The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-02-23
PLEADING FOR HER BROTHER


4
Mrs scoviiIe Appeals TO Mrs Garfield
asking Her to InterPOse In Behalf
of the Assassin.
CHICAGO, Feb. 1G.-The following |, f,
ter Was sent by registered letter yestcr
day, written by Mrs. Scoville, sister o
Guiteau, to Mrs. Garfield:
CHICAGO, Feb. 12, 1889
-Krs. Lueretia Garfield, CteresGud, o..
DEAR MADAM: Humbly address you
trusting you will not turn a deaf EN-
even upon despised Guiieau's sister Ali
these weary months l have patiently
waited until the time should come for
me to speak, when, after the vertiicI,
| which belived would be snot guiiiy''
by reason of INSANITY, / could say with
out shame facedness, my heart bleeds
for you and the sainted dead; my paor
brother was not his own master when
lie free that shot; forgive him, look with
| compassion upon him and me-" | have
counted the hours for the time when
| could boldly say to you, as | have
| said from the moment when The terrible
news was brought me on that dark day
| in July, He was brain sick, deludetl,
crazy forgive him, even as Christ shall
! forgive Us all" Both our marIyred
| 4ISS1GSLti GtlA AiS AdkuIly udNl1R SHOW
such an example of Christian fortitudc
and trust in the Most High as the world
may we'll revere led me to hope that the
sense of wrong suffered would, when the
/ truth WAS shown, be tempered
with that merciful forgiveness which il
Indeed Christ-like. All those dreadful
weeks of the presidents suffering pray
| ed that The Father above US all would
spare his life. Day and night my cry
WAS, sGod save the presidentn I
thought he could not die. When the
people of the whole world called might
~ unto him to interpOse In his behalf,
| said, 'Surely he will show forth his
| glory" But, alas: the tenderest care OF
wife, family and friends, the prayers of
the people, could not move the ruler OF
the universe to countermand the de-
crees of His all-wise and mysterious
providence, could not keep in his pour
| despeiled body his granGly beautiful
soul. Despite the vigiis, the tears and
| The prayers of his family, of the nation,
of the world, the midnight bells were
tolled, the midnight cry was heard,
THE president is dead" We gazed up
on the lifeless clay, gone to dwell with
the glorified saints of the Lord, and our
tears flowed without stint, and we said:
as there no God ?'' Truly, it was u
grievous wrong. The Lord, and He
alone, can judge where lies the moral
responsibility. This people are in His
hands. They walk on holy ground. II
BELTS them that they see to ii, putting
off the feet the unclean shoes of their
worldly walking, being shOd with the
sandals of righteousness that they tread
carefully, tenderly to the end that jus
tice and truth and mercy shall prevail.
In July when 1t was reported that The
suffering president was likely to rec,,ver,
| wrote letter To you, stating the facts
in my brolher's life, aud every theory
of this case, thinking that both yourself
and the president would be glad t,I
know that poor crazy man had done
the deed, instead of the hardened wretch
he was painted. At the time it was re-
ported the president was interested in
anything regarding the terrible affair;
that he even said one day, 81 wonder
what that poor fellow would think if he
knew that l had forgiven him" OH!
that l might know from his own wife
that it were true. My heart, be still.
In heaven We know as we are known
The sainted Garfield knows now that she
had to do it," and feel sure if ne could
speak he would say: Forgive that de-
luded man, even as forgive him. Safe
~ keep him from doing any more harm,
but forgive
l never sent;the letter. The report came
almost Immediately that the president
was worse, and knew you did not wish
to be troubled with anything from Quit
eau's sister. / had hoped by waiting To
come before you with letter, showing
him vindicated. so far as insanity is an
excuse for crime, but my heart burns
within me, and notwithstanding that
unjust verdict and barbarous sentence
l must speak.
bly, poor brother shut away from the
world for months in tomblike cell,
not ray of sunshine, not a blade OF
grass, not q flower, net bird, not g.
| friend to speak kind word; who is
there to speak 10 his behalf if not his
| heart broken sister? Did l not speak
| the very stones would cry. His sainte,i
mother, the purest and noblest of women
that mother who gave her life for his,
who suffered torture for seven long
years because of his birth, until death
made her free. That father, tender and
kind, but mistaken in his direction of
the boy, would, if possible, make their
voices heard from beyond the grave
Even as | verify believe, would the glo-
rilied Garfield cry out in horror at that
verdict. What of that verdict? Was it
according to truth, justice and mercy?
Verify, no. l had hoped to be ahle 10
cast myself at the feet OF Judge Cox; 10
| be able so long as | had breath tai look
| up to him as the grand, the noble, the
| just judge who could stand as firm as the
| everlasting rocks for the weak and dc
fenseless, against the whole world. But
alas, my ideal and that jury-God oaly
knows how had trusted in their hon
esty and steadfastness, | had watched
| their faces day ny day, had seen their
my brother was reading his last address.
| When he came to the recitation of these
/ few lines of the story, John Browns
body lies moulderiug in the grave but
his soul goes marching along"
commencing in the low, sad,
melody of the song, breaking up and
ending in the weird, hystericai laugh,
the awful laugh of the insane, one could
feel the silence. / thought surely il is
false. No power on earth can prevail
upon these men 10 say that poor lunatic,
without revenge, without motive except
to obey what he deemed the will of God,
committed the awful murder But they
did. They must have reasoned as some
do, that it is a good thing to hang &
crazy man as an example TO other crazy
men.
l know that my brother has been in
some essential matters of judgment de.
fective from his birth. / know that he
is an exaggerated counterpart of his FL.
Their, who was in some things insane
that there issa strong hereditary faint OF
insanity iusfthe family, and that he il
now not himself This sudden super
natural development of intellect in some
directions is of itself symptom OF in
sanity.
Knowing him, understanding him, al
claim, better than any one else, assert
and can prove shat my brother has al
ways intended to do right and live hon
est1y. His shortcomings have beer
those of an unbalanced, distracted brain
rather than a bad heart. His heart hai
: ever been kind and tender as that of {
woman, bat he has been most unfor
! tunate; he was neither born right, reared
right, nor married right. Even will
his defective organization, had he, IN
stead OF being forced into the Oneidi
community, been allowed TO obtain ,
good education and entered upon SOM
practical business, so that his mini
1 would not drift in vagaries, and mos
: important of all. had he when married
: found in his wife helpful
l honest woman, he might havt
D gone through life comfort
ably, happily, and respected TO its clos
as did father. But, aiasl his mothe
5 died, his father married a woman VIII
I disliked his children, and Charles, tn
only one needing a home with them
was at last turned away from his faith
: er's house. Tender in years, weak il
4 BODY and mind, no one To guide him. n,