The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-04
THE ASSASSIN.

A Sketch of His Career by His Brother
An Eccentric and Half Crazed Man.
BOSTON, July 1.-THE name of the would-be
assassin of the President is Charles Julius
Guiteau. His brother, a we'll known insur-
ance statistician of this city, gives the follow
ing account of him:
Charles Julius Guiteau was born in the
town of Freeport, ILL.,, in 1871 or 1912, which
makes him 80 or 40 years of age. He one of
the children of L. w. Guiteau, late cashier of
Mr.. Guiteau, ST., died recently aged 10 years,
and was one of the older and more esteemed
citizens of the place. He gave his boys COM
mon school education, but their mother dying
when the children were quite young, the
family became broken up and the children
separated As a youth Charles Julius is re-
ported to have been a good, tractable boy, with
nothing to mark him as either better or worse
than the average of his associates.
Several years before he became of age, and
while preparing for college at the University
of Michigan, he conceived the idea of joining
the Oneida community, and did SO. He dwelt
there for some years and finally left because
he could not live up TO the restrictions of the
order. Full OF anger he threatened to issue
publication exposing the peculiarities of that
community, but he was prevented from doing
that by an article written by John Ell. Noyes,
the recognized head of the community, show
ing him up and squelching him completely.
This was some 10 years ago.
Immediately afterwood he entered upon the
study of law in the Office of George Scoville,
brother-in-law in Chicago. He was admitted
to the bar in that city about Is years ago, but
is said to never have had other than a small
office practice in the way of bill collecting and
such like small work. He did not appear to
have been distinguished for honesty, and it is
reported that he was prosecuted and fell into
bad odor In that city on account OF collecting
sums of money which he failed to turn over to
the owner. He evidently had to leave
town.
The assassin has been travelling throughout
New England more or less for year or two
past as lecturer, and assuming the title of
reverend. He advertised himself as lawyer
theologian. He once claimed to be an "hon-
orable," and his brother telling him that he
had no claim to such title, having neN er
borne political honors, he replied that any
lawyer was an honorable" and he knew
lawyer in Chicago who had been state prison
who advertised himself as an honorable"
This, and the matter of numerous unpaid
board bills in Boston led to wordy contro-
versy, which resulted in Charles being expell-
ed from his brothers house, and subsequently
violently elected from his office, as he would
neither take advice nor mend his evil ways
and fraudulent practices This was about IA
months ago. Charles has been in Jail in New
York for debt He has been ''shoWn up'' by
the Chicago and New York papers for his ir
regularities, and has sued them in return for
libel, with no favorable result to himself of
course. At one time he formed scheme to
buy the Chicago Tribune, and asked the Presi-
dent of the Second National Bank of Freeeort,
Ill, to loan him $4,000 with which to pur-
chase it, promising the President of the bank,
as an inducement, that he would secure his
election as Governor of Illinois. The project
was not entertained of course. In numerous
places Charles julius has lectured to very
small audiences, advertising himself as
CHARLES j. Guiteau, the celebrated Chicago
lawyer of eminence and ability" &C., and be-
ing ''shown up" by the local press as "skip-
ping OUT without paying his hotel and other
bills.
The brother above quoted says that he never
knew that Charles was drinker Or given to
any ruinous species of dissipation; that he has
seen little of him for 20 years, but has often
heard from or rather of him. that he has long
considered him crazy, and expected sooner or
later, if he lived, that he would bring up iu q
lunatic asylum or meet worse fate; that he
don't believe he had any preconceived pur-
pose to kill the President but took sudden
notion to and fred the shots; that Charles kept
himself posted in political matters; was con-
slant newspaper reader and had intense Re-
publican views; that he may have become in