River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-11-24
Gniteau's Trial.
WASHINGTON, Nov. II


the prisoner at the barr Have You
ever seen him before?
Answer saw him occasionally dur
Ing the months of March, April and
May, not so frequently in May.
Q-Were you in company with the
president at the time of the shooting?
Al was by his side.
Q.-Will you relate to the jury an
account ofthe proceedings in your own
manner, so that they will obtain full
narrative of the circumstances as they
ase familiar to you?
Witness-I wish TO take directions
as to what point to begin the narrative.
Question-You met the president by
appointment on the morning of the
assassination?
Ars.-Yes, sir. On the night of July
1st, / WIS engaged with the president
until near midnight, on public..business;
on parting he suggested | had better
call and see him in the morning before
be let, because there might be some
matters to which he desired to call my
attention. / went to tie white house
in the morning, reaching there at 8
O'Clock; nor later than three minutes
past. / was detained some little time
in conference with the president IN the
cabinet room and library, a very few
minutes; | then started with him for
the depot, he riding in the car
Stage in which | wsnt to the white
house. The state department carriage,
in daily use by myself, following out of
the white house grounds his own car
riage, in which his children were car
ried, under the conduct of Col. Rock
well. We drove down the avenue with
out any notable incident, and at mod
crate speed. On reaching the depot on
the ''B'' street side of the ladies en-
trance, commonly called, we sat few
moments finishing a subject on which
we were then conversing, and the pres
ident turned round to say good by"
NO" said /, 81 will escort YOU" |
a very large crowd surrounded him,
and mattresses were brought, think,
from the sleeping car, and he was re-
moved to an upper room In the depot.
Medical aid was at hand as soon as pos
ible and an examination made. He was
{ eturned to the white house, reaching
there | should say, in about 80 minutes
or possibly an hour. now returned
to my own room, and wrote a dispatch
to the public, especially to the Euro
pean public, directed to Minister Low
ell, at London. In that dispatch | said +:
"At this hour, 1920 A. NJ" The presi-
dent being shot at 900 A. NJ That
enabled me to identify the time at
which the president got to the white
house. He got to the white house
about the time got to my house, pos
sibly little before. These are in brief
the circumstances connected with my
obs rvations. When in the up per
room of the depot there was gather
ing of the cabinet minister's, who I'M
mediately resoaired there from the
cars, there had yet been no report
made of whom it was, be- | gave the
information. / saw him run and when
| went after him, and saw him fall in
to the hands of the police, | recognized
the man as Guiteau. | made that
statement to the attending surgeons
and Gen. Sherman before the police
had discovered Ehis name. OF course
the shot being behind my back, |
didn't see him with the pistol in his
hand. He did not, in running, nave
the pistol exposed.
thought it not proper that the
president should 90 entirely unat
tended. 81 will escort you,"
said, "and besides | wish to see the
members of the cabinet who are going
to leave with YOU" With that he
alightad. He had got in, of course
first al the white house, and that
brought him on the side next to the
pavement at the depot, and as the car
riage was small coupe he got out first
as a matter of convenience. He took
my arm as we assembled the steps and
turned to the left-he was on my left
to speak to some one, think police
officer, some officer who had told us
we had ten or twelve minutes time re-
naming. When he turned to speak to
him our arms became disengaged, ac-
cording to my impression, and as we
walkednhrough the ladies waiting room
we were not arm in arm but side by side.
He had got two thirds across the room,
when suddenly, without any Fremont
ton whatever, there was a very loud
report of a p stol discharge, followed
in very brief interval by a second
shot. At the instant first heard the
report, it occurred to me it was some
trouble between persons to whom we
were in no way concerned-some such
deed of violence, and | touched the
president as to hurry him on, as |
thought there might be some danger to
his person or my own. Just as | did
that the president kind of threw his
hands up, and said: my God, what is
this ?" 1t was almost between the shots
that he said this. OF course IN SO an
exciting and horrible scene | can only
give the impression, not the abso-
lutte statement. Then there rushed
past me man. According to my rec
objection, he passed on my right, though
/ am aware this statement must be
taken merely as my impression. / i'm
mediately followed after the man, in
stinctively, and went, suppose, a dis
lance of eight feet. | remember |
stopped just outside the door which led
from the ladies' waiting room to the
main room. Then shout weat up,
''we have got him" | found the presi-
dent had sunk rapidly; he was sinking
as | left. / was the first or second per-
son who got back to him. He was vom-
iting, and / think at that moment was
unconscious. OF course, Immediately,
The district attorney then produced
a diagram of the depot, in which the
tragedy occurred, and at his request,
the witness indicated the positions oc-
cupied by the president and
himself at the time the fatal
shot was fired. He also stated that
though the second shot was fired i'm
mediately after the first, it did not fol-
low it as rapidly as shots should be
fired from self-cocking revolver.
Ques.-How often have you seen
the prisoner, to the best of your recol-
lection?
Ans.-Very often. Numerical state
ments are apt to be exaggerated when
we are recalling statement OF this
kind. According to my recollection he
visited the state departm ent twenty or
twenty-five times. 1t might possibly
be not over ten, but eight or ten visits
of that kind are apt to make an inn
preston of twenty or twenty-five.
(Laughter.)
Ques.-Was he an applicant for
office?
Ans.-He was very persistent ap
plicant for the consul-generalship at
Paris. | never gave him the slightest
encouragement that he would receive