The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-09-01
6uiteau's Attack Upon q Jail Guard
How He Passes the Time.
WASHINGTON, Aueust /

WASHINGTON, August 10.
Warden Croker, Of the Jail, now admits
that Guiteau did have q knife and used it In
bis assault upon Guard McGill, Wednesday.
The weapon used by Guiteau turns out, 40
has been stated, to be "cheeser,' but,
instead OF having been made from shoe.
shank, was merely a piece of corset steel
about four inches long and three -fourths of
an inch wide, with handle made Of paper
wrapped with common string. It has one
edge quite sharp. In fact, it was. says
McGill, MS sharp as razor, as it cut entirely
through his coat and vest and nearly reached
his skin. The Warden thinks that the
weapon got into Guiteau's cell from another
cell. About the first of each month the
prison beds are taken out and steamed.
Croker thinks that in returning them a cot
from some other cell In which the knife was
concealed was put in Guitesu's cell, instead
Of the cot he formerly had; but this hardly
looks plausible, as in washing and steaming
the cots 1t would appear that anything con.
cealed about them must have been discoy.
e.ed. The accepted theory is that Bedford,
the colored man who was hung for the
murder Of Leith, left the knife in the cell,
and Gllitea found it. General Crocker is Of
opinion that Guiteau's restlessness the night
before the attack was Occasioned by the con-
viction that the President was dead. Even
before the appearance of additional sol.
diers at the Jail Guitcau manifested the
most intense uneasiness, and when the SOL
diers moved, he would 20 every five or ten
minutes to his window and look out at their
movements, and McGill, who has been seen
but little by Guiteau in making his rounds,
startled the wretch, and he, thinking an at
tack was to. be made upon him by mob.
resolved to fight.
1t is McGill's custom at night to 20
through all the corridors of the Jail and see
that the prisoners are not engaged in mis-
chief. This he did early yesterday morn.
ing. and. finding Guiteau sitting on the side
of his bed, and thinking something wrong
In his movements, spoke sharply to him,
and asked him what he was doing. This
aroused the prisoner, and, jumping to his
feet, he rushed spasmodicaIly at the jailer.
When questioned Us to why he attacked the
guard, Gniteau said he had no business
in his cell at that hour of the morning, and
he only intended to put him out.
Guiteau is even more fond of writing now
than he was when first put in Jail. He fire..
quently asks the Warden for pens and pa.
per, and whites away the time writing let
tiers. These 'ettegs are all taken in charge
by the Warden, and for the most part treat
of assassination. In nearly every one Of
them he says he believed when he shot the
President that Inc was simply carrying out
Gods will. The tone of some of the letters
would indicate that he thought the Presi-
dent was dead. Guileau is still engaged in
writing up his life, which he says will make
book of $40 pages. The episode of yester.
day morning has not interfered greatly with
his work. In the pages he wrote yesterday,
and which were handed to the officers, he
speaks OF "the late President Garfield"
and writes of "Mr. Arthur, President of the
United States" This impression he has
doubtless got from the guards having been
doubled and the general aspect OF affairs
about the Jail. Numerous letters and post.
al-cards continue to come to Guiteau, most
of them abusing him, and predicting that he
will be hung. One postal card, postDarked
Springfield, Ohio, reads ms follows:
"Cha,lcs G.. G,'itA1u: will give you $500 per
night to lecture afte" you have served eight
years in the Dry 1ortugas. l W II advcr ;ss
you rs the e eat unhlng,' but will n It be
responsible for the caDri'cS Of Judge Lynch"