Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-01

tne Cnlged Ssatee, was assesStnated in Wash
ington City, July 2, 1881, and died OF bt
wound September 19, seveuty-ntpe DAYS AZ
terWard, as ElberoD. near Long Branch New
Jersev, whittier be had been removed on m,
osh OF September to crafty the wishes q
the sufferer and in the hope Of Improvement
oy change OF air and scene. The details o
President Garfeld's assassination In a tim,
OF profound peace, bis long and brave en-
duranee while living PROSTATE on a bed o
pain, and the wide spread sympathy for him
brrCd b1acn found expression in every form O
nee,1n action, are familiar to millions O.
- every part of the civilized world
1hE TRAGEDY IN THE Dept.
Several days before Julv "a a.
nouDced the President w9n1S ~ u ~. mas an
set out on tour OF some of ,h, Un '5as II tlal
States, In which he would be accorl.s.S l.as err
by Mrs Garfield, then at Long BrancSe ~ ~
this memorable Saturday morning. at o.9,
O'Clock, President Garfield and Hon. Jane
y. Blaine, Secretary OF State, reached tn,
depot of the Baltimore and Potomac Rail.
road to take the cars from Wash ngton Il
Long Branch. With his usual courfes7
the President stopped a moment at tbt
entrance of the depot to acknowledge tn,
salutstion OF policeman, aud then en-
tered. He had gone bus few steps wher
the assassin, lurking in the rear, stepped
up behind him, and pointing pistol will
deliberate aim, fred at his back. the frst
shot no doubt doing its fatal work, The
President shuddered, staggered and at
tempted to turn, when another shot was
hred and he fell bleeding to the Dor, un-
| conscious. The pistol WAS of very heavy
calibre, and tie distance between the sssas.
sin and his victim but a very few feet A
1 bullet was found to have entered the right
side OF the Presidents back, between the
nip and the kidney, splintering one OF the
ribs and penetrating TO an unknown depth.
Sen0r CamachO, the Venezuelan Minister.
at Washington, who WIS an eye witness to
the tragedy, stated that as the President
Iell ne ex' ended his band TO break the
| force OF contact with the floor. Tue second
| shot was fired from q pistol vet smoking
from the first shot. Mr.. Camacho SAYS
the first shot was fired on a level aim close
! to the Preslden; at the second fire the
| President had fallen lower, and this shot
missed. The wounded President was quick
" surrounded by sympathiz!ng spectators,
| who ad witnessed the tragedy but had not
| time 10 interpose. The President was con-
veyed to private apartment in the build
ing, where he vomited and tainted, but
soon recovered consciousness and talked
freely with those around MIN Ia an hour
he was removed to the Executive Mansion.
Mrs. Garfield was summoned by telegraph,
the President himself debating the dis
patch, and she reached his bedside at 6:45
O'Clock the same evening by special train
from Long Branch.
THE ASSASSIN AND HIS MOTIVE,
The assassin, after firing the shots, at
tempted to escape, but was followed by
Mr.. Blaine, who directed a policeman to
seize the offender. Ga being taken to police
headquarters, the man gave the name of
Charles Guiteau. In a package of papers
hal 9pcr fr fha
forth his reasons for attempting the life of
the President. as follows:
JULY 2, 1881. "I0 tie White H0use.-The
Presidents tragic death was sad necessity,
but it will unite the Republican party and
save the republic. Life is a fllmsy dream
and 1t matters little when one goes. A
human life is of small value. During the
war thousands OF brave boys went down
without tear. l presume that the Presi
dent was Christian, aud that he will be
happier In Paradise than here. It will be
no worse for Mrs. Garfield, dear soul, to
part with her husband this way than by
natural death; he is liable to 90 at any
time anyway. had no i'll will toward the
President. His death was a political neces-
sity. | sm lawyer, a theologian and a
politician. l am stalwart of the stalwarts.
was with Gen. Grant aud the rest of our
men In New York during the canvass.
leave with Byron Andrews and his coff56ffrrl ff6frl
naltsts, at ls2O New York avenue, where all
the reporters can see them. | am going TO
the Jail. CHARLES GUITEAJJ ), =.
