News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-08-16
WAS ARTHUR SHOT AT?
A Tale of a Bullet Fired into Sen
ator Jones House.

1t was through window of Jones'
house that bullet intended for the
Chestertieldlan successor of Garfield
! sped vanity on its way. You never
heard OF such thing? I do not Won
der at that, because the secret has never
been disclosed before. Arthur died in
ignorance OF 1T. I received permission
the other night to tell the tale, as no
reason now exists why it should be bur-
led in silence.
One night, few days after Guiteau
had felled Garfield to the ground and
the Presidents life was still hanging in
the balance, the then city editor of the
Cnclnnattl Enquirer, who was in Wash
lngton, became impressed with the i'm
portance OF having an interview with
lce-Presldent Arthur, who was at that
time domlciled in the house of John P.
Jones. He got in a coupe and fastened
to the bonanza kings residence, reach
ing there about midnight. He wat met
by Senator Jones, who told him that the
N1ce-Presldent was in his bed and he
would not like to disturb him at that
hour, as Mr.. Arthur had gained little
rest since the assassination of the Presi-
dent. He invited the newspaper man
however, to the library for q smoke, and
the two sat down in a bay window front
ing upon the street and quietly chatted
about the singular events which were at
that time testing the endurance of re-
publican institutions in this country.
The air was warm and the easements
were raised. The waiting carriage was
drawn up in the shadow of tree on the
opposite side of the highway. The
driver slept. Nothing disturbed the
quiet of the scene except the OCCASION
al stamping of the restless horse. The
room was lighted only and intermittent
ly by the glow of the cigars behind
which the two men talked in subdued
tones. Suddenly there WIS fash of
light in front of the window, a sharp re-
port, and bullet whistled between the
Senator and the scribe and sank into the
wall behind them. The waiting horse
ratified his feet on the asphalt pavement,
his awakened driver uttered an exclama-
ton of alarm, and footsteps were heard
hurrYing away. The newspaper man
had sprung to his feet. Senator Jones
his guests arm and whispered
"Don't move"
'Some one fired in here" said the
journalist. 81 will pursue him."
"Do nothing of the kind" said SEN
ator Jones in an agitated whisper.
Make no alarm. That william could
not be caught now and no one must
hear of his attempt, lest others should
be led to initiate it." J
"What do you mean ?" asked the other
in surprise.
81 mean this: That man thought he
was shooting at the Vice-President of
the United States, who, by reckless |
newspaper publications, he had been led |
to believe is Indirectly responsible for
Gartield's fate. Mr.. Arthur must never |
hear of this, and, above all, the public |
must never hear of it. I consider that |
Mr.. Arthur's life is in your hands. If |
you publish this incident other cranks
will repeat to-night's attempt. I trust
% your honor to keep this event a
secret.
/ heard the occurrence narrated by the |
participant in Senator
Jones' presence and the latter fully cor
oborated it, and added these further
facts: cat that time Mr..
Arthur's friends had great difficulty in
keeping from him the threatening let
ers which poured in upon him. He
vas deeply distressed by the unfortunate
position in which he found himself, and
We dreaded the result if he discovered
hat hundreds of letters were addressed
o him charging him with Garfeld's as
and threatening him with
like fate. I well remember receiving
t that time a confidential letter from
Iurat Halstead, editor of the Cincinnati
Commercial, in which he warned me that
g had credible information to the effect
hat seven men in Boulder county, Col,
ad solemnly pledged one another to go
D Washington and take Arthur's life.
old Mr.. Arthur nothing of the matter,
Mt 7 wrote TO Mr.. Halstead that [ had
% fear of the Boulder county desperadoes
Il any other men who took the trouble
o register solerS zaths and all that sort
f thing, and that the Vice-President's
My danger was at the hands of just
UGH cranks as Guiteau."