Evening star., 1937-09-19
By John CIagen Proctor.

"A 70 DOUBT there are but com
paratlvely few people who wi
" associate this date of tn
4 month with the death O
President James Abram Garfield. VIII
died September 10. 1881, when tn
entire Nation was praying for his re
covery. OF course, those who wer
living at the time, and were oil
enough then to comprehend what tn
loss of beloved President means, vii
recall the final days of his life, tn,
watchful waiting around his bedside
and then the gloomy news-"the Pres
ident is deadr'
The writer was in his early teen
at the time of Garfield's assassina
ton, and not only recalls this das
tardly deed, but also remembers per,
fectly the. news of the death of thL
sterling American citizen and Presi
dent of the United States, as it wa.
given to the people of the countr,
through the extra editions of tn;
newspapers of that period, and the
universal sadness it created.
PRESIDENT GARFIELD was shot
and mortally wounded on July 2
more than two months prior to his
death, by Charles J. Guiteau, who
subsequently paid the supreme pen
atty for his rash act. The event took
place in the Baltimore e. Potomac
Depot, and though there we're no ra-
dios and very few telephones at that
time, yet the telegraph and the press
spread the news rapidly to the four
corners of the earth, and The Star
soon had an extra edition on the
street, followed in short order by a
second, and then a third, and from
one of these the following account is
taken:
About $50 o'clock this morning
the startling news rapidly spread
throughout the city that the President,
who was about to depart from the
city, had been fatally shot at the
Baltimore 4 Potomac Railroad de-
pot, the horrible intelligence coming
so unexpectedly, but was soon proved
to be too true. The city was soon
full of excitement, and as various
officials we're galloping up and down
the Avenue, vast crowds of people
made their way to the depot.
President Garfield was shot this
morning at $50 O'Clock at the Bal
timore e. Potomac Depot. He had
just alighted from his carriage to take
the cars for the North. Secretary
Hunt and Mrs. Hunt. Secretary Win
dom and Mrs. Window and Miss
Window, Postmaster General James
and the rest Of the party had taken
their seats in the car. Col. Jameson
of the Post Office Department. who
was to have charge of the transpor-
tation of the party. was standing at
the gate leading to the cars. He heard
a shot. quickly followed by another.
There was a rush to the ladies' room,
whence the sounds came. President
Garfield was found lying on the floor,
having fallen to the left.
Secretary Blaine came out of the
room, following man and calling:
ROCKWELL Where is Rockwell?' The
man was seized by Officer Kearney
and Mr.. Parks, the depot policeman.
: The President was taken upstairs. DR..
Bliss arrived soon afterward. 1t was
soon discovered that both shots had
taken effect. One struck him in the
right arm below the shoulder The
other went in at the right side
of the back, between the hip and the
kidney. 1t then passed forward and
went down into the groin. 1t was
probed for, but could not be found.
The assassin was about feet Z
inches in height, of strong though not
stout build. The weapon he used was
revolver about inches long. 1t had
an ivory handle. The caliber was
very large; it is what is known as a
California pistol 1t made very
loud report. When arrested he said !:
I did it and want to be arrested. I
am a stalwart, and Arthur is Presi-
dent now. I have a letter that I want
to give to Gen. Sherman. 1t wi ex-
plain everything. Take me to the
police station"
THE headquarters of the Police De-
partment was then on the north
west corner of John Marshall place
and Pennsylvania avenue, and to this
building the assassin was taken prior
to being removed to the Jail, at the
far eastern part Of the city, then quite
4 modern structure.
However, the old headquarters
building had long before this become
historic, for here had once been the
boarding house of Mrs. Peyton. where
lived such notables as John c. CAL
houn, Vice President with John Quincy
Adams, and who continued on as such
with Andrew Jackson, but thought so
little of the Office that he rendered
his resignation in 1892: Henry Clay,
member of Congress and statesman;
Senator Robert Y. Hayne, who in 1880
debated the Constitution with Daniel
Webster; Henry A. Wise, member of
Congress, Governor of Virginia and
diplomat, and Henry Wilson. Vice
President during the second term of
Z. S. Grant.
The old police headquarters was re-
moved from this corner many years
ago, and the present building, where
is now the Office Of the director OF
traffic, which was erected by the Ford
Motor Co. The Baltimore 6z Potomac
Depot was removed about 29 years ago
1t stood on Government ground, and
It's sheds extended for probably block
south OF the main building. The
tracks over which came tn railroad
trains from the South occupied Sixth
street all the way to Maryland avenue
Architectually the building was very
pleasing to the eye, and from thi,
standpoint was not a discredit to the
city, though the placing of the depor
on North B street and the tracks ir
South Washington did surely not en-
nance the value of property in thi:
section of the city. 1t undoubtedly