Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-10-15
rms AssAssIN's sroaY.


G~uitesu's autobiography. as published
In the New York Herald and copied into
other Eastern journals, 10 sensstionslly
interesting. not only from its damnasle
subject matter. but still moro from the
cecil. detailed d~svilishnsss Of Its relation.
and the aaussatingly prominent desire
for notoristy; the Qualification Of q most
insffabls seotism and essentially Internal
va,ity. Il Is dinicult to appreciate even
the possibility Of . more sslnshiy
conceived, eoolly diabslical crime than
this. There was no insanity about 1t,
and ouitssu himself proves this very con-
elusivsly. To all who read his sutobio-
graphical account Of the Whole dread
episode, from beginning to end. there
can BE- NO question Of his perfect. me-
thedicsl. sslf.posssssed sanity. He
leaves no roo for doubt In the matter.
and Il 10 with horror that o realizes
the fact that such heartlsssly selfish. such
cruelty cunning oonspirators can exist In
any community on the face Of the earth,
much less in free. intslliseut America.
Al the very outset Of his narrative he
coelly objects to being considered or
spoken Of o. an assassin" or having
his foul deed designated ~ An ''sssas-
s~ination." - those tsrns have . prsju-
aicial influence; they '"grats on the
mind. and produce . bad feeling" Hs
complsosntly relates the history OF his
life from early youth. and incidents Of
his career q . wsuld.be literary man.
lecturer. lawyer. journalist. etc. he
tells Of his efforts In the political arena.
and his intense hsnksring after Office
and political prsfsrmsnt; his dissp.
pointed hopes and aspirations. which
fpslly eliminated In q determination to
',rsmovs" the President. Just think OF
I'll He does not say kill. bat merely
..rsmovs" the President. Perhaps he
thought he vas acting magnsnimously
In NOT similsrly removing the entire
Cabinet a. we'll. He says:
'.I shst the President without malice
or murdereus intent. I deny any liabil-
ity In this case" 81 never" hs adds,
had the slightest idea OF renewing Mr..
Blaine or any member Of the Admins
tration."
His reasons for thus summarily dis
posing Of the President hs gives Is fol.
lows
Ny conception OF the idea Of remov-
ing the President was this: Mr.. Conk-
ling resigned on Monday. May l6. 1881.
On the following Wednesday / vas In
bed. think I retired about 8 o'clock.
felt depressed aud perplsxsd, on as-
count OF the political situation. and I
retired earlier than usual. ! felt wssried
In mind and body. and I was In my bed
about 8 o'clock. and I was thinking over
the political situation. and the idea
flashed through my brain that II the
President was out Of the way everything
would 20 better. At first this was .
mere impression. 1t startled me. but
the next morning 1t came to me with re-
nsvsd force, and I began to read the
papers with my eye on the possibility
that the President would have to 60;
and the more I read, the moro I saw the
complication Of public affairs. the mere
was I impressed with the necessity Of
removing him.
This thing continued for about two
weeks. / kept reading the papers and
kept being impressed. and the idea kept
bearing and bearing down upon me that
the only way to unite the two factions Of
the Republican party and save the re-
public from going into the handslof the
Jebsls and Democrats was to quietly re-
nsvs the President.
He goes on to tell how he watched
ard waited several days for his opportu-
nifty, even at one time contemplating
shooting him through . church window
during services "as there could not pos
sibly DO . better place to remove . man
than at his aevotions." He says:
had ny revolver In my possession
when ! first went to the church. having
purchased 10 about ten days before the
Presidents going to Long Branch. This
was the Sunday prior to his leaving Tor
Long Branch on Saturday. During the
whole week ! read the papers carefully.
thought II oil over in detail. ! thought
Just What people would talk and bought
what q tremendous excitement IL would
create, and I kept thinking about IL all
the week. made up my mind that the
next Sunday I would certainly shoot him
n he was In church and i got . good
chance at him. Thursday OF the same
week I noticed in the paper that he wa
going to Long Branch. and on The fol.
lowing Saturday be did 60 to the Branch
for Mrs. Garfsld's health. I went to
the depot all prepared to remove him.
I had the revolver With me. bad ell
my papers nicely prepared. / spoke
20 Q man about o carriage to take me. %
told him, over near the Congressional
Csnstsry. He said that he would take
me over for 80. and seemed to bs . very
clever fellow and glad to get the job. I
got to the depot about 8 o'clock. and
waited there until the Presidents White
House carriage drove up. About twenty
Ave minutes after 8 the President and
his carriage and servants and friends
came up. He got out Of his carriage. /
stood in the ladies' room about the mid
die Of the room. watching him. Mrs.
Garfield got sut and they walked through
the ladies' room. and the presence Of
Mrs. Garfield deferred me from firing
ON him. I was already; my mind vas
all made up; / had all my papers with
me; I had all my arrangements made to
shoot him and to jump into . carriage
and drive over TO the Jail. Mrs. Gar
dsld looked SO thin and she chung 20 ten
dsrly to the Presidents arm that ! did
not have the heart to Are on him. He
psssed riaht through the ladies' recsp-