The Sunday globe., 1901-06-02
GUITEAU WAS BROKE.
Garfield'S Assassin Borrowed Money
He Never Repaid.

A Chicago lawyer tells a peculiar
story of his first and only meeting
with Charles j. Guiteau, the assassin
Of Garfield. "One afternoon in 1878 OF
1879" he says II was sitting in my
office rather busy, as | remember, when
in walked an odd-looking, brisk little
man, who asked for a few moments
interview in private. He was decently
dressed in black, but there was some
thing about him, | don't know what
that Immediately excited my curiosity
! led him to the back room and, with
out wasting any time, he Immediately
came to the point. 4 am a lawyer, he
said, as nearly as I can remember his
exact words, and my home is in Buf.
falo, n. Y. Bad health broke up my
practice and forced me to go to Cali
fOrnia last year but | have run out of
money and find myself stranded here
in Chicago viii you lend me enough
to buy a ticket on a cheap excursion
train that leaves for Buffalo this even
ing? The amount will be returned,
he added before the close Of the week
| was astonished, very naturally, not
only by his request but by the matter.
offact manner in which he preferred
it. But why in the world do you apply
to me?' I asked I never saw you be.
fore and have no earthly interest in
your affairs Well, sir I am a reli-
gious man, he replied, and / believe
i'm special Providence 1t is absolutely
necessary for me to Secure this assis-
! tanct from somebody, and in passing
| your door a few moments ago some
| thing told me that | would find il here.
| The statement l made to you regarding
my predicament may seem meager he
went on, but it would be childish to
waste your time on details when
| have no means at hand for confirming
! them | gave you the essential facts
and now ask you to lend me the money
on faith purely He said all this in a
simple, straight forward fashion that
| impressed me with its truth" cOntin-
ued the lawyer "and acting on one of
those fantastic impulses that occasion
ally seize the most leyelheaded Of us,
| stuck my hand in my pocket and gave
him the sum he wanted He thanked
me quietly, took a memoranda of my
name and address and was about to
write his own when stopped him and
purely faith transaction any data OF
that kind would be highly superfuous
If you don't send me the money said
!, I shall certainly make no effort tC
collect it, He smiled blandly and
walked out, and that was the last !
ever saw or heard of him, but he left
a souvenir I'm the shape Of a small
work of reference called Blair's Syno'
nyms, which I found next day on the
table. I remembered seeing the book
in his hand when he came in, and he
forgot it, no doubt, In his eagerness
10 decamp after he secured the cash
/ threw il on the top shelf in the Ii
brary, so it wouldn't remind me of the
episode, for by that time ! had come
to my senses and realized that a first
class donkey | had made of myself
OF course, the money was never re
turned, and the story as it stands is a
rather commonplace instance of Gun
ming and credulity, but it happens to
have a curious little second chapter
In 1885 ! changed the location Of my
office, and when the books were being
moved. Blair's synonyms, forgotten
and covered with dust, fell out Of one
of the cases. picked it up, opened II
at random, and for the first time no
ticed the name of the owner scrawled
at the bottom Of the back fiyleaf. The
name was Charles J. Guiteau.'