The daily gazette., 1882-06-30
GUITEAU's BLACK CRIME.


GUITEAU's BLACK CRIME.
A sketch Of the killing of President Gar
Aeid-The Presidents Sickness and tho
Assassin's Trial. a. i
1t was on Saturday, July 2, 1881, that the
terrible news went all over the land that
President Garfield had been shot The
crime was one Of the most remarkable in all
its details ever committed. The general
facts will be readily recalled without repeti-
tion in this hurried sketch.
a The shooting took place between 9 and 10
O'clock In the forenoon in the waitfng-room
of the Baltimore & Potomac railroad depot
at Washington. The President, accompa-
MED by his family and a number of the
members of his Cabinet, was about to start
on trip through the New England States
to secure much-needed rest, for he had been
overworked by an unusual press of official
business and harasscd by the exciting p0liti-
cal contest with the Stalwarts.
The President was shot twice one ball
striking the coat sleeve inficting no injury,
and the other entering the back. The Presi-
dent fell helpless, and, I, it was thought dying,
and soon atterward was taken to the White
House. Guiteau was arrested and at once
lodged in Jail. For three days the President
| fingered between life and death, and on
| July 6 there was great improvement in his
condition. The general impression among
the attending physicians was that he would
recover. This condition continued until
Monday July II, when at z o'clock there
was great increase of fever, and an hour
later the patients temperature was 1888 the
highest since the the attempted assassination.
The following day he showed signs of
improvement, and on Thursday he passed
the best day since he was shot, and the tenn
perature fell to 100. About July 10 he had
| q relapse but soon mended. And so the
weary weeks progressed, the patients condi-
ton varying from time to time, but all the
time he was slowly growing weaker and
| weaker. On August is his pulse went up
to 1870, at 8 O'Clock p. M, his stomach would
not contain nourishment and there were
most alarming symptoms. On August 25
hope virtually fed from the White House,
/ and DIR. Boynton informed Mrs. Garfield
that there was no hope. Again hope re-
vived and the evidence of blood poisoning
disappeared. The trouble with the parotid
gland disappeared and on Tuesday, Septem-
Der 6, he was moved TO Elberon Cottage at
Long Branch. Here he fingered for 13 days
and finally died at 1885 O'Clock on the night
of September 10.
The national affection found memorial
and appropriate expression. In Wilmington
the peoples grief was touching. The town
was in mourning and appropriate action was
taken upon the sad event by City Council
and the county courts.
President Garfield's remains were con-
veyed from ElberoE to Washington, where
they were exposed in state. Thence they.
were removed to Cleveland, where mag
niicent mortuary ceremonial was organized
in their honor Three hundred thousand
people swarmed in Cleveland to witness the
funeral ceremonies. Sixty thousand bore
part In the procession.
GUITEAU'S CRIME.
1 ha M OF he nssir, roa
the outgrowth of a morbid and misguided
mind. Guiteau had been an office-seeker
and had been unsuccessful simply because
he was looked upon as "crank," and had
not the best reputation. He went to Wash
ington on Sunday evening, March 9th, 1881,
and stopped at the Ebbitt House. He re-
manned only one day. He then secured q
room in another part of the city and boarded
and roomed at various places. On Wednes-
day. May 19, the assassin determined to
murder the President. He had neither
money nor pistol at the time. Toward the
last of May he wentinto O'Neara's store at
Fifteenth and #. streets, in Washington, ,and
asked to examine pistols of the largest
ealibre. On Wednesday, June sth, he pur-
chased the English "Bull- Dog" pistol with
which he after killed the President. That
same evening he commenced topractice with
the pistol. All this shows horrible deliber-
alton. The assassin laid in wait for the
, President in the park and followed him to
church waiting for chance to do the work
he did at the depot later. Finally seeing
the Presidents trip north mentioned in the
papers he decided to kill him at the depot.
Guiteau, in his confession, thus tells
the crime
"There was quite large crowd of ticket
: purchasers at the gentlemen's ticket office
i in the adjoining room the depot seemed to
/ be quite full of people. There was quite q
e crowd and eommotion around, and the
Z President was in the act of passing from the
ladies' room to the main entrance through
/, the door. l should say he was about four
or five feet from the door nearest the ticket
j office, in the act of passing through the
, door to get through the depot to get to the
!, cars. He was about three or four feet from
i | the door. l stood five or six feet behind
D | him, right in the middle of the room, and
| | as he was walking away from me, pulled
t | out the revolver and fired.
tHe Strengthened up and threw his head
back and seemed to be perfectly bewildered.
| | He did not seem to know what struck him.
9 | l looked at him he did not drop there.
G upon fired again. He dropped his head
seemed to reel and fell over. l do not know
/ where the first shot hit. / aimed at the
hollow of his back. | did not aim for any
e particular place, but ! knew if / got thost
1 two bullets in his back he would certainly
go. / was in diagonal direction from the
President, to the northwest, and supposed
. | both shots struck
~ never had the slightest idea of remov
A | ing Mr.. Blaine or any member of th'
0 Administration. My only object was to re
move Mr.. Garfield in his official capacity al
President of the United States, to unite tn,
= Republican party and save the Republic
from going into the control of rebels and
O Democrats. This was the sole idea that in
e duced me to remove the President. | ap
IL preciate all the religion and sentiment an6
s honor connected with the removal no ont
: can surpass me in this, but put away al
i sentiment and did my duty to God and tC
G the American people"
!. THE TRIAL.
a After much public discussion about juris
S diction the trial of Guiteau began in thu
s District Supreme Court at Washington OF
If Monday, November IA. The prosecution
o was conducted by District Attorney Cork
n hill, Judge Porter of New York and Mr.
U Davidge of Washington, and the defense b,
Il Messrs. Scoyille and Robinson, and late b.
IL Col. Charles II, Reed, who still continue
e in the case.
The prisoner was srraigned and pleaded
It "not guilty" October IA. The trial was Sc
for November Z and was postponed until tn
14th, when it began. Guiteauw was convictet
IS on January 23d.
s. Since that time he has been In Washing
q ton Jail, and his counsel, Col. Reed, ha
If been doing all in his power TO secure q neS
i - 1.A&