The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-09

President Garnelds Fate.
It was on July ?. 1881, only four
months after his Inauguration as Pres
ident, that Garfield left the Whlte
House to attend commencement at his
alma mater, Williams College. He had
just entered the Pennsylvania station
in Washington, when he was shot in
the back by Guiteau Guiteau was
promptly captured. and for a time
there was hope of Gar1eld's recovery.
But, after enduring great suffering
with notable fortitude, Garfield passed
away at Elberon, n. j. on Sept. 10,
eighty days after the shooting. He was
i'll his fiftieth year His public career
had not been without political scan
dals, and he had even been accused
of selling John Sherman in his own in
terest at the convention of June, 1880,
which so Unexpectedly nominated him
as the Republican candidate. But the
manner of his martyrdom moved all
citizens, irrespective of party or opir-
ion, TO genuine grief, and his brave
battle with pain and death won him
the hearts of his countrymen. The re-
mains of this brilliant, Gambetta- like
statesman were placed in the rotunda
of the Capitol, where an immense
wreath of white rosebuds stood at the
foot of his coffin, with the inscription:
Queen Victoria to the memory of the
late President Garfield. An expression
Of her sorrow and sympathy with Mrs
GARFIELD and the American nation"
Gdrheld's memorial monument stands
at Cleveland, o.
Blaine Was with Him.
Secretary of State James c. Blaine
was walking arm -in-arm with Garfield
when Guiteau fired his deadly shot.
Guiteau was one of a small group of
| CT
ladies' room in the railroad station. AS
the President and Secretary passed, the
assassin turned. made a step in their
direction. and, drawing a heavy re-
volver from his pocket aimed it cares
fully and fired deliberately. Garfield
turned in excited surprise. Blaine
sprang to one side. Guiteau then re-
cooked his revolver and calmly fired
again at the President, who this time
fell to the floor, covered with blood.
Guiteau fed dropping his pistol as he
ran, but he was quickly caught.
Garfield was driven to the executive
mansion, where his condition was de-
clded to be so critical that it would
be highly dangerous to probe for the
bullet The medical Judgment in this
case has been declared to have been
at fault Later the wounded Presi-
dent was removed to Elberon to bene-
MT by the sea breeze; but the hope
proved vain. The bullet lodged in his
back caused blood poisoning. 1t had
pierced the tissues by a long, crooked
course, leaving a wound that could
not be properly drained
Guiteau's Career.
Garfield's assassin, Guiteau. had been
by spells a politician. a lawyer, lee
turer, theologian and evangelist. He
pretended to have been inspired by
wifi he
moval of Garfield was necessary for
the unity of the Republican party and
for the salvation of the country. He
is said to have exclaimed on being arn
rested: "AIl right I did it, and will
go to Jail for it. l am a stalwart, and
Arthur will be President" This trial
began in November and lasted over
two months. The defense was insan-
ity, but the prosecution sought to show
that the murderer had long been IAN
unprincipled adventurer. greedy for
notoriety." The public rage against
him was intense Sergt. Mason, a
soldier set to guard him, actually fired
bullet into Guiteau's cell. For this
unsuccessful deed the sergeant received
a sentence of eight years in the Alba
ny penitentiary. Two months later a
mysterious horseman, dashingt past
Guiteau, as the assassin was being led
! from Jail to court, grazed the prisoners
wrist with a bullet During >his trial
Guiteau acted in most disorderly style
and INDUCED in scurrilous Interrupt
tons. He was found guilty in jan
uary 1882. and was executed at Wash
| ington on June 80 following. AS the
last juror signified his assent to the
death verdict Guiteau shrieked out:
My blood will be on the heads of that
jury! Don't you forget it, God will
aVenge this outrage" But the autop-
sy revealed no disease of the brain
Guiteau's skeleton is now in the Army
Medical Museum.
Rulers Killed in Other Countries.
Our sister republic of France has
also been called upon to mourn for an
assassinated President. Sadi-Carnot
was stabbed to death by Cesario San
to on June "a, 1894. The great French
statesman and President was visiting
the Lyons Exposition, and was going
from the Palais de Commerce. where a
banquet had been held in his honor, to
the Grand Theater, when Santo jumped
on the footstep of Carnot's carriage
and stabbed him in the liver.
SPANS Prime Minister, Senior Cano-
vas del Castillo, also met his fate at
the hand of an Italian anarchist. While
at the baths. at Santa Equeda, Spain,
on Aug. s, 1897, he was shot by Ri
naldi. The premier fell dying at the
feet of his Mortified wife.
King Humbert of Italy has been the
latest victim of the Old World slayers
of crowned heads. He fell a victim to
the bullet of Gaetano Bresci, on July
20. 1900. The illustrious monarch was
shot through the heart while entering
his carriage near Monza. Italy, and
he died within a few minutes. An
archy was at the bottom of this crime,
! as of almost every European assas-
sination.
| Perhaps the most brutal of all the as
sassinations of recent times was the
murder of Elizabeth, the Empress OF
Austria, by Luigi Luccheni, on Sept.
| 10, 1898. For this crime Luccheni was
sentenced to Imprisonment for life.
Emperor Alexander II of Russia was
killed by the Nihilists on March 10, 1881.
The imperial carriage was returning
! from a review OF the Marine Corps,
when a bomb was thrown that wound
ed some of his escort. The Emperor
descended from his carriage and was
MORALLY wounded by a second explod-
ing bomb. His assassination thus oc-
CURED only a few weeks before that
of Garfield.
Nasr- el-Din, Shah of Persia, was as
! sassinated May /, 1896: Gen. Borda,
! President of Uruguay, Aug. 26, 1897,
and Gen. Barrios of Guatemala, Feb.
8, 1895
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