The herald., 1893-09-11
GU|TEAU'S BPuES BURIED.
What Was | 1ne With the
Assassin's Body.
His Skeleton Not Exposed to the
Public Gaze.
Not On Exhibition In the Medical
Museum as Supposed.
How the Resurrectfonists Were Bafiod
In Their Attempts to Get Possess
sion of the Murderer's
Remains.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
WASHINGTON. Sept. 10.-Deputy Ward
en- Russ OF the district jail made the
statement today that the skeleton of
Guiieau, the assassin of President Gar
field, was not on exhibition at the Med
ical museum, as has been generally sup-
posed. 1t will be remembered that for
a long time prior to the execution, stren-
uous efforts were made to ascertain
where Guiteau was to be buried. Per-
sons acting in the interest of the resur-
rectionists, both those who wanted the
body for dissection, as we'll as several
enterprising museum proprietors who
much desired to secure it for exhibition
purposes, industriously questioned every
one who it was thought possessed the
slightest knowledge. Great precautions
were taken to prevent the grave from
being robbed. The following mode of
procedure was agreed upon to prevent
the body from being stolen:
In order to obviate whatever legal
difficulties might arise and to forestall all
claims the sister or brother of the MUIR
derer might take, 1t was decided that he
should make will bequeathing his
be remembered the will when published
created some curiosity by the wording
of it, giving as it did the body to be
disposed of as the beneficiary saw f 6
After going over the whole matter and
realizing that it would be impossible to
properly protect the corpse, it was de-
cided to bury it 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 following the execu-
tion," said Russ, 81 secured couple of
TRUSTEES, and taking them with me pro-
ceeded to the laundry room. 1t was
little room iuet to the eaet of the en-
eine room, dimly lighted by small
barred grating, and made an almost
ideal tomb. Two amateur grave dig.
gers went to work and, quickly renov-
ing the flooring, dug grave sufficiently
deep. By the time the body had been
brought down from the chapel and the
grave finished, Hicks arrived to conduct
the funeral services.
s'There was only small party that
stood about that open grave and listened
to the solemn reading of the burial SER
vices. General Crocker, who was ward
en-, was present and, believe, Charley
Reed, the lawyer who was an assistant
in Guiteau's defense, besides several
guards and the two prisoners who dug
the grave. 1t was q weird scene and
one shall never forget. The burial in
such a somber place was particularly
nerve-trying, and think we all felt re-
lieved when DR.. Hicks had concluded
and the darkies began to cover up the
coffin. This did not consume much
time, and it was not long before the
grave was filed up and the flooring re-
stored to it's normal position.
"There was no particular compact
made as to secrecy among US, but it
seemed to be generally understood that
we would maintain silence, especially
as there was considerable excitement at
the time. The story that the body had
been secretly removed to the medical
museum was permitted to be uncon-
tradicted, lust as state, because we did
not believe it concerned any one. What
became of the brains and other organs
OF the assassin which were removed at
the autopsy held Immediately after the
execution. do not know, except the
spleen is on exhibition at the museum.
Whatever else is left of the man who
murdered President Garfield lies be-
meath the floor of the laundry room of
| the JAIL"