Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-23
THE EVENING STAR.
rRIpsY..............sH SEPTEMBER ss. 1881.
The Assassin.

ne A>1fSSln.
GUTTEAu WANTS HIS GUARDS DOUBLED
On Gen. Croker making the usual inquiries
OF the prisoner yesterday afternoon he answered
that he had slept We'll and continuing said: Il
demand and expect ample protection 10y the au-
thOritieS. want the guards doubled and th,
strctest Vigilance kept This want till the
is President Garfeid's body now" and
General Croker answered that 1t was
IN the city. He then wished 10 know
| if there was any crowds of people i'm the city,
and was told that there were vast numbers of
people here and more coming. Guiteau hung
| down his head for a moment and remarked.
We'll. it couldn't be expected otherwise" After
| another pause he said. 1.-The greatest cause for
| alarm is from the strangers" and he again
asked General c. to use the greatest precau-
| lions for his protection. When asked if he had
selected lawyer yet. he replied that he had not.
but he would want some one to assist him i'm the
management of his case and though he was a
| lawyer himself. he would. when the time came,
select first-class man.
HIS LIFE PRIOR TO THE COMMISSION OF HIS
GREAT CRTME-THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF
THE CRIME.
Charles j. Guiteau was born i'm Freeport Ill.,
| IN lS4l, the son of respectable family there
MS father having been up to the time of his
death, a few years ago. cashier of the national
bank at that place, and one ofhis brothers is now
occupying that position. In early life his father
having joined the Shakers. he was taken TO the
Oneida Community. and spent several years
there. returning about the close of the war
| subsequently lie studied law. and practiced some
| In Chicago and at other places. He. however
was more inclined to the lecture field
His hobby was the Second Advent, and
Perfect Love. on which he lectured
in several cities. but with i'll success and it NAV
be said that his most successful role was that of
boarding house beat. 1t appears that he was
married prior TO 1874 to lady i'm New York, but
lived with her but a short time and was divorced
IN that year. He is rather repulsive looking
| man, about five feet five inches in height, with
dark brown hair. thin. sandy beard. light gray
| ish eyes and is what may be termed we'll built
small man. Since his incarceration i'm Jail he has
shown in exercising that he is active and Mr. Nc
Gil, the guard found. in his encounter with him.
that his activity made for any lack of strength
An official statement giving an account of
Guiteaus movements in this city made by
District Attorney Corkhill few weeks after the
assassination. This was as follows: The assas-
sin. Charles Guiteau, came to Washington city
on Sunday evening, March 9th, 1881. and stopped
| at the Ebbitt House. remaining only one day.
He then secured a room i'm another part of the
| city, and has boarded and rOomed at various
| places, the full details of which | have. On
Wednesday, MAY 18TH 1891 the assassin deter
mined to murder the President He had neither
money nor pistol at the time. About the last of
May he went into O'Meara's store, corner of 18th
and streets, i'm this city. and examined some
pistols, asking for the largest calibre. He was
| in the price On "Wednesday June Sth, he pur-
chased the pistol which he used for which he
paid $40 he having i'm the meantime borrowed
Sl5 OF gentleman in this city. on the plea that
| he wanted to pay his board bill. On the same
evening about o'clock he took the pistol and
went to the foot of 18th street and practiced
firing at board. firing ten shots He then re-
turned to his boarding place and wiped the PTS
toll dry and wrapped it in his coat. and waited
his opportunity. On Sunday morning, June
b1lrx cgtfti I
| the President leave for the Christian church.
on Vermont avenue. and he at once returned
to his ROOM obtained his pistol. put it i'm his hip
pocket and followed the President to church; he
entered the church. but found he could not kill
MN there without danger of killing some one
e Use. He noticed that the President
sat near window: after church he made an ex-
animation OF the window and found he could
reach 1t without any trouble. and that from this
point he could shoot the President through the
mead without killing any one else. The follow
ing Wednesday he went to the church. examined
| the location and the window and became salts
fed he could accomplish his purpose and he
determined. therefore to make the attempt at
the church the following Sunday. He learned
from the papers that the President would leave
the city ON Saturday, the 18th of June with
Mrs Garfield for Long Branch: he therefore
determined to meet him at the depot. He left
his boarding place about o'clock Saturday
morning, June Is, and went down to the
shots to practice his aim and be certain his pistol
was in good order. He then went to the depot,
and was in the ladies' waiting-room of the de-
pot, with his pistol ready, when the presidential
party entered. He says Mrs Garfield looked so
weak and frail that he had not the heart to shoot
the President in her presence. and as he knew he
would have another opportunity he left the de-
pot. He had previously engaged carriage to
take him to the jail On Wednesday evening
the President and his son. and think L. s.
Marshal Henry. went out for ride. The as
sasSn took his pistol and followed them,
and watched them for some time i'm hopes
the carriage would stop. but no Opportu-
nifty was given. On Friday evening July LIST,
he was sitting on the seat in the park opposite
the White House. when he saw the President
come out alone. he followed him down the ave-
nue. to 18th street. and then kept on the oppn-
site side OF tile street up 18th. until the prcs-
dent entered the residence of Secretary Blaine
lie waited at the corner of Mr.. Nurton'S late
residence. corner 18th and III. for some time
and then. rs lie was afraid he would attract al
tentlGn. he went into the alley in the rear of Mr..
Motions residence. examined his pistol and
waited. The President and Secretary Blaine
came out together and he followed them over to
the gate of the White blouse. but could get no
opportunity to Use hs weapon. ON the morn
Ing OF saturday. July ,, he breakfaStei at the
Riggs House abe ut : clock. He then walked
UP into the park and sat there for an hour. He
then took a onc-hOrsc aycuu. car am! rode to 9Th
street, yet out and went into the depot and lott
cred around there. had his shoes BACKED. en-
gagged a hackman Tor - 10 take him to the iail
went into the water-cIoSet and took his pistol
out of his hip pocket and unwrapped the paper
from around it, which he mad rUt there for the
purpose OF preventing the perspiraton from the
body dalnIrninT the powder examined his pis-
tol carefully tried the trigger and then returned
and took Il seat in the ladies' waiting room ana
as soon "a the President entered advanced be-
hind him and fired two shots. These facts |
ttElk. can be relied uDOn Il accurate and 1 rNa
them TO the public to contradict certain false
rumors in connection with this most atrocous ot
atrociouS crimes.
Funeral Preparations at Cleveland.
Wednesday night men began work ON the c,+a
iallII.. which tho l,,..i- :