The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-02-09
Gniteau's Poisoned Bouquet.

After all that has been written and
published about the life and character of
tbe late Charles j. Guiteau. additional
facts concerning the last days of that
remarkable individual continue to come
to light. There was an execution at the
United States Jail few days ago. and
happened to be present. The work in
hand was not of any great Importance.
except. perhaps. to the black brute and
the surgeons who wanted his body. It
was of no general interest how young
Shaw passed the night. what he ate for
breakfast. or whether his spirits were de-
pressed. There was, therefore. nothing
to do but to wait for something sensa-
tional. There was chance that his
head might be snapped off. as was the
case when Stone was executed a year
ago, but even that hope failed us. 1t
was tame, ordinary affair all around
While waiting for the work of the day to
begin had half hours talk with the
deputy warden. He is really the admin
istrative officer of the prison, and learned
to understand Guiteau's character better
than any otheI'man about the Jail. He
related some interesting things about the
assassin. Many of them have never ap-
peared in print and are worth relating.
especially the story of the poisoned bou-
quet, and how it failed to accomplish the
desired result.
Il have seen many amusing articles
about that bouquet" said Deputy War
den Kuss, land it is to me Il singular
thing how you fellows knew more about
the bouquet than we did. 1t has been
denied in the papers that the bouquet
was poisoned or that Gniteau ever had
possession of it. The most of them.
however, agreed that Mrs. Scoville had
sent some flowers to Guiteau. and that
they had been intercepted before reach
ing his cell, Neither of those theories Is
correct. The fact is that the bouquet
was poisoned. and that Guiteau had it In
his cell for several hours and didn't know
he was to eat the centre flower to ret at
the poison. Guiteau knew what the bou-
quet was for, but for once in his life his
wits failed him. He needed some one to
tell him what to do. The bouquet was
received at the Jail Thursday morning.
Without my knowledge the guard gave
it to the watchman, who passed it in
to Guiteau. The death-watch noticed
that Guiteau, after having been told
who sent it, suddenly became very
fond of flowers, and began snuffing
them fl atically to get at the perfume.
This looked suspicious, but as several
misguided but well-meaning old ladies
had been maintaining conservatory in
Guiteau's cell, the guard was not alarm
ed. Hours passed, and as Mrs. Scoville
did not hear that her brother had sui
cided by eating poisoned flowers. she
called at the Jail late in the afternoon to
find out why her plan had miscarried.
She was admitted to the inner corridor
of the north tier and conducted to the
door of Guiteau's cell. | stood on one
side and Warden Crocker was on the
other. The iron door of the cell was
between her and Guiteau. and that is rs
far as proposed she should 30. was
determined to hear every word and
watch every movement. Then for the
first time saw the flowers in Guiteau's
hand. The watch told me that Mrs.
Scoville had sent them early in the morn
ing and that Guiteau had had them all
day. | noticed that Mrs. Scoyille was
particularly apXious to say something to
Guiteau without being overheard. She.
of course, wanted to tell him he must
eat the centre fiower-that snutiing them
wouldn't do any good. | suspected that
there was some connection between Mrs.
Scoyile's anxiety for private interview
and Guiteau's sudden and special ad-
miration for thai bouquet. In Il voice
intended 10 assure Guiteau that we were
not suspicious of anything wrong, |
said to Guiteau: That's a very beau
tiful bouquet, Charley; where did you
get itT My sister sent it to me- he re-
piled. asked him to let me see it. and
he passed it out through the grating. l.
was always more suspicious of it than
the warden was. A few days before, he
asked me for rope to stretch across his
cell to hang his clothes on. | told him
he could have thick wire. but that. he
said, wouldn't answer the purpose. and
so he got neither. From that time | be-
lieved he would commit suicide if he got
Il chance. | took the flowers to the office.
and in laying them on the desk it so hap
pened that white powder dropped out.
The Jail physician was called in, and he
said it was arsenic in quantity sufficient
to kill ten men. We then knew what Mrs.
Scoyille wanted TO say to Charley, but
didn't get favorable opportunity. She
wanted to tell him to eat the centre flower.
and Guitcau didn't know enough to do
that without being told. Considering thar
he had the flowers in his possession sever
al hours before suspicion was aroused.
it is very strange, with his great shrewd-
ness and quick perceptive faculties. that
he didn't examine the bouquet and find
the poison. 1t was close shave, now. 1
tell you. For obvious reasons we con-
cluded to say as little as possible about
the matter at the time, and that accounts
for the many absurd stories which were
published and are now accepted as cor
rect.-[Washington Cor. Milwaukee SEN
Iinel.