Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-07-04
HANGING OF CHAS. J, GUITEAU.
Marching to the ScaffOld. Guiteau's
Dying Prayer.

DyAnS 4 TdycEs
Charles J. Guiteau, who murdered
President Garfield on July 2, 1881, was
executed last Friday. in the city jail at
Washington, at 12:4O P. M, in the pre-
sence of about $50 spectators. The "dy-
ing prayer" which he composed in the
last hours of his life, was read from the
scafold. His body was delivered to
committee of physicians, who are ex-
pected to arrive at some conclusion con-
corning the assassin's mental condition
from an examination of the brain and
other organs. His conduct on the scaf'
fold was in entire keeping with his
whole career, and he died as he lived,
an inexplicable mystery.
At noon, there were about 300 visitors
in the Jail. General Croker, (the Ward
en) came from his Office and entered
Guiteau's cell. He was received by
Guiteau with the invitation, II expect
ed you, General, as soon as heard the
noon whistle blow. Sit down." Gen.
Croker declined the invitation, saying,
"Guiteau, have duty to perform to
which I desire your attention" He
then read the death.warrant. Guiteau
listened to the first few lines attentive
ly but soon tired of it, saying, "You
have to read it, suppose. saw copy
of it in the papers," Gen. Croker then
discovered that he had left his cane in
his office. 1t is large and heavy ebony
stick with a gold head. He has carried
it at all the executions, twelve in all,
before the WORK Of Friday, and wanted
to carry it on that important occasion.
AS he started to 60 to his office Robert
Strong, one of the guards, entered the
cell with piece of sash-cord, five feet
in length. "Mr. Strong" said General
Croker, twill arrange the small rope
about your arms" Strong did SO. Gen.
Croker was back in an instant, cane in
hand. Before his arms were pinioned
Guiteau shook hands with the Warden,
DIR. Hicks, Strong, and the two men
who were on the death watch, and who
sat just outside of the cell. His arms
| were then securely tied behind him.
One or two minutes passed without any
thing special happening. Noticing his
watch, Gen. Croker left the cell and
ordered the detachment to fall in line in
the rotunda, on the exact line which
Guiteau took going from his cell to the
scaffold. All the preliminaries being
arranged, the start was made at 12:26.-
In two minutes and forty seconds after
| wards Guiteau was on the scaffold.
Of course no one in the rotunda knew
anything of the condition of the assas-
sin until he made his appearance. They
were considerably surprised, therefore,
to see him walk with as decided step
as those who accompanied him. Gen.
Croker led the procession. The guards
that were afterwards on the scaffOld
walked on either side of him, Marshal
Henry bringing up the rear. Guiteau
was evidently surprised at seeing as
many as he did in the rotunda. He
looked about, but did not recognize any
one. He was dressed in plain dark
suit, with turn down collar and black
butterfly necktie. On his shoulders he
wore thrown carelessly large white
handkerchief. AS he passed along the
pace being more rapid Than ordinary
walking. number of policemen, pro.
baby dozen in all, fell ip behind the
procession, the policemen remaining at
the foot of the scaffold, Marshal Henry
lstanding at the bottom step, with his
hand on the hand-rail, his back being
most of the time to the scaffold, so as to
have full view of the audience.
On reaching the scaffold the funeral
procession assembled in the following Or
der John S. Croker, warden; Robert
Strong, hangman; Rev. DIR. Hicks, OF
the Tabernacle, chaplain f; Guiteau, his
hands tied behind him and held by
James Woodward and James Coleman,
guards; followed by John M. Jones and
w. w. Hudson, guards. Rev. DR.. Hicks
stood beside Guiteau. Mr.. Strong be-
hind him; the others disposed themselves
on the side of the scaffold, and all faced
south, looking into the corridor, into
which the crowd had followed, the mill
tary remaining in line in the rotunda on
a line with the door leading to the scat
fold. The corridor was about two thirds
filled with people, who had pressed for
ward close to the scaffold. The residue
stood or sat upon the steps at the en-
trance of the corridor, leaving clear
unoccupied space of some twenty feet.
A few looked out from the barred cell
windows in the western wall of the cor
ridor.
Rev. DR.. Hicks made solemn invo-
cation in prayer. Then standing beside
Guiteau, he held the Bible for him while
Guiteau read from the Gospel Matthew,
from the 2Sth to the 41st verse.
While the reading progressed the ut
most silence prevailed. No one moved;
no one whispered in that corridor
Gniteau, who while Mr.. Hicks was read
ing had cast down his eyes, lifted up his
head, emphasized such passages as "Fear
not them who can kill the body" This
reading over, he announced that he
would read his dying prayer upon the
gallows, and read the following
THE "DYINa PRAYER"
"Father, now I go to Thee and the
Saviour. / have finished the work Thou
gavest me TO do, and am only toe hap
by to 20 to Thee. The world does not
yet appreciate my mission, but Thou
knowest it. Thou knowest. Thou didst
| inspire Garfield's removal and only
good has come from it. Tbs is the best
evidence that the inspiration came from
Thee, and have set it forth in my book
that all men may read and know that
Thou, Father, didst inspire the act for
which I am now murdered. This gov
eminent and nation by this act know
will incur Thy eternal enmity, as did
the Jews by killing Thy man my Savi-
our. The retribution in that case came
quick and sharp, and I know Thy di,
vine law of retribution will strike this
nation and my murderers in the way.
The diabolical spirit of this nation, its
government and it's newspapers toward
| - Thoo in <hoxx,