The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-07-21
The AssassIn,s Story.
QUIT EAU's OWN ACCOUNT OF THE AS
sAULT ON THE PRESIDENT.

Corkhill, District Attorney, has
furnished the following statement for
publication i'm order to correct certain
erroneous assertions which have been
made relative to Guiteau, the would
be assassin of President Garfield:
1.-THE interest felt by the public in
the details of the assassination and
the stories published justify me in
stating that the following is cor
rect and accurate statement concern
ing the points to which reference is
made: The assassin, Charles Guiteau,
came to Washington City on Sunday
evening, March 8, 1881, and stopped
at the Ebbitt House, remaining only
one day. He then secured a room in
another part of the city and has
boarded and roomed at various places,
the full details of which | have On
Wednesday, May 18, 1881 the assassin
determined 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
Fifteenth and F street, i'm this city,
and examined some pistols, asking for
the largest caliber He was shown
two similar in caliber and only differ.
ent in the price.
HE PURCHASES THE PISTOL.
On Wednesday, June 8, he pur-
chased the pistol which he used, for
| which he paid $40, he having in the
meantime borrowed Sis of a gentle
man of 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
Seventeenth Street and practiced fir
ing at board, firing ten shots. He
then returned to his boarding-place
and wiped the pistol dry and wrapped
it in his coat and waited his oppor-
| tunity.
FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENT TO
| CHURCH.
On Sunday morning, June II, he
was sitting in Lafayette Park and saw
J the President leave for the Christian
| church, on Vermont Avenue, and he
| at once returned to his room, obtained
his pistol, put it in his hip pocket, and
followed the President to church. He
entered the church, but found he could
not kill him there without danger of
killing some one else. He noticed
| that the President sat near a window.
J After church he made an eXamina-
| ton of the window and found he
could reach it without any trouble,
and that from this point he could
shoot the President through the head
without killing any one else. The
following Wednesday he went to the
church, examined the location and
the window, and became satisfied he
could accomplish his purpose, and he
| determined, therefore, to make the at
| tempt 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 morn
ing, June Is, and went down to the
river at the foot of Seventeenth street
| and fired five 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 depot with his pistol ready
when the Presidential party entered.
THE AsSASSIN'S HEART FAILS HIM.
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
depot. He had previously engaged a
carriage to take him to the jail. On
Wednesday evening the President and
his son and | think, United States
Marshal Henry, went out for ride.
The assassin took his pistol and fol-
| lowed them and watched them for
some time, in hopes the carriage
would stop, but no opportunity was
given. On Friday evening, July l,
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 avenue to
Fifteenth Street, and then kept on the
opposite side of the street up Fifteenth
until the President entered the resi-
| dence of Secretary Blaine. He waited
at the corner of Mr.. MOrton's late
| residence, corner of Fifteenth and H,
for some time, and then, as he was
afraid he would attract attention, he
went into the alley in the rear of Mr..
MOrton's residence, examined his pis-
tol and waited. The President and
Secretary Blame came out together
and he followed them over to the gate
of the White House, but could get no
opportunity to use his weapon.
THE SHOOTING AT THE DEPOT.
On the morning of Saturday, July 2,
he breakfasted at the Riggs House
about o'clock. He then walked up
into the Park and sat there for an
hour. He then took a One-horse av-
enue car and rode to Sixth street, got
out and went into the depot and lott
cred there, had his shoes BACKED, en-
gagged hackman for 81 to take him
to the Jail, went into the water closet
and took his pistol out of his hip
pocket and unwrapped the paper from
around it which he had put there for
the purpose of preventing the pers-
piration from the body dampening
the powder, examined his pistol care
fully, tried the trigger and then re-
turned and took a seat in the ladies'
waiting-room, and as soon as the
President entered advanced behind
him and fired two shots. These facts,
L think can be relied upon as accurate
and l give them to the public to con-
tradict certain false rumors in con-
nection with this most atrocious
of crimes
Fatal Fight With CatamOunt.
(McKean County Miner.)
I'm h. x.fI f. Dnl i