River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1882-07-06
His Last Hours Spent Peace
fully and Without Concern.
He Made His Last Speech in
the Form of a Prayer.
His Neck Being Broken He Dies
Instantly, Without Pain.
The Fatal Morning, and Incidents
of The Day.

The morning of the day that Guiteau
was to hang dawned peacefully and
pleasantly, and everything augured q
perfect day. Early in the morning the
stir and hustle all over the city begun.
Guiteau was apparently the least ner-
vous of anybody.
into the cell at 80 clock, in the morn
ing, Guiteau told him to bring his din
ner in at II o'clock promptly.
DIR. Hicks, who remained at the jail
all night, was called into the prisoners
cell as soon as he rose and had CONVEX
sation on religious subjects with him.
AT o'clock, DIR. Hicks saw the pris-
oner again, when he made request TO
have a bath and asked Hicks to GO out
and see the scaffold. Guiteau desired
him to arrange with the warden to
have the drop sprung as soon after II
o'clock as possible. He also expressed
considerable anxiety lest
SOME ACCIDENT SHOULD OCCUR,
and insisted that Hicks should see tn at
the scatfold and its appurtenances were
all in proper condition. After Quit
eau had disposed of these matters, he
read poem, composed by himself,
which he calls Simplicity" or Gre
ligious Baby Talk" After reading it
aloud,
HE ATTEMPTED TO SING
it, but broke down in the effort.
Guiteau then talked for some time
about the future. He remarked that
his heart was tender. 81 don't think"
he said, 81 can go through the ordeal
without weeping; not because of any
great weakness, for the principle in me
is strong, but because 1 ain near the
other world. / hold to the idea that
God inspired me-"
Guiteau subsequently asked that in
his books all complimentary remarks
about President Arthur and his admin
istration be eliminated. Then he pre-
scented Hicks the books that have been
COMPANIONS OF HIS LONELY HOURS.
He told Hicks that he wanted him to
offer the first pray er on the scafiold,
saying that ne (Guiteau) would then
read his favorite scripture passage-the
tenth chapter of John-and offer up
prayer on his own account. Then he
intended he said, to read his poem
Simplicity. He desired to have the
execution so arranged that just as he
uttered the last word the drop should
be sprung.
JOHN w. GUTTEAU
arrived at the jail at 8 O'Clock, and was
followed in few minutes by Warden
Croker. These two gentlemen, with
DIR. Hicks, had a consultation as to the
disposition of the body.
AT 9:15, the prisoner came out in the
corridor, and exercised for Is minutes.
He walked briskly, making it rather
difficult for his guards to keep pace
with him.
THE SCENE ABOUT THE JAIL
this morning is unique. The Office OF
the Jail has been given. completely over
to the large corps of newspaper report
ers, and squad of them are scribbling
away on every table, window sill and
every projection that offers.
Many newspaper reporters remained
all night. The private Office of the
warden has been transferred temporar-
lily into a night office. At 8 O'Clock
there was a constant stream of persons
into the Jail.
THE SCENE OUTSIDE
was like some great gala occasion. En-
terprising colored men had erected
booths from which they dispensed
lemonade, cakes and other refresh
ments to the weary and thirsty people
who began, before 8 o'clock, to assem-
BILE in front of the jail. Mounted mes
sengers, speeding to and from the city,
carrying things and bringing visitors to
the Jail, kept continual cloud OF
dust lowering over the road, that winds
through the wide common that lies be-
tween the jail and city.
desire to
TAKE A BATH,
and q large tub was taken into his cell.
At this hour no one but the death
watch was with him. Guiteau nerv-
ously disrobed and bathed. 1t was
quite apparent to the guard. who was
closely watching his every movement,
that his object in asking for a bath was
simply to obtain some employment
which might distract his thoughts from
the dread contemplation of his APP
preaching death. He evinced
INCREASED NERVOUSNESS,
and his uncertain movements and the
marked tremor in his tone, when he at
tempted to speak, impressed them with
the belief that Guiteau was rapidly
weakening.
OPENED TO VISITORS.
The rotunda was thrown open
at 10 o'clock. The newspaper men
at once flocked in. There were
few other people there, except
the Jail guards and squad of ar
tillerymen, who looked down upon the
scene from the high steps leading to
the scaffold.
Early this morning, the prisoners in
that part of the Jail overlooking the
court where the gallows stand we're all
removed to other quarters and locked
in cells.
At 9 o'clock this morning the jail Of
fiCers had
SORT OF REHEARSAL
of the part they are to play in the ex-
ecution, for the purpose, chiefly, of