The intense excitement produced By the
crime gave rise at first to Tumors connecting
the assassin with political conspiracy, bur
IT was soon demonstrated that there was no
foundation Tor these reports, and that the
assassin who had been a '1oater'' in poll
ties, chronic suppliant for place, and a
"ne'er-do-well' generally, was alone re-
spons1ble for the conception and execution
or the desperate enterprise which had grown
up IN his mind aud I'M smed his imagins-
tion: His avowed purpose was to revou-
tonize the existing administration
OF the government. He seemed to fancy
that by removing the President to make
room for the succession OF Vice President
Chester A. Arthur, he would commend
himself to the new Executive and his
friends, and secure immunity for an odfOus
crime. In written paper published as
the assassin's confession Guiteau save.
"My idea, simply stated. was to remove as
easily as possible Mr.. James A. Garfield,
quiet and good natured citizen of Ohio,
who temporarily occupied the position of
President OF the pniied States, and substi-
tute In his place Mr. Chester A. Arthur, of
New York, distinguished and highly esti-
mable gentleman. Mr.. Garfield intended
to quietly remove to Paradise (which is
II.
Arthur saved the republic. Not a soul in
the universe knew OF my purpose to remove
the President. My motive was purely DO
litical and patriotic, and / acted under Di-
vine pressure. II was the same kind Of
pressure that led Abraham to saerifce his
son Isaac"
HIS ILL SPENT LIFE
In rausacking the country for the prison
er's anteeedents, 1t was ascertained that
Charles "Jules" Guiteau was a native of
Illinois and 40 years OF age. He was found
TO be the author of a crude work on rs-
ligion-a sort of "Companion to the Bible. u
as the writer styled 1t, the sale of which he
had anticipated would be largely increased
by the renown he would achieve as the SLAYER
OF the President and the founder Of stall
wart dynasty. Indeed In this expectation
he had prepared a freshly annotated copy OF
the book for the press, which was seized
among the prisoners other written effects
He was also found to have been once an uu-
worthy member of the Ooeida community
in New York State, and later a self styled
lawyer In Chicago, where he had dropped
che "Jules" from his name.
THE VICTIMS AGONY.
DR.. D. W. Bliss and a number of other
physicians OF Washington City attended the
wounded President. Dr. Bliss took charge
0I the case. On July 81 Dr.. Frank IL.
Hamilton, Of New York, and DR.. D. Hayes
Agnew, Of Philadelphia. were summoned as
consulting surgeons. The medical meD and
surgical history of the case form a sept ate
chapter in the melancholy tragedy For
two months and a half the people
of the country eagerly consulted the
b,allotias telegraphed by the surgeons
three times day and oftener on
occasions. Nor was interest confined to
the United States alone. All the civilized
world united In sympathizing messages and
in prayer for the restoration of the Presi-
dent. AS a substantial evidence of the
deep feeling In America, subscriptions were
started in New York to raise a fund OF two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars to be in |
vested for Mrs. Garfield and her children as
an inheritance from the people of the United
states. The sum was partly raised while
the President yet lived, and after his death
additional contributions sWelled the amount
to over $685., 900.
Up TO July 11th all the official bulletins |
from the Presidents bedside were fayora- |
Bile to recovery. After that date the
AuctuatiDg reports kept public anxiety in
state OF continual suspense. On Satur- |
day, July 81, amidst intense public interest,
the consulting surgeons were resummoneSi
to Washington. and their special treo
travelled from jersey City to the nsfOnal
capital, a distance of 230 miles, in for hoD,s tI
and thirtY-six minutes. On the ~ insln- P
ing, July "a, surgical operatlce-s wa WEE Pc