The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-14
,GARFIELD'S ASSASSINATION.
la Theoretical Sequel to the Murder Of
the President by Chas. ]. Guiteau.
iCol Corkhills idea of Conspiracy Revived
by th. Lawyers Death-A Mysterious,
Tall Young Man and Mormon Phrases.


tervew with prominent resident Of Washing
ton, who is spending a few weeks in Spring
field. This gentleman says: ION the afternoon
OF Saturday, July 2, 1881, some six hours after
the President was shot, the Secret-servIce bu
reau of the government was informed tnat
clerk in enc of the departments, who went 70
visit his aunt living on farm back OF FairIa1
Court House, Va, some ten days previous nau
been greeted on his arrival with the inquiry:
Have they shot the President YETI Seeing his
surprise at the question, his aunt explained that
the owner Of an adjoining farm had told her that
while in Washington a night or two before, he
had overheard two men laying their plans for
such deed. The superintendent of the bureau
on hearing this story. sent detective to verify
il. He found the man who had started the re-
port to be resident of Alexandria he SAID
that while sitting a settee, on Franklin
Bquare, one evening during the third week IT.
June, he overheard two men talking about shoot
ing the President, although he did not get from
their conversation very definite insight into
their plans. He sat near where two paths came
together, and there was bush between him and
them so that they could not see him, neither
gould he give any description of them.
1.-THE spot was only few steps from Mrs.
Grants clearinghouse at 922 Fourteenth street,
where Guiteau was stoppin: at that time. Ihe
Virginian could not give the precise date wnen
be heard this conversation, but said he had
mentioned the occurrence in certain Washing
Eon saloon. and the date could probably oe
9scertained by inquiry there. The detective
found that the saloon people remembered hear
ing him tell his story. Before Guiteau was
0aken to Jail after the shooting the police had
bis photograph taken in two different positions,
and copies from these negatives were sold all
over the country AS the pictures were
seen by man named Herzog. who keeps large
variety store on Ninth street.. just off Penn
sylyania avenue, he recognized the man as a
person who came to look at his stock of pistols
some ten days before tho shooting. Gulteau
had with him tall young man, and they both
were so much interested in talking about buying
the pistol and examining the stock that the
dealer said he could not decide which one would
be the purchaser They asked for British
bulldog and he told them that the Eureka
pistol which he showed them was exactly the
1ame thing, except that it was labelled with that
.aame for the California market the other title
being given to those goods intended for the
naval trade This Eureka was a secondhand
pistol and the only one of the kind in the store.
"After hearing his explanation the tall young
man remarked to Guiteau: We must have a
British bulldog and the two left the store. It
is supposed that they went directly to OMera's
store, close by, and bought the pistol with which
the shooting was done, as the evidence In court
Showed that it was obtained there at about that
time.
''The photographs of Guiteau were shown to
George Baldwin, the keeper OF large second
hand book store at Oh F street, and he recog-
nized them as the one who came TO his place not
long before and asked to see what books he had
relating to second adventism. tall young
man came with him and stood in the door while
he looked over the books and Guiteau took them
out to him to inspect and he had some converse
8ion about them, but did not buy any.
tAv10 ha rrikr S1o tnia al
lucky merchant. who had been East to buy
goods and happened to be just outside the depot
when the shooting was done. He testified that
o little before it occurred he saw the prisoner
and tall young man talking on the corner of B
and Sixth street. and that when they separated
this man walked hurriedy to Sixth street
ut was also put in evidence that Guiteau
paid colored hackman 81 just before the shoot
ing to have the door of his carriage open when
he should come out of the depot. and drive him
to the Congressional Cemetery, which is located
In the suburbs of the city, two and one half
miles from the depot, and quite near the Jail.
it happened on that Saturday morning that
certain Washington lawyer had an appointment
with client of his in Jail, and they were to-
gether in room by themselves, the window of
which commanded a view of the road leading to
the Congressional Cemetery. They both noticed
that for two hours white man and a negro
kept slowly riding in buggy between the Jail
and the cemetery. and their curiosity was
good deal excited at their movements. In this
connection it should be stated that Guiteau was
not taken to jail till TWO hours after the crime
was committed an investigation at police head
quarters taking considerable time, and the Sc
curing of his photographs some more.
"But what theory can be spun from these
facts when they are put togetherf perhaps some
one asks. Simply this: That there was DELHI
crate understanding that the President was to
be removed, to which Guiteau not the
only party, because the Virgnian heard the men
talking about it; that Gniteau had an associate
and copfdant during the days when the crime
was being hatched; certain tall young man
who went about with him, was interested in the
buying of pistol and parted with him just be-
fore he entered the depot intent on the murder;
that the remark: We must have British bull
dog is significant as indicating pre- arranged
plan. and also, perhaps that he and Guiteau
may have been carrying out the letter of plan
laid down by the other partners to the con-
splracy: that when the tall man hurried up
Sixth street he was in search of team with
which to meet Guiteau in the Congressional
Cemetery; that the assassin planned, after doing
the shooting, to make good his escape to the
cemetery in tho hack whiSna he naa engaged to
dismiss the driver inside the nclousure and then
be taken away to some train by the team his ac-
complice had brought there: that il was the tall
young man whom the lawyer saw from the jail
window patroling the cemetery road during tie
5wo hours Guiteau was Unexpectedly detained in
che scity. The object of such meeting in the
cemetery OF course would be TO break the trail
VI o"y Pu SUITS WHY HiSns set Close on the
tracks of the criminal, and it is argued that no
Insane man would ever concoct such a scheme or
be persuaded to have part in it, and that he
would never think of retaining hackman by
Saying him 50 in advance. Part of these facts,
In disjointed form. were duly laid before the
government before the trial, but none of them
were used in the final trial, except in the cases
already mentioned. The theory entertained for
the failure to bring them is that the secret
service bureau not ready TO show its hand.
and held them in the homes of getting furkher
fight This idea gains some color because some
Of them did appear in the preliminary examina
ton. The government is understood to be still
at work on the case. 1t took thirty years to fer
get out the leader in the Mountain Meadow mas
eacre ard put him to deaf Such cases are not
cropped as readily some people suppose
Speaking OF Mountain Meadow, there are
chose who think that the Mormons instigated
Gsuiteau to do his dastardly. dovilsh work They
note in support OF this idea that be used many