The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1893-11-17
GUI1TEAU7S BONES.
The Real Burial Place of President
Garfields Assassin.
Not in n Medical Museum But Beneath
the Floor of the Prison In Which
the Murderer Was
Confined.

Deputy Warden Russ of the district
Jail made statement that the slxele-
ton of Guiteau, the assassin of Presi-
dent Garfield, is not on exhibition at
the medical museum, as has been gen.
orally supposed.
1t will be remembered that for long
time prior to the execution strenuous eff
forts were made to ascertain whore Gui-
teau was to be buried. Persons acting
in the interest of resurrectionists, both
those who wanted the body for dissec-
tion and several enterprising proprie-
tors who much desired to secure it for
exhibition purposes, industriously ques-
toned every one whom they thought
possessed the slightest knowledge.
Great precautions were taken to pre-
vent the grave from being robbed.
The following mode of procedure was
agreed upon to prevent the body from
being stolen. In order to ohviate what
ever legal difficulties might arise and
to forestall any claim the sister or
brother of the murderer might make,
it was decided that he should make a
will bequeathing his body to DR.. Hicks,
and it will probably be remembered
that the will when published created
some curiosity by its wording, giving
as it did the body to be disposed of as
the beneficiary saw fit
'After going over the whole mat
ter" said Warden Russ, ''aud realizing
that it would be impossible to properly
protect the corpse, it was decided to
bury il in the Jail the night of the
hanging. After the autopsy the body
remained in cheap coffin in the
| chapel of the jail. Upon my arrival at
the Jail early on Saturday morning fol.
| lowing the execution, secured a
couple of TRUSTEES and taking them
with me proceeded to the laundry
room. 1t is a little room just to the
east of the engine-room, dimly lighted
by small barred grating, and it made
almost an ideal tomb
''Two amateur grave diggers went
to work, and, quickly removing the
flooring, dug a grave sufficiently deep
by the time the body was brought
down from the chapel.
'There was only small party that
stood about that open grave and lis
tened to the solemn reading of the
burial service. Gen. Crocker, who was
the warden, was present, and believe
Charley Reed, the lawyer who assisted
in Guiteau's defense, besides several
j guards and the two prisoners who dug
the grave. 1t was weird scene, and
one. | shall never forget. The burial
in such a somber place was particular
ly nerve-trying, and think we all felt
relieved when DIR. Hicks concluded and
the darlxies began to cover up the cof
fin. This did not consume much time
and it was not long before the grave
was filed up and the flooring restored
to its normal position.
"There was no particular compact al
to secrecy among us, but itseemed tt
be generally understood that we woulC
maintain silence, especially as there
was considerable excitement at the
time. The story that the body had
been secretly removed to the medica'
museum was permitted to go uncon
tradicted, just as / state, because W.
did not believe it concerned anyone.
"What became of tbs brains anG
other organs of the assassin which
were removed at the autopsy held i'm
mediately after the execution do MOI
know, except the spleen, which is OF
exhibition at the museum. Whatever
else was left of the man who murdered
President Garfield lies beneath the
floor of the laundry-ros.cl Of the jail.