Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1882-02-25
Mrs. ScOrlIle to Mrs. fairfield.
Mrs. Scoville, sister of Guiteau, has sent
he following letter to Mrs. Garileld

ing you will not turn deaf ear even upon
despised Guiteaus sister.
All these weary months I have patiently
waited until the time should come for me to
speak; when, after the verdict, which be-
lievcd would be mot guilty, by reason of in
sanity" could say without shamefacedncss:
my heart bleeds for you and the sainted
dead"
My poor brother was not his own master
when he fired that shot. Forgive him; look
with compassion upon him and me.
have counted the hours for the time when
could boldly say to you, us have said from
the moment when the terrible news was
brought me on that dark day July: " He was
bralirsick, deluded, crazy; forgive him, even
MS Christ shall forgive M all
Both our martyrcd President and his family,
having shown such an example of Christian
fortltude and trust in the Most High as the
world may well revere, led me t. hope that the
sense of wrong suffered would when the truth
was shown, he tempered with that mcrcful
forgiveness which is indeed Christi Ike.
All these dreadful We ks Of the Presidents
SUIT ring prayed thpt the FUt1er above MS all
seeching cry went up: God save the Prcsi-
mt" / thought he could not die.
When the eOple of tn whole world called
nightly unto Him to interpose in his behalf,
| said: "Surely He Will show forth His
glory But, alas the t interest care of wife,
family and fir ends the prayers of the people,
could not move the Ruler OF the Universe to
counermand the DEGREES Of His all.wise and
mysterious Providence: could not keep in his
poor despoiled body his gran lily BEAUTIFUL
soul.
Despite the vigil' the tears and the prayers
of his family, of the Nation, of the world, the
midnight bells were toll d., tn midnight cry
was heald The President i, dead. ;"
In July, when II was reported that the suffer.
ing President wa, likely to recover, wrote "A
letter TO you stating the facts in my brothers
life and every theory of this case, thinking that
both yourself and the President would be glad
to know that poor crazy man had done the
deed, instead of the hardened wretch he was
painted AT the time ii was reported the Presi-
dent was interested in anything regarding the
terrible affair, that he even said one day: :"
wonder what that poor fellow would think If
he knew that had forgiven himY' OH that
might know from his own wife If that were
true. My heart, be still!
In Heaven we know, rs we are known; the
saintcd Garfield knows now that he had to do
it," and feel sure If he could speak he would
say: Forgive that deluded man, even rs
forgive him; safely keep him from doing any
more harm, but forgive"
never sent the letter. The report came al
most Immediately that the President was
worse, and knew you would not wish to be
troubled with anything from Guiteau's sister.
had hoped 10y waiting to come before you
with a better showing-pindicdtGd SO far as in
sanity is an excuse for crime, but my heart
burns within me, and, Notwithstanding that
unjust verdict and barbarOus sentence, must
speak, My poor brother shut away from the
world for months in a tOmb-like cell; not a ray
of sunshine, not blade of grass, not flower,
not bird not friend to speak kindword;
who is there TO speak in his behalf, If not his
heart-broken sister? Did not speak, the very
stones would cry out!
His sainted 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 mis-
taken in his direction of the boy, would, if pos
sible, make their voices heard from beyond
the grave Even, rs | verify believe, would
the glorious Garfield cry out in horror at that
verdict. What of that verdict? Was il ac-
cording to truth, justice and mercy? Verify,
/ nad hoped 10 be able to cast myself AT the
feet of Judge Cox; to be able, SO long rs had
breath, TO look up to him as the grand, the no
bic, the just Judge, who could stand as firm as
the everlasting rocks for the weak and de-
fenseless against the whole world But, alas
my idol!
And that jury. God only knows flow | had
trusted in their honesty and steadfastRess. |
had watched their fac IS day by day, had seen
their eager, absorbed, solemn interest when
my brother was reading his last address. When
he came to the recitation of those few lines of
the story: John Browns body lies nolder-
ing in the grave, but his soul goes marching
along, commencing in lOw sad melody of
the song, breaking up and ending in the weird
hySterical laugh, the awful laugh, of the in
sane, one could feel the silence. ! thought,
surely II is enough; no power on earth can
prevail upon those men To say that poor luna
tic, without revenge, without motive except
TO obey what he deemed the will of God, com
mitted a wfu murder
But they did. They must have reasoned as
some do, that il is a good thing to hang Il crazy
man, as an example to other crazy men.
Knowing him, understanding HIM, as claim,
better than any one else, assert and can prove
that my brother asalways intended to do right
and live honestly. His shortcomings have been
those of an unbalanced, distracted brain, rath-
er than Il bad heart His heart has ever been
kind and tender rs that OF woman. But he
has been most unfortunate; he was neither
born right, reared right, nor married right.
Even with his defective organization, had he,
instead of boing forced into the Oneida Com
munity, been allowed to obtain good educa-
ton, entered upon some pract cal business,
80 that bis mind would not drift into vGga-
rics; and, most important of all, had he, when
married, found in his wife helpful, hon
est woman he might have gone through
life comfortably, happily, and respected
to its close, as I'D his father. But
alasl his mother died; father married
woman who disliked his children, and
Charles, the only one needing home with
them was almost tuIn d away from his faith
ers house; tender in years, weak in body aud
mind, no one to guide him, no one TO care for
him (but mys IL, did what ! could, 1t was but
llllt), lUt hoy ulllltu OUT lulu IN WOIlus
Everything went wrong with him, and now
with sorrow unspf akable, l look upon the
wreck of what might have been.
Shall the true story Cf Charles Guitoaus life
ever be told, the word will see that he has
been more sinned against than shining. He
has never smoked, or drank, or gambled, or
| lied, or been profane, or been in any way
| vicious. Detectives securing the country for
months have found. whatl That he did not al
ways pay his board, that he borrowed 800
| from n minister which he never returned, that
| he pawned watch for 81, that he sinned
| against himself, and only hims III, t. give an
| unworthy woman a legal divorce Little did
| think the time would ever come when she, the
woman who could not say he had evtr
wronged her, would travel acres So the CONT
| nent TO swear his life away When he dis
| missed the woman he had once loved, with his
| blessing, was moved to tears. If ever my
| poor broth n proved that the blood of a gem
| teman flows in his veins he proved IL then.
| Wreck though he is, was proud of him.
cannot close this letter without one word Of
explanation or excuse for the strange testimo-
| ny of my brother, j. w Guiteau. very much
fear, although tntntenttOndl that, through b 8
determination to protect the family name
| from the talnt of insanity, he has sacrificed
his own brother In this he has been ably SEQ
onded by the stepmother and her family. Ver.-
ly, the poor, insane boy has been grievously
| sinned against.
NV dear madam, write this to the widow of
| our dead President, in behalf of a man not
himself in condition to realize the extent of
| the terrible wrong or to understand your suf-
| ferngs or mine. Never can rest satisfied UNI
til / be allowed, upon my Bonded knees, under
| the weight Of this humiliation and disgrace, a
| few brief moments in which TO pour forth 10
your merciful heart the pleadings of one who
| must ever feel sisters love for an insane,
motherless boy, even though by the whole
| world condemned and dCspised. beg you let
| me say TO you and yours what he would say, II
| in his right mind: Forgive, even as Christ
! shall forgive us ALL"
| hn fpnfRc q ,rpnt a nd no 1 Fnmnim