The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-02-23
Mrs. seorilIe to Mrs. Garfield.
Mrs. Seoville, sister of Guiteau, has sent
e folloWino letter to Mrs Gartield.


ing you VIII not turn deaf ear even upon
despised Guiteau's sister.
All these weary months I have patiently
waited until the time should come for me to
speak; when, after the verdict, which [ be-
lieved would be " Not guilty. by reason of in
sanity" could say without shamefacedness:
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, as I have said from
the moment when the terrible news was
brought me onAhat dark day in July: " He was
braln-sick, deluded, crazy; forgive him, even
as Christ shall forgive us ALL"
Both our martyred President and his family,
having shown such an example of Christian
fortftude and trust in the Most High as the
world may well revere, led me to hope that the
sense of wrong suffered would when the truth
was shown, be tempered with thar meTiciful
forgiveness which is indeed Christi Ike.
All these dreadful weeks of the Presidents
suffering prayed that the Father above all
would spare his life. Day and night my be
seechtng cry went up: "God save the Presi-
mt" l thought he could not die.
When the people of the whole world called
nightly unto Him to 1nterpose in his behalf,
j said: stSurely he VIII show forth His
glory" But, alasi the snderest care of wife,
family and friends, the prayers of the people
countermand the DEGREES of His all-wise and
mysterious Providence: scould not keep in b s
soul. '-'9'
Despite the vigils, the tears and the prayers
of his family. of the Nation of the world, the
midnight bells were tollcd, the midnight cry
was heard: 1.-The President Is dead"
We gazed upon the lifeless cIay-gOne-
gone to dwell with the glorhed saints Of the
Lord. And we-our tears flowed without STINT
and we said: "Is there no God2"
Truly, it was 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. 1t BELTS them
that they see to it, putting off their feet the
unelean shoes of their worldly walking, being
shod with the sandals of righteousness, that
they tread carefully, tenderiy, To the end that
Justice, and truth, and mercy, shall prevail.
In July, when it was reported that the suffer
letter to you stating the facts in my brothers
life and every theory of this case, thinking that
to know that poor crazy man bad done the
deed, instead of the hardened wretch he was
painted. At the time it was reported the Pres-
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 l had forgiven hlmF On! that l
might know from his own wife if that were
true. Ny heart, be still
In Heaven we know, as we are known; the
sainted Garfield knows now that he s. had to do
it," and feel sure if he could speak he would
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 by waiting to come before you
with a better shOwing-UiIldGcGted- = 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 ray
of sunshine, not blade of grass not flower,
not a bird, not friend to speak kind word: !:
heart-broken sister? Did 1 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, as 1 verify believe, would
the glorious Garfield cry out in horror at that
verdict. What of that yerdict2 Was it ac-
cording to truth, Justice and mercy2 Verify,
no.
had hoped to be able to cast myself at the
feet of Judge Cox; to be able, so long as had
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 juryl God only knows how had
trusted in their honesty and steadfastness. /
had watched their faces daysby 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 molder-
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. l thought,
surely it is enough; no power on earth can
prevail upon those men to say that poor luna
to obey what he deemed the will of God com
mittRd a willful murder.
But they did. They must have reasoned, as
some do, that it is a good thing to hang crazy
man, example to other crazy men.
know that my brother has been, in some es-
sential matters of Judgment, defective since
his birth. | know that he is an exaggerated
counterpart of his father, who was, in some
things, insane; that there is strong heredita-
ry taint of.insanity in the family and that he
is now not himself This sudden, supernatural
development of intellect in some directions is
of itself q symptom of insanity.
Knowing him, understanding him, as claim,
better than any one else, assert and can prove
that my brother has always intended to doright
and live honestly. His shortcomings have been
those of an unbalanced, distracted brain, rath.
er than n bad heart His heart has ever been
has been most unfortunate; he neither
born right reared right nor married right,
Even with his defective Organization, had he,
instead of ling forced into the Oneida Com
munity, been allowed to obtain good educa-
ton, entered upon some practical business,
so that his mind would not drift into vaga-
res; and, most important of ALL had he, when
est woman, he might have gone through
life comfortably, happily, and respected
to its close, as d.d his father. But;
alasl his mother died; father married
a woman who disliked his children, and
Charles, the only one needing home with
them, was almost turned away from his faith
er's house; tender in years, weak in body and
mind, no one to guide him, no one to care for
him Obut mys If, 1 did what 1 could it was but
littIe) the boy ddfted out into the cruel world.
Everything went wrong with him, and now,
with sorrow unSpC Cakable, 1 look upon the
wreck of what might have been.
Shall the true story Of Cherries Guiteau's life
ever be told, the world will see that he has
been more sinned against than SHINING. lie
has never smoked, or drank, or gambled,
lied, or been profane, or been in any way
vicious Detectives securing the country for
months have found. what2 That he did not al
ways pay his board that he borrowed &100
from a minister which he never returned, that
he pawned watch for $25, that he sinned
against himself, and only himself, 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 ever
wronged her, would travel across the CONT
Hent-fo 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 brother proved that the blood of a gen
teman flows in his veins he proved it then.
Wreck though he is, was proud of him.
1 cannot close this letter without one word of
explanation excuse for the strange testlmo-
ny of my brother, j. W. Guiteau. / very much
fear, although untntenttOlaJ that through b s
determination to protect the family name
from the taint of insanity, he has sacrificed
his own brother. In this he has been ably sec
onded by the stepmother and her family Vers-
sinned against.
Ny dear madam, I write this to the widow of
our dead President, in behalf of man not
himself in condition to realize the extent of
the terrible wrong or TO understand your sur
terlngs or mine Never can rest satisfied un-
til be allowed, upon my bended knees, under
the weight Of this humiliation and disgrace, a
few brief moments in which to pour forth to
your meTciful heart the pleadings of one who
must ever feel sisters love for an insane,
mo-herlees boy, even though by the whole
world condemned and dfspised. / beg you let
me say to you and yours what he would say, il
in his right mind Forgive, even as Christ
shall forgive us ALL
With the utmost sOrrOw and respect. remain
sincerely yours, FRANCES NJ. SCOyTLLE,
5a2 West Monroe street
For some days the jumping-sheet
practice has been going on at different
places IN Hamilton, Ont, citizens COM
ing down on the sheet in many |
forms. Several jumps have been made |
from r.rr,f d.. -Al,r-rr h11iIdirlc