He says: His forum is the Senate
nd he has progressed greatly asa Senator in
he past few years, especially in regard to
linking and speaking on hislegs. Ifhe does
eturn to the Senate he will not, in my opin
on, accept office at all besides, life is too short
or revenges. especiallypoltical" vi 10
GUITEAU AND HIS HERES. bUa i1aii
Since the attempted ASSASSINATION of the
President Mr.. Judd, one Of the latters secreta-
les. has recalled to mind the fact that last
all, soon after the October election, while the
was at Mentor, Ohio, he received
rom the then unknown Charles Guiteau the
blowing letter, dated New York; City and
lue Hotel
Dear General:
/, Charles Guiteau, hereby make application
or the Austrian Mission. Being about to
marry wealthy and accomplished heiress of
his city we think that together we might
.epresent this nation with dignity and grace.
IN the principle of first comes first served |
AVE faith that you will give this application
favorable consideration. SO "a l-444 e. "a
e.-@e rsf,8 CHARLES GUITEAU.
This letter was shown to General Garfield
ather as a curiosity than as q communicate
o be answered and lie several times after
ward referred to it half humorously as an
Illustration of unparalleled audacity and i'm
)udence. .Dt4 .,s ,.. \
HUNTS OPINION OF HIM. s..--,
Guiteau has been allowed to read some of
he published accounts of his crime and the
prisoner betrays great interest in all that the
say about him. He has even ask
I'd why the letters and papers, OF personal
nature that were found in his pockets after
lis arrest were not given to the press, not as
bearing on the case at all but because they
would interest the public as coming from him \
Juiteaus egOtism is natural and unassumed
1t was though that these papers were retained
BY District Attorney Corkhill on aecount OF
,ome information contained inlthem. Such as
not the case, however, and the idea OF making
1uiteau the tool of "a conspiracy is no longer
entertained. In speaking OF the case to-day
Secretary Hunt, who was then paying one 'pf !
his periodical visits to the White House, lsaiS 4
to your correspondent: 'fThis idea OF masking
Guiteau appear as one of a group OF consplra-
tors is only second in wickedness to the act
Of assassination itself Guiteau is more than
l lunatic. He is monster as well, for he was
BORN without'that instinct OF right and wrong
which is common to the best and worst OF
men. He is not depraved, he is abnormally
BAD, because he does not even know that ne is
BAD When he shot at tile President he had
not lost his respect for human life, because
ne never had any respect for il: he crayed
and | believe that if Wilkes Booth
lad not shot President Lincoln Guiteau
would never have fired on president GARFIELD,
widely different as the circumstances OF the
.wo crimes were. a a E,l5 r,s
A MISS NANCY AT SCHOOL. 49, ,3l
More was learned of Guiteaus early life from
Smith D. Atkins, who arrived at Washington
his morning from Frecport., Ill, where ne
was a school-fellow Of the prisoner tor many
years before the war, and was an intimate
friend of the family until a year ago, AT
school," said Mr.. Atkins, "Guiteau was an in