The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-02-24
Hrs. seoville to Ms. GisrRsld:

- -. ZsS,kr-s.
Hrs. Scoville to mrs. GarheId.
Mrs. Scoville, sister Of Guiteau, has sent
the following letter to Mrs Garhehl: ws
CHICAGO. February r.
Mrs. Lucretia Garfield, Cleveland, o.:
DEAR MADAM: Humbly I address you, trust
ing you will not turn q deaf ear even upon
despised Guiteau's sister.
All these weary months have patiently
waited until the time should come for me to
speak; when, after the verdict, which I be-
lieved would be "Not guilty, by reason Of in
sanity" could say without shamefacedness:
my heart bleeds for you and the sainted
dead"
Nv Door 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
1 could boldly say to you, as 1 have said from
the moment when the terrible news was
brought me on that dark day inJaly: He was
bralnsick. 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
fOrtitude 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 that mericiful
forgiveness which is indeed Christ-like.
All these dreadful weeks Of the Presidents
suffering prayed that the Father above us all
would spare his life. Day and night my be-
seeching cry went up: "GOd save the Presi.
dent" I thought he could not die.
When the people of the whole world called
nightly unto Him to interpose in his behalf,
glory" But, alas! the tender este care Of wife,
family and friends, the prayers of the people,
could not move the Ruler OF the Universe to
mysterious Providence:i could not keep in his
poor, dsspoiled body his grandly beautiful
DESPITE the yieil., the tears and the PRAYERS
of his family. of the Nation, of the world, the
midnight bells were tollsd, the midnight cry
was heard: 1.-The President is dead
gone to dwell with the glorified saints Of the
Lord. And we-our tears flowed without stint,
and we said: rs there no GOd?'
Truly, 1t was q 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 Il putting , on their feet the
shod with the sandals of righteousness, that
they tread carefully, tenderly. to the end that
justice, and truth, and mercy, shall prevail:
In July, when 1t was reported that the suffer-
ing President was likely to recover, l wrote q
letter to you stating the facts in my brothers
life and every theory Of this case, thinking that
to know that poor crazy man had done the
deed instead of the hardened wretch he was
painted. At the time it was reported the Presi-
dent was interested In anything regarding tho
terrible affair, that he even said one day: II
wonder what that poor fellow would think If
he knew that had forgiven himY' Oh! that I
might know from his own wife if that were
true. My heart, be still!
In Heaven we know, as we are known; the
sainted Garfield knows now that he had TODD
it," and feel sure if he could speak he would
say: Forgive that deluded man, even as
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.
with better showing 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 poorirother shut away from the
world for months in q tomb-like cell; not ray
of sunshine, not q blade of grass, not a flower,
Who is there to sneak in his behaf Fl not c 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 bis birth, until death made her
free: that father, tender and kind, but mis-
sible, make their voices heard from beyond
the grave. Even, as verify believe, would
o az
cording to truth, justice and mercy? Verify,
1 had hoped to be able to cast myself at the
feet of Judge Cox; to be able, so long as had
breath, to look up to him as the grand, the no
BILE, the just Judge, who could stand as firm as
the exercising r3css TOT the weak ana a de-
my idol!
And that jury! God only knows how I had
trusted in their honesty and steadfastness. I
had watched their fQoaa 6av nv d1v had
their eager, absorbed, solemn interest when
my brother was reading his last address. When
the story: John Browns body lies molder-
ing in the grave, but his soul goes marching
along" commencing in low, sad melody OF
aWfn ar IN of te in
sane, one could feel the silence. l thought,
surely it is enough; no power on earth can
tic, without revenge, without motive except
to obey what he deemed the will of God, COM
mitted willful murder.
But they did. They must have reasoned, as
some do, that it is good thing to hang crazy
man, as an example to other crazy men.
know that my brother has been in some es-
bis birth. know that he is an exasserated
of his father, who was, in some
things, insane; that there is a strong heredita-
is now not himself. This sudden, supernatural
of intellect in some directions Is
of itself a symptom of insanity.
huOWlu8 uiIl, uuueTStduuluB ulul us cl0lus
better than any one else, / assert and can prove
that my brother has always intended to do right
and live honestly. His shortcomings have been
those Of an unbalanced, distracted brain, rath-
err than bad heart His heart has ever been
kind and tender as 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 being forced into the Oneida Com
munity, been allowed to obtain good educa-
ton, entered upon some practical business,
30 that bis mind would not drift into vaga-
ries; and, most important of all, had he, when
married, found in his wife a helpful, hon
est woman, he might have gone through
life comfortably, happily, and respected
to it's close, as did his father. But,
alas! his mother died; father married
q woman who disliked his children, and
Charles, the only one needing q 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 (but myself, did what could, It was but
little), the boy drifted out into the cruelworld.
Everything went wrong with him, and now,
With sorrow unspeakable, look upon the
wreck Of what might have been.
Shall the true story Of Charles Guiteau's life