Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-30

on account of the notoriety that the act OF remov
Ing the President would give me, and wished til;
book to go out To the public in proper shape Thai
was one preparation FER II. Another preparations
was TO think the matter all out In detail and T.
buy revolver, and 10 prepare myself for executin
me Idea. Thisfequired some two or three week
and gave my entire time and mind in preparins
snyseit TO execute the conception OF removing TIL
PRESIDENT never mahtone ed the conce otion to q
living SOUL / did most of my thinking in the
Arlington and the r. rs house daily 70 read the
! papers. After4 mad hade up my mind to remove
! aim, the idea when should remove him pressed
| me, and Was somewhat confused oa that L
knew that 1t would pot do to go to the White
House and attempt II, because there were too
| many or MS employees about, and looked around
| for several days to try and get good chance al
hlm. and one Sunday CHE Sunday before he went
TO Long Branehl went to his church in the morn
| there at the door moment. was little late
the q vices had progressed about one-third no
| ticeu the President sitting near open window.
ABOUT three feet from the ground, and thought TO
myself. That would be good chance to get him
| intended to shoot him through the back OF the
head and let the bali pass through the ceiling in
order that no else should be injured; and there
| could not possibly be better place to remove a
AT HIS DEvoTIONs;
| had my revolver In my possession when first
went to the church, having purchased 1t about ten
days before the Presidents going to Long Branch.
This was the Sunday prior to his leaving for Long
Branch on Saturday. During that whole week !
read the papers carefully. thought it all over in
| detail. thought just how people would talk,
and thought what q tremendous excitement It
would create, and kept thinking about it all the
week. Imade up my mind that the next Sunday l
would certainly shoot him If he was In church and
got good chance at him. Thursday OF the same
IN Inc s ne
dAd go to the Branch for Mrs. GarfeldS health
went to the depot all prepared to remove him. ]
nad the revolver with me- 1 had all my papers
nicely prepared. / spoke to a man about q car
riage to take me, told him, near the Con-
gressional cemetery. He said that he would take
me over for 81 and seemed to be very clever fell
low glad to get the job Igot to the depot about
O'Clock and waited there until the Presidents
WHITE House carriage drove up. About twenty
nve minutes after nine the President and his car
riage and servants and friends came up. He got
about the middle Of the room, Watching for him.
MIS- Garfield got out, and they walked through the
ladies' room and
THE PRESENCE OF MRS. GARFIELD
deferred me from firing on him. was all ready;
my mind was all made up; had all my papers
with me; Ihad all the arrangements made to
shoot him and to jump into carriage and drive
over to the jail. Mrs. Garfield looked so thin and
she chung so tenderly to the Presidents arm that
did not have the heart to fire on him. He passed
right through the ladies' reception room, through
the main entrance, and took the cars. l waited
few moments I went outside the depot and
walked up town towards the Riggs house and Ar
nngt0n and the park. l think that went to the
park and sat there an hour or two thinking about
lunch went to the library of the Treasury de-
| think stayed there untn O'clock on Saturday
that Rigs Tss ArngtS or -. the PARK
Noticed Tas the ppers that he would af be t5e
first OF the week. watched the papers very care
fully to see whene he would return, but he did not
following Monday, The following Monday was a
terribly hot, sultry day: 1 remember suffered
greatly from the heat, but notwithstanding that l
prepared myself again, and went to the depot
papers but 1 dd not feel like firing on him,
ing room got there ten or fifteen minutes before
the train time sand waited and thought it all
over ia, and maze Up my mind that would not fire
| train came and he came, and Mr.. James, the Post
master General, was there, and Mr.. Hunt, the Sec
rotary OF the Navy, anditheir lady friends. They
all came through the ladies' room together,
and the Presidents son and thickset
meet the President were there. They went right 1T
| to the gate and got the President, and they all
walked together to the Presidents carriage, and
trance OF the ladies' waiting room door, and no.
ticed James and Hunt there with their families;
se o nd his fnn drove mis-
went, and went I got into car and went up
toward the Riggs House. Wen, was
WATCHING TOR THE PRESIDENT
III CudI week. SOC&3p one morning at half-paSG
hvo THINKING TINT might get President while
he was out horseback riding, but he did not go out
| that morning. I sat there in the park for two
| hours watching for him with my papers and re-
| volver thinking that might get chance at him,
but he did not go out that morning, so 1 went
back to my room, took breakfast, put up my pap
ers and my revolver and let the matter drop until
night In the evening after dinner, at O'Clock,
went up to my room and got my revolver and
carried it In my pocket This was either Wednesday
or Thursday, do not remember which, but think
1t was THURSDAY night. He went out riding that
the white House, Watching for DppH Si@,
and about half-past six the White House
ca nd drove we up to the White House
some gentleman. and a young man IS or 20 years
| OLD, whom l presume, was the Presidents son,
got INTO the &c carriage The young man sat with
gentleman friend {whoever he was) sat on the back
| seat. They drove out the entrance nearest the
| side OF Lafayette square toward the Arlington
They drove down by the arlington and out on
rapidly, and / saw them from the corner OF the
park I went out on the street on the east side OF
the square, ana looked and saw they were going
HUNG AROUND THE PARK
about half an hour or so, and they did not return
and it was very warm, and concluded to let the
matter drop for that night so that, after sitting
| in the park for some time, went as usual to my
nome and went 70 bed went to the Riggs House
and took room in the afternoon of Thursday, and
the event mentioned in this preceding talk hap
pened, am quite certain, on Thursday night 1t
was either on Wednesday or on Thursday, am
not positive which, but my impression is that it
| happened on Thursday night On Friday night.
after got my dinner at the Riggs House, went
up to my room and took out my revolver and
| put 1t In my hip pocket, and had my papers with
| me and thought possibly might get a chance
at him Friday night. I went into Lafayette
| square and sat there opposite the White
| House. ! had not been there minute
before saw the President walk out OF the
White House. Now thought to myself, Il got
| a splendid chance at him; he is all alone; there
isn't any one around him. He walked along the
| east Side OF the square and down II street.
| FOLLOWED him.
He went to Mr.. Blaine's house, on 18th street.
He walked along, and when be got on the side
walk, opposite Mr.. Blane's house, he looked up as
II he did not know the place exactly, and then he
saw the correct number and walked In. fol-
lowed him along and I was about half way be-
tween street ana MI. Blaine's house, on the
opposite side of tie street, when he entered the
house. went into the alley in the rear of MIR.
Morton's house ahd got out my revolver and
looked at it, and wiped II or and put it back into
! nv NOcket went over IN tho II Sfroo+ Cf,o,, %