Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28


slowly through the ladies' reception
room of the old Baltimore & Potomac
Railroad Station at Sixth and B streets north
west.
Among half dozen other persons in the
reception room man of small stature, OF
restless eve nervous manner and ignoble
preston. He walked directly face to face to
the two gentlemen arm in arm, drew revolver
and fired directly at one of the men. This man
wheeled about, another shot rang out and the
victim crumpled and fell forward with second
bullet in his body, blood squirting from wound
in his back.
The man who had been shot was James A.
Garfield, President of the United States. HIS
assassin was Charles julius Guiteau.
Strollirg on the train platform were Cabinet
Secretaries William Windom, Robsft T. Lincoln
and w. H. Hunt and Postmaster General T. S.
James. Col. Jamison of the Post ONCE Depart
ment was witness to the shooting and, rush.
ing to the platform, cried out to the officials:
THE President is shot"
"NonSenSe!" some one replied.
81 saw i'll" said Col. Jamison.
The cabinet officers to the stricken Presi
dent. Secretary Blaine appeared to be the
only cool and collected person on the scene,
although he had his within the Presidents
when the woud-be murderer made the Chief
Executive his target Mr. Blaine was bending
over the apparently dying man and at the same
time attempting to keep back the fast-forming
crowd.
T.. III
reception ROOM reached the spot, ordered
water raised the Presidents head, placed it in
her lap and was bathing his face. Messengers
were running in search of doctors; mattress
was procured from so rewhere and the Sorely
wounded man placed upon it. DR.. D. w. Bliss,
well known Washington physician of that time,
and several other doctors finally arrived and
the patient was taken to room on the floor
above There superficial examination showed
Mr. Garfield to be seriously, perhaps fatally,
wounded and Dr. Bliss considered it imperative
that the distinguished patient be at once
removed to the White House. So down the
dong fight of stairs the mattress was carefully,
tenderly carried and placed in waiting police
ambulance surrounded by mounted police, and
in IL minutes Of rapid driving the Executive
Mansion was reached.
THE President laid upon the bed from
which he had few hours previously arisen
happy in the knowledge that that day brought
his first vacation in the four months since his
Inauguration and with commencement exercises
OF his alma mater, Williams College, Williams
town, Mass. his destination.
With stern lips and set faces the physicians
finished their examination and, as the first of
his shock wore off, President Garfield asked DIR.
Bliss about his true condition. Remember" he
said, II rot afraid to die" There were
indications of serious internal hemorrhage and
DR.. Bliss frankly replied that he feared death
would come within a few hours. Gods will
be DONE" Mr.. Garfield said.
President Garfelds attachment to his wife
Is a matter of history Just before he was
removed from the depot he reused suddenly
from semi-conscious state and said family
to his friend, Col A. L. Rockwell: II want you
to send message to my wife. Tell her am
seriously hurt; how serious I cannot yet say.
I am myself and hope she will come to me.
send her my love-" At about the same time
he apparently recognized his son Harry, who
knelt beside him.
Mrs Garfield, convalescing from recent ILL
ness at Long Branch, where her husband
had planned to continue his vacation with her,
when the fatal telegram from Col. Rockwell
reached her. In a special car she at once
began the trip to Washington, but 1t was late
evening before she reached the White House
and took up her bedside vigil, which she kept
until the rendezvous with death. Her husband
was first to hear the carriage wheels on the
gravel driveway and, smiling brightly, said:
'That's my wife God bless the little woman!"
Then the magnificent will power that had kept
him up until he greeted her gave way, and on
July telegraph and telephone wires, extra
editions Of the newspapers, gave the deeply
depressing news that there was but one chance
In a hundred for recovery.
It can be imagined with what apprehension
and despair the Fourth of July was gone
through with, especially to those who remem-
bered that three Presidents of the United States
had died on Independence day-Thomas Jeffer-
son and John A6amS in July, 1926; James
Monroe in 1881.
George William Curtis wrote, "In every
household there hushed and tender silence
rs if one dearly loved lay dying. Public
festivities were stayed. Reverent con-
gregations bowed in prayer. In the British