Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-14
Guiteau's Confession.
HIS STORY OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD 8 AS
AssINATIoN- THE MOTIVE PURELY
POLITICAL AND PATRIOTIC''-NO CON-


FEDERATEs, &C.
The New York "Herald" of Friday.
contained seven closely-printed columns OF
what purports to be an autobiography OF
Guiteau. the assassin of President Garfield
as dictated by him to stenQgrapher, the
narrative being condensed, it is alleged. TO
one third of the actual amount OF matter
as taken down in a series of interviews
from Guiteau's own lips. His story OF the
assassination or, as he prefers to style II,
1.-The removal of the PRESIDENT" is one of
the most cold -blooded accounts OF dread
I'll crime that has ever been put en- paper.
my idea, simply stated he remarks.
twas to remove as easily as possible Nh.
James A. Garfield, a quiet and good-ui-
tured citizen of Ohio, who Temperate
occupied the position of President OF tn
United States, and substitute in his plac
Mr.. Chester A. Arthur, OF Ne" York, =
DISTINGUISHED and ghly estimable gentle
man. MI. Garfield l intended to quietly
remove to Paradise. (Which is great lm-
proyement on this world,) while Mr.. Ar
thur saved the republic And he adds:
Not a soul in the universe knew OF my
purpose to remove the President. Ii 1t
has failed l shall never attempt it again.
NY motive was purely political and patri-
otto, and 1 acted under Divine pressure.
1t was the same kind of pressure that led
Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac"
4bot RI 81 Two olofinn tn
his genealOgy, his sojourn with the Oneida
Community, his shiftless life in Chicago
and New York, his law studies and subse-
quent practice, his joining several church
es in succession. his career as d religious
lecturer, and finally as politician, we
pass over as being already generally known
to the public. The profound interest of
his confession centres about his motives
for assassinating the President, and the
series of attempts he made to accomplish
his purpose prior to firing the fatal shot.
After giving an account OF his application
for either the Austrian mission or the Par
is consulship, and the little satisfaction
he obtained either from President Garfield
or Secretary Blaine in respect to these ap-
pOintments. he asserts that the rebuffs he
met with 'shad not the slightest influence
on him either one way or another IN re-
ference to his removing the President. y
He came, he said, to the bloody determi-
nation pending the answer to his request
for the Paris consulShip, and for several
weeks after being denied an interview
with the President he did not press his ap-
plication either to him or to Mr.. Blaine. -
In the meantime according to his story
he was brooding over the quarrel that had
broken out between the stalwartS and the
half-breeds in consequence of the reSigna-
ton by Mr.. Conkling Of his seat in the
Senate. At this point We follow closely
the narrative.
THE CONCEPTION OF THE CRIME.
my conception of the idea of removing
the President was this: MIR. COnkling re.
signed Or Monday, May Is, 1881. On the
following Wednesday I was in bed.
think | retired about s O'Clock. felt de-
pressed and PEI picked on account of the
political situation, and 1 retired much ear.
lier than usual. [ felt wearled in mind
and body, and was in my bed about 6
O'Clock, and was thinking over the politi
cal situation, whom the idea flashed
through my brain that if the President
was out of re way everything would &c
better. At first this was mere impress
sion. It startled me. but the next morn.
ing it came to me with renewed force and
[ began to read the papers with my eye on
the possibility that the President would
have to go, and the more l read the more
| saw the complication of public affairs
the more ] was impressed with the neceS.
sity of removing him. This thing contln.
ued for about two weeks, kept reading
the papers and kept being Impressed, and
the idea kept bearing and bearing and
bearing down upon me that the only way
to unite the two factions of the Republi.
can party and save the republic from going
into the hands of the rebels and Democrats
was to quietly remove the President.
1.-Two weeks after | conceived the idea
| my mind WAS thoroughly settled on the
intention to remove the President. [ then
prepared myself. [ sent to Boston for a
copy of my book. The Truth, and spent
a week in preparing that. I cut out par
agraph and line and a word here and
there and added one or two new chapters,
put some new ideas into it. and | greatly
improved it. / knew that it would proba-
bly, have a large sale. on account of the
notoriety that the act of removing the
President would give me, and wished the
book to go out to the public in proper
shape. That was one preparation for it,
Another preparation was to think the mat
ter all cut in detail and to buy revolver
and prepare myself for executing the idea.
This required some two or three weeks,
duU gave Iuy oUUll6 t1Auo duu ulIuu III
preparing myself to ext cute the cOncep-
tion Of removing the President. I never
mentioned the conception to living soul.
| did most of my thinking in the park and
on the street, and used to go to the Ar
lington and the Riggs House daily to read
the papers.
LATTER 1 had made up my mind to re-
move him the idea when 1 should remove
him pressed me, and l was somewhat con-
fused on that. I knew that it would not
do to go to the White House and attempt
it, because there were too many of his en-
ployes about, and looked around for sew
eral days to try and get a good chance at
him, and one Sunday 1.-THE Sunday before
he went to Long Branch) went to his
church in the morning. 1t is small frame
building, and stood there at the door a
moment. I was little late; the services
had progressed about one third. Noticed
the President sitting near an Oren window
about three feet from the ground, and l
thought to myself, That would be good
chance to get him. l intended TO shoot
him through the back of the head and let
the ball pass through the ceiling, in order
that no one else should be injured, and
there could not possibly lie better place
to remove a man than at his devotions. [
had my revolver in my possession when
first went to the church, having purchased
it about 10 DAYS before the Presidents 60
ing to Long Branch. This was the Sun
day prior.to his leaving for Long Branch
on Saturday. During that whole week 1
read the papers carefully. thought it all
over in detail. I thought just what peo-
pie would talk, and thought what ire
mendous excitement 1t would create, and
I kept thinking about it all the week.
made up my mind that the next Sunday 1
would certainly shoot him if he was III
church and 1 got good chance at him.
Thursday of the same week I noticed in
the paper that he was going to Long
did 60 to the Branch for Mrs. Garfield s
health. l went to the depot; all prepared
to remove him. I had the revolver with
me. l had all my papers nicely prepared.
l spoke to man about carriage to take
me. as told him. over near the Congress