Newspaper Page Text
/ GUITEMJ HANGED.
DEATH LVSTA^ASEQUS,
— 7 » t .
The Assassin’s Last Hours.
From our Special Correspondent.
Washington, June 30.—Guiteau,
has expiated his crime. He was hung
to day in the jail of the District of
Columbia, the drop falling at thirty
nine minute* past 12. The assassin
met his death in a broken down
condition. He ate a hearty breakfast
and partoO&of a hearty dinner at 11
o’clock {Shortly after his diuner he
broke down and began to cry and sob.
His attendants braced him up. When
the time came* ft>r him to walk to his
death he was entirely compose 1. -
He went across the rotunda of the
jail to the opposite side, w here he was
to be hung, with a steady tread. He
looked pale, but was calm and
collected. With arms pinioned, he
strode to the galtowg and up Its steps
he went with a firm tread On the
second step from the top he stumbled-
but was supported by-the attendants.
He immediately, without any direc¬
tion, took his place right over the
drop. He stood there for a moment
looking at the two hundred and fifty
people who possessed passes to * see
him hung. He had in his hand a
piece of white paper, which, when
dropped, was to be the signal for the
man out of sight to spring the trap.
With a geim voice aud with faultlsss
elocution Guiteau read verses from
St. Matthew, the burden, of which
was* ‘you may kill tip) body but not
the soul.’ I >
.
The Bible from which he tiad ww
held before him by Dr. Ilicks. Then*
in equally, as clear a voice, * the ns-*
sassin recited what he called ‘My
Dying Prayer on the Gallows.’ Dr
1 licks held the copy before him t<q
read. It, as also the poem, was
written in Guiteau’8 bold, large hand
On finishing the prayer, the assassin
saiil that he had composed a poem
this morning, which he would read.
It was doggerel, of course, The i lea
of the poetu, Guiteau said, was that
of a child babbling to his mamma.
Ths tea ling of this so-called poem
was not very successful. Guiteau
broke down and could not finish i
intelligently. He simply sobbed it.
He could not talk intelligently. Before
lie had finished he was completely
broken down. Jl’hen he got through
Dt*. Hicks leaned upon the railing of
the seatFold and commenced to pray.
Before he had said a half dozen words
Guiteau dropped the piece of paper
which he held in his hand. The
signal was immediately recognized.
The drop was sprung, and the body
was swaying in the air. The neck
was not entirely dislocated, but it
was a very good execution. The
murderer drew his legs half up three
ses and then hung as if lead were
attached to him. As he dropped the
prisoners in the adjoining cells set
up a hurrah, which «as taken up and
echoed and re-echoed by the crowd
of about a thousand people outside.
1 he only member of his family
who witnessed the execution was his
brother, Juo W. Guiteau. Ihe
brother tooA things very complacently
and quietly. lie stood near the foot
of the steps leading to the scaffold,
and showed no emotion whatever.
He saw his brother swung into eter-
nity without moving a muscle. After
swinging in the air lor about twenty
minutes the body was taken down*
placed in a plain coffin and carried to
the chapel of the jail. I here an
autopsy was pe: termed. If medical
science is to bo trusted, ot which
there is grave doubt, Guiteau’s body
showed by the autopsy that lie was
perfectly normal, and that his brain
was notatlected. Tonight in the
northeast corner of the jail, near the
scaffold upon which he was hung
Guiteau was buried in a plain deal
box. Ihe spot will be marked by a
simple stone with the name, age and
date of death upon it. So ends it
all.
By the Associated Press.
Waslington, United States Jail,
June 30, 9:45 a. m. —Guiteau was
very restless during the most ot the
latter part of the night, not sleeping
more than twenty minutes at a time,
Towards morning he fell into
sounder sleep from sheer exhaustion
He rose a few minutes after fire, and
breakfasted heartily at 6:30.
When the cook took his breakfast
r ~ r~~^s OCCOA NEWS
By Edw SCHAEFER- i
VOL IX.
into the cell, Guiteau told him to
bring bis dinner in at 11 o’clock
promptly. Rev. Dr. Hicks, who
remained at the jail all night, was
called into the prisoner's cell goon
after be rose, and held a conversation
on religions subjects with him.
At 8 o doc* Dr. Hicks saw the
prisoner again, when he made a
request to have a bath^ and asked
the reverend gentleman to go out and
seethe scaffold, and desired him to
arrange with the Warden to have the
trap sprung as soon after 12 o’clock
as possible. He also expressed con¬
siderable anxiety, lest some accident
should occur, and insisted that Dr.
Hicks should sec that the scaffold and
its appurtenances were
ALL IN PROPER AND SAFE CONDITION,
After Guiteau had disposed of this
matter he read a poem composed by
himself, which he calls ‘Simplicity, or
Religious Body Talk.’ After read-
ing it aloud he attempted to sing it,
but broke down in the effort, which
would have appeared quite ridiculous
if the occasion had been less solemn.
Guiteau then talked for some time
about his future, lie remarked that
his heart was tender. ‘I don t think,
hc said, ‘I can go through this ordeal
without weeping—not because of any
great weakness, for principle in me
is strong, but because I am nearer to
the other world. 1 hold to the idea
that God inspired me.’
Guiteau subsequently asked that
in his books all the complimentary
remarks about President Arthur and
his administration be eliminated.
Then he presented to Dr. Hicks the
books that have been the companion
of his lonely hours. lie told Dr.
Hicks that he wanted him to offer the
first prayer on the scaffold, saying
that lie (Guiteau) would then read
Ids favorite scriptural passage, the
10th chapter of John, and offer pray¬
er on bis own account; then he
intended, he said to read his poem,
-Simplicity.’ He desired to have the
execution so arranged that just as he
uttered the last word the drop should
l)e
GU£TEAU -
a BROTHER at the jail.
John w Guiteau arrived at the jail
at Q G - clock and Wft8 followed in a
fcw minutes u T p arden Crocker,
These two gentiemen, with Dr. Hicks,
were in consultati on as to the dispo¬
siti(m of the body .
taking his morning exercise.
^ g : f5 the prisoner came out into
^ ie corr idor and exercised for fifteen
tninut(8 Hc walA - ed very briskly,
maki ifc rather difficult for his
g Qar( j g to keep p ace with him.
Guitcau generally has taken his cx-
erc i se his shirt and drawers. This
moruing> however, he wore a pair of
dar ^ panfs ai^d had a handkerchief
ded , loosely about his neck,
the scene at the jail.
The scene about the jail this morn-
u unique . The office of the jail
bas been given up completely to a
[ arcre | corps of newspaper reporters,
an asquad G f them are scribbling
away ou ev ery table and window sill,
and ever y projection that offers a rest,
paper, Many newspaper reporters
remained all nigUt The private
odb>c Q f 'Warden has been trans-
formed vemporari i y into a telegraph
Q ^ ce? aud before 9 o’clock eight
in8truments were clicking a merry
accompaniment to the gloomy prepa-
rations going ou iDside the jail,
A stream of visitors.
At nine o clock there w„ a
n ie Xhescenro*rside U
tho jan was
that of enterprising^ some creat -ala occasion
Some colored men had
erected booths. rom w .0 t ey
dispersed lemonade, cakes aud other
refreshments to the weary aud thirsty-
pcopl( ^ who began bcfore 9 0 - clock to
assemb ] e j n the road in front of the
jail. Mounted messengers speeding
to and from thc city and - carriages
coutTnual bringing visitors to the jail, kept up
clouds of dust, covering
over the road that winds through the
Devoted to News? Politics- Agriculture aud General
GA., JULY 8, 1882.
w ide common that lies between the
and the city. At 10:10 o’clock
Guiteau expressed a desire to take a
bath, and a large tub was taken into
his cell. At this hour no one save
t be ‘death watch’ was with him.
the prisoner takes a bath.
Guiteau nervous* disrobed and
plunged into the bath. It was quite
apparent to the guard, who was
closely watching his every movement,
that his object J in asking fora bath
was simply , to obtain , , . some employ- ,
ment which might distract his
thoughts from the dread contempla¬
tion of his approaching death. He
evinced increased nervousness, and
his uncertain movements, distrait
manner and marked tremor in his
tones when he attempted to speak,
impressed the guard with the belief
that he was rapidly weakening.
The opinion is expressed by some
of thc officials that he will be unable
to control his emotions when the
dread moment arrives, aud even if he
does not completely break down, and
ma ke a sceue, that he will be unable,
fjotn nervovs excitement, to carry
out the programme upon the scaffold
which he has announced.
THE ROTUNDA THROWN OPEN.
10 :45 A. * m.— The rotunda was
thrown open at ten o’clock, and the
newspaper men flocked in. There
were few others there except the jail
guards and a squad of artillerymen.
Early this morning the prisoners in
the part of the jail overlooking the
court where the gallows stands were
all removed to other quarters. Seven¬
ty policemen are posted along the
roadway outside the building. In
addition to the jail guard, all the
available men of Battery 0., United
States Artillery, are on duty inside
the jail. Shortly before 11 o’clock
Guiteau called for paper, and for
twenty minutes engaged in copyiug
what he calls ‘his prayer upon the
scaffold.’ At 11 o’clock Mrs. Seoville
arrived and besought admission. She
was laboring under great excitement,
John W. Guiteau went out to see
her, and persuaded her to make no
further attempt to gain admission.
11 -.35 A. m. —While Dr. Hic7cs was
in the cell at 11 o’clock, Guiteau
made some requests as to the execu¬
tion, and having made copies of his
‘Last Prayer,’ a poem and other
writings, tore up the original. He
had his boots blacked, and os the
doctor was leaving the cell his
was brought in, and Guiteau ate it
with much relish.
When Dr. Hicks came out of the
cell he said the prisoner had not the
slightest fear. ‘We have had a pleas-
aut religious talk. He feels now
that his preparation is finished, and
he is ready for the last formality. Hc
commits himself to God with the
utmost confidence. 1 think he will
show some emotion because the
nervous strain is so great.’
THE DEATH WARRANT READ TO
GUITEAU.
Bulletin, 12:05 P. M.—At five
minutes past 12 o’clock General
Crocker read the death warrant to
the prisoner in his cell. The only
persons present were General Crock-
ly Deputy Warden Rush and Rev.
ur. Hr- TTi/ff-ss nicivw.
the trocession starts for the
oallows.
Shortly before twelve o clock Gui-
teau seemed to break dowu com-
P^>■ ■ bnrst illto “^tl tear9 , nd
warrantwaares<lto tbc 1 ' ri ‘ ,0 “ er b .V
the Warden ho became much more
wittT^is^^d
f in
At 12:2o a loud steam whistle was
blown^at a workhqnse which was
near the jail. This whistle usually
blow^ blows El st 12 12 O o'clock CIOCK, by which which Guitean temteau
tfas m the habit of thus reckoning his
timc ; The dela ? 10 da T was b Y
-
special arrangement, so that its
startling summons might not come
before the officers were ready’. Two
minutes later the iron gates at the
end of the corridor clioked. Then
Warden Crocker made his appear¬
ance and a moment later the familiar
figure of Guiteau was seen. Hie face
was pallid, and the muscles about his
mouth moved nervous*. Other ti.au
this there were no signs of faLcrmg.
The procession moved quickly to the
scaffold, and Guiteau ascended the
twelve somewhat steep steps with as
much . steadiness . as could be expected ^ ■
from a man whose arms were tightly
pinioned behind him.
on the scaffold.
At the last step he faltered for a
moment, but was assisted by two
officers, who walked one on either
side. Upon reaching the platform
Guiteau was placed immediately
behind the drop, facing to the front
of the scaffold. Capt. Coleman stood
upon bis right, Mr. Robt. Strong
upon his left, and Mr. Woodward
directly behind him. Mr. Jones took
position on the north side near the
upright beam. General Crocker (the
Warden) took his position at the
southeast corner of the structure.
There was a slight delay, while the
crowd of two hundred and fifty or
more spectators wore pushing and
jostling through the door leading from
the rotusda to the corridor, at the
lower end of which the gallows was
placed. Guiteau, meanwhile, gazed
upon the crowd, looked at the beam
over bi3 head, and quickly make a
survey of all the dread parapbanalia.
As soon as the crowd had gained
access, General Crocker motioned to
them to uncover, and all heads were
bared. B^-. Hicks made an invocation
in these words •
‘Father, out of the depths we cry
to Thee. Hear Thou our supplication
for the sake of Jesus Christ our
Saviour, who has made a full propi¬
tiation for us. Behold this Thy ser¬
vant. We humbly pray that Thou
wd t deliver him at this supreme mo
ment of his life. Let thy light de-
scend upon him. Liberate his soul
from prison. Maybe appear before
Thee absolved by thy great mercy
from blood guiltiness. D diver him
and us. God have mercy on us;
Christ have mercy on us; Lamb of
God that taketh away the sins of the
world have mercy ou us. Amen and
amen !’
During the prayer Guiteau stood
with bowed head. At its conclusion
Hicks opened the Bible, and
Guiteau in a firm tone said :
‘1 will read a selection from the
loth chapter of Matthew, from the
*28th to the 41st verses, inclusive.’
He then read in a clear, strong
voice, and with good intonation,
showing little, if any r, nervousness.
Dr. , Hicks produced i j the manuscript,
which was prepared by the prisoner
this morning, and held it before him
while Guiteau read. While Dr. Hicks
was arranging the manuscript Gui-
teau exhibited slight nervousness, and
moved seven times rom one
the other. 11c soon recovere is
composure, looked over a sea of
upturned faces, and said, ‘I ara now
going to read to you my last dying
prayer.’
the assassin’s prayer,
He then read in a ioua lit tone, ana a
with a distinct delibera ion and cm-
pbasis, the following ;
‘my dying prayer os the callows.
J -Father! Now 1 ha°ve go to Thee and
t Saviour, f finished the
work Thou gavest me to do, nw\ )
am on* too happy to go to
my C roisgibn.^ tmt D Thou et know<^t l *ib
conie from it . This is the best evi-
denee that the inspiration came from
Thee, