The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-29
THE MISTAKE OF GUITEAU.
Chicago Rec ord Herald.

I'd Herald.
after the inauguration of Garfield and
Arthur Guiteau came to Washington and
commenced his campaign for a CONSUL
ship or ministership to Europe. He paid
no attention to the president. He de-
voted all his time to the state depart
sment. He was in the state Office every
day for weeks. His applications were
made for diplomatic positions in France
and England. The clerks who first came
in contact with him took him for fool
and laughed.
- Later, because he was so serious and
7 $50 much in earnest, they began to tritie
with him. He would come in and ask:
~ was to have the post at Paris:
has Secretary Blaine acted upon it yet?
I am very anxious to get away
i He has not acted today. Mr.. Gull
j ,teau. but he may tomorrow. We have
no doubt but that he will remember you.
Hood day, Mr.. Guiteau.'
This sort of thing continued for
weeks with constant disappointment for
the man. convinced him that despite his
wonderful services Gas he believed) for
| the party, conspiracy existed against
! him in the state department to prevent
| his being rewarded. appointment after
| appointment was made of men to offices
which Guiteau imagined had been prom
| Used him. He demanded explanations
from the state department. The clerks
i laughed and answered.:
"'Oh we'll, Mr.. Guiteau, there are
other offices you can get. Have pa
| tience.'
with such a man patienc. ceases
as soon as he is inwardly convinced
that no supposed promise made him Is to
be kept. Guteau's patience ended weeks
| before he shot Garfield. know now,
and others know, too, that he hid by the
great iron ratings on the approach to
the state department. apparently wait
ing for a favorable opportunity to con-
front Mr.. Blaine. He skulked there.
concealng himself as much as possible,
but by some strange chance Mr.. Blaine
during this period never came out under
circumstances which would permit Gui-
teau to confront him as he wished to.
believe Guiteau was armed then and was
contemplating the murder of the man
who he believed had betrayed him.
-
THE morning of the assassinatio
Guiteau, who could easily know the
movements Of the secretary of state,
was at the Baltimore & Potomac sta
ton awaiting his coming. When Blaine
and Garfield entered the waiting-room
Blaine was nearest Guiteau. Blaine was
holding the presidents arm and his
body concealed the presidents from
Guiteau's eyes just as the latter fired.
But here enters another unexplainable
happening. The hundredth part of a
second before Guiteau fired, Blaine and
Garfield both having their faces turned
| from him, Blaine took half-wheel
step, carrying the president with him in
the action. The result of this was to
take Blaine in the twink1ing of an eye
out Of the range of Guiteau's pistol
and to bring Garfield in line with it. The
president fell and Blaine was unframed
1t all happened so quickly that on the
flush of the first horror there appeared
, | to be no question but that Guiteau in
: tended to kill Garfield.
Investigation does not bear that
! | theory out in my judgment. All of Cur
: teau's plans. in my opinion, u? to the
J moment Garfield fell. were to kill Blaine
r the head of the state department. an6
r the responsible factor, as he believed, fol
: his failing to secure single office OF thu
E many he sought. Nothing saved Blaine
but that miraculous half-wheel step.
3 '"Guiteau knew the error he made be
fore he reached his cell. He believed h
e had to justify himself He was familia
= with the Conkling fight, and his politi
f cal sympathies were with the New Yorl
= crowd because it was in New York tina
t he had been most CONSIDERABLY treate'
: during the campaign. He instantl,
r brought all his insane hatred into pla,
n against Garfield, and the world at larg
t was convinced that a second presiden
: had been deliberately assassinated.
II shall never think otherwise, doc
g tor, than that Charles J. Guiteau intende
!, to kill James G. Blaine and not James A
: Garfield. He went to the railway static
: with that purpose in his mind. The fate
decreed it should be otherwise"