Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-10-07
GuItcnu'S Confession.


seven closely printed columns Of what purpcrts
to be on autobiography Of Gutcau, as d;et,!ol
by him to stcnoerapher. Ills story cl the
assassination or, as he prefers to style it, the
removal of the President" is ono Of tho mos,
cold-bloodsd ao,,uns Ct dreadful crime
tia: has ever b en- put 90 Paper. 'NlS iles.
simply stated" lie r;m.tks. was to remove as
easily as POSSIBLE Mr.. james \ Garfield. q
| quiet and good uaur,I ciliz,a Of Oaio. who
| temporarily occupied the posi.iJn OF President
of tho United States. and substitute 10 bis place
Mr.. Chester A. Arthur, tf New York, 0 dis
tiDguished and highly tsimsblo gentleman.
Mr. Garfield intended TO quietly remove to
Paradise, (which is great improvement 90 this
world while MIR. Arthur slved tho republic. y
And he adds: mot o soul 10 the universe knew
| of nv purpose to remove the President. 1t il
has failed | shall nsver attempt it again. My
motive was purely poIio,l and patriotic, and
acted under Divine pressure. IL was the
Same kind of pressure that led Abraham TO
sacrifice his SOD Isaac.
| After giving 90 account Of his application for
either the Austrian mission or tho Paris con-
| sulship, AID tho little satisfaction ho obtained
either from President Garfield or Secretary
Blaine in resHec: to thts, appointments, be 80
sorts that The rtbufls no met with had cot the
slightest ibHuence on him other ono Way or an
other ia ret,rcIoe 10 his remoVirgt he Presi
dent" lie came, to said. to the uoody deter
minllion pending the aas1tr 10 his r:q lest for
the psrs cjnsulshp, aud fer seversl weeks
alter being denied ca iuttrViow with the Presi
dent he did not press biz application either to
him or to Mr.. Blaine. 10 tho meantime, &C.
/ h;,o No, ksao tIo
quarrel that had broken out between the stall
warts aLd the hslt-bret d. 10 conscquerc, of the
resignation by Mr.. Couklirg Of his at 10 the
Sons,c.
"Mg co5oaption of the idea Of removing the
President was this: MIR. Conkling rcsigoed on
Monday May lG 1881. % the following Wed.
ncsday wna in bed. thiuk | retired about
s clock. | !cIt depressed a5d perpl, xed on
account, of t6o political situation. s0Q | retired
nuoh earlier than usual. | felt weared in
lnird ard bud?. AID wss 10 ny bed about .
o'clock. aud was thinking over tho political
situation, when tho idea asshed through NY
brsio that it the President was out of the way
everything would 80 better. At first this was
moro Impression. 1t startled ne. but the
next m1rniog it came to me with renewed
force, aud l began to read the papers With my
eye on tho possibility that tho President would
|
tho conpiclion Of public affairs, the moro was
| impressed with tae necessity of removing
hin. This thing continued for about two weeks.
kept reading tho papers and kept beiog i'm
pressed. and the idea kept bearing and bearing
and bearing down upon mo that tho only way
| 10 unite tho two factions of tho republican party
and save the republic FROM coming into the
hauds Of tho rebel; and democrats was 10 Quiet
ly rrnovo tho Ptc;ideot.
"1So weeks alter | conceived tho idea
my mind was thoroughly settled on tho iuten-
ton. | novcr mentioned the conception TO q
living soul. did most of my thinking in the
park and on tho street, and l used to 20 to th.
Arlington sud Riggs House dnily to road the
papers
"Aiier l had made up my mind to remove
him tho idea when should remove hiu
pressed me. and | vas somewhat confused 90
that. | knew that it would not do to 20 10 the
Whito House ard attempt it, because there
were too many OF his employees about, AID
| locked around Tor several days to try aud gct o
GOOD chance at him, and one Sunday (.he Sun.
day before he went to Long Branch went to
his church in the morning. lis small frame
bulldog. and stood there q. tho door mo-
mont. Was little late; the services he'd gro
dressed about one-thrd. | noticed the Ptesi.
dent sttiag nesr an open window about :hree
feet from Tho ground, and thought 10 myself.
'Ihat would DC good chance to get him. |
ntcIdld 20 shoot him through the back of the
bead AID LIT tic tsll pass through tho c,iliug,
10 crjcr Et 20 enc else should be ipjurcd, and
| there could not possibly ba better pIscs to re
move man Than at bis devotoDs | had NY
revolver in Ey possession when first weot to
the church, having purchased it about 10 days
before the Presidents going to Long Branch.
Tits wos tho Sunday prior to his Leaving for
| Lopg Branch 90 Saturday. During that whole
week read the papers carefully. | Thought it
all over 10 detail. | thought Jus! Whist people
would ts!k, aud thought what tremendous Y
element it would create, and kept on think
| irg shout it all thu week. made up my mind
that the mex. Sunday | would certainlyShoot
| him if he WAS in church aud | got good
chance at him. Thursday Of the samo week |
noticed in tho papers that ho Was goirg to Long
Branch. aud on tho following Saturday he did
20 to tho Bratcl for Mrs. Gar6eld's health.
went to tho depot oil prepared to remove him.
papers nicely prepared. spoke 10 man
| GEAR tho C0n1re ssional Cemetery.
| ~ got to tho depot about nlue o'olock. ADD
waited there until tho Presidents White House
carriage drove up Hc did not kill hic at
that time. be says. 'becaus, he had DOT the
heart to fire who Mrs. Garfield wus with him,
cliogiog touderly to bis arm. Lcsrning that
| the President was 10 return on the following
| Monday Guitesu went again to the depot to
watch for him. but when the President reached
there so maty persons were abCu. him that Tho
| time did not seem opportune. All that week,
| however, be slys he watched for him aud tried
| OF various times to get shot at him but did
| not succeed. How be logged him every.
where. day by day. is infinitely tod. Finally
! he heard from the papers that the President
was ecing 10 Long Branch on Friday, and
We give a. his point his Own narrative of wha!
| befe!l.
~ took ny breakfast he says, at Inc
Rigs House about eight O'Clock. l ste we'll
and fell. well 10 b.dy and mind. l went into
Lafayette Square and Sal there somo little time
at!cr breakfast, waiting for nine o'clock to
come, and then ven! to tho depot, and l got
thero shout Ton minutes after nine. l rode
,here from the park in bob tailed car. l
Ieft the car walked nm To a hoothack ont nny