, 1881-09-23
the PRESiDEnT CEl1!

evening 1T lp.DD lt'c spun vi - AN T.
A. GARFIELD was ushered into th"i
presence of his maker-a martyr t"
his country, victim to the insane
and hellish act Of brutal assassin.
On the morning of the 2d of la: t
July, as the nation was preparing for
a grand celebration of the lO5th an
niversary OF its freedom, as the Ires
ident walked forth conscious Of the
endowment Of that "life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" guaranteed
bv the government Of which he was
the head, the devilish plLn of bold
fiend was consumma ed; shot, two
shots, rang out upon the air, and the
hoarse declaration, 81 did it. | am a
stalwart. Arthur is now President" "
curdled the blood Of those who stood
near and recalled the tragic, unnatu-
raj words, "sic senper tyrannis," ," his
sed forth by the slayer of the lamcn-
ted Abraham Lincoln, on the eve
ming OF the memorable 14th of April ,
1865. Tender, loving hands bore
the stricken chieftain to place OF
safety. and for seventy nine long
DAYS all that human hands could do
and human skill devise was done to
recall him from the brink Of eternity,
and restore him to the country he
had served so long AMI well. But
after the long and tedious struggle,
fraught with the unmerited suffer
ings of the Innocent patient, the
Death Angel achieved tardy victo-
~. The funeral rites will close the
last scene in this horrid drama in
real life, and the body of the lament
ed victim will be laid away 10 await
the final resurrection of the just
the memory of his eventful career
and many noble acts lingering green
in the minds of his sorrowing coun
trymen. He is mourned by the ma
ton as only freeman can mourn
whose experience peculiarly fits them
to appreciate the statesmanlike quail
tiles he exercised so grandly,
James Abram Garfield, the twen
tieth President of the United States,
was born in Orange, Cuyahoga Coun-
ty, Ohio, on the 18th day of Novem
Der 1881. He was therefore nearing
the completion of his fftieth year
when called from earthly labors. He
was the Youngest of four children
born TO Abram an E1tzr flvies5 Il H.
latter being a Balleu, near relative
of Hosea BBaliliod, b the great apostle
of American Universalism. The
Gar6elds came from the border be-
tween England and Wales, the Bal
lous are of Hugenot origin, aud di'
rect dseendents OF Maturln Ballou
who fed from France on the revoca
ton of the Edict of Nantes, and,
joining tho infant colony of Roger
Williams, settled in Cumberland,
Rhode Island. In 1775, Abraham
Garfield and John Hoar were called
as witnesses to prove that the British
troops committed an unprovoked
breach of the peace by firing first
upon the handful of militia Assem-
bled at Concord Bridge. One oI
those men was the great grandfather
of General Garfield, the other was
the great grandfather of senator
George F. Hoar who was chairman
of the national republican couven'
ton that nominated General Garfield
for the presidency. The house ii
which the latter was born was a
rough log structure, such as hardy
pioneers erect when starting tc
"clear" farm in the woods. His
parents were poor, plain, practical
people, who bequeathed to their son
little more than strong, vigorous
constitution, together with that pu-
rity of character so often found in
humble abodes. In this respect he
was duplicate of his iliustrious pre-
decessor the great "rail splitter" who
had an humble origin in the then
wilds of Illinois, aud who gave nu-
merous evidences of his staunch in
tegrity. The closing scenes of their
lives were also similar, and they have
gone down to history leaving a halo
of fame behind, no less on account
of their martyrdom than their event
fnl and useful lives so successful in
achieving their country's welfare.
As has been truthfully said, Prasi'
dent Garfield is a fair specimen oi
what republican institutions are ca
pable of producing. Starting in lift
under adverse circumstances, ano
bavipo to foht his way for standing