The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-07-04
The Last Few Days Passed in
the Agony of Despair,
Buried In an Unmarked Grave Be-
meath His Cell Window.
His Brain in a Normal Condition, but
1t and Its Membrane to be
Examined MicroscopicaIIy.

Washington, July 3.-Dr. McWil-
liams, assistant physician at the district
jail, says of Guiteau: On the night of
Thursday L visited him in his cell, about
midnight, and found him sitting on the
bed staring straight before him into
vacancy, the most perfect picture of de-
spair l yer beheld. When l saw him
the next morning the warden reported
that he had slept none during the night;
that he would occasionally go into a
doze and start out of it with some
inarticulate sound. The officers bear
witness that he ate nothing for break
fast. He may have put something in
his mouth, but it amounted to nothing.
1t was the same way at dinner, when
he was said to have eaten a hearty meal.
From what 1 have learned from the
guards, he broke down into utter de-
spair during the morning, and wept
freely. 1t was necessary to make every
persuasion to keep him up-to talk to
him, fan him, and urge him to be firm,
to be a man. When Gen. Croker came
into his cell to read the death warrant
Guiteau was evidently greatly agitated,
but he was able to stand. When it
had been read he sat down. When he
reached the top of the scaffold he fall
tered. In reading his prayer he wavered
50 excessively that Gen. Croker was at
one time anxious to stop it. 1 was just
back of the scaffold, and could see him
catching his breath and struggling to
control it. 1t was dreadful.
Guiteau is buried upon the opposite
side of the rotunda from the one in
which he was hanged, and from the
window of the cell in which he was con-
fined one can look down upon his grave.
The brick floor was removed this morn
ing and a grave seven feet deep was
dug. At four O'Clock Sunday evening
the coffin containing Charles j. Guiteau
IA borne from the chapel upon the
shoulders of six jail prisoners and, with
out any service or ceremony whatever,
lowered into his grave and buried from
sight. The only persons present were
John w. Guiteau, DR.. Hicks, Warden
Croker and son, Mr.. Wright under
taker), the engineer of the Jail, deputy
warden Ross, Captain Croker and the
six prisoners who acted as p%all-bearers.
The coffin was closed last evening and
no one has since been permitted to see
the remains. Mrs. Scoville, accompan-
led by Miss Chevallier, arrived at the
jail shortly before 4 O'Clock and impor-
tuned the warden to be allowed to see
the remains and witness the burial.
General Croker, however, remained
firm in his determination not to accede
to her request, and after a few minutes
she returned to the city, leaving a num-
Der of hower-pieces which she had
brought with her and which she ex-
pected to place upon the grave. AS
the body was being taken down the
steps leading from the chapel to the
central rotnnda Of the building, the
mourners, or rather witnesses, stood
near the door leading to the northeast
rotunda, and as it was taken down the
flight of steps leading from the rotunda
to the brick floor of the corridor, they
silently filed in behind the convict pail
bearers. When they arrived at the
grave the little procession halted.
Warden Croker looked inquiringly first
toward DIR. Hicks and then toward J..
W. Guiteau. "All right" said the
latter with the same imperturbable
composure he has exhibited all through
out the ordeal of the past three days,
and the coffin was at once lowered into
its place. After the earth had been re-
placed and the top of the grave leveled
off. ]. w. Guiteau stepped forward and
placed at its head a crown of white
immortelles. Not n word was spoken;
not q tear was shed. An outcast from
human sympathy when living, Guiteau
had found an unwept sepulchre in an
unmarked grave.
The physicians who we're in attend
ance at the autopsy, on being asked to-
day if the fact was true that Guiteau's
brain was found to be in a normal con-
dition, replied:
THAT is true as far as the brain is
concerned, but the membrane that en-
velops it was found to be unhealthy and
will be examined closely. The brain
weight was only a half-ounce below
normal and its appearance was natural
and healthy. AS work with the micro
scope becomes more accurate it will
show it more fully. A diseased brain
is regarded as indicative of insanity,
although sane people have been known
to have diseased brains. Microscopic
examination will show that and deter
mine exactly what it does indicate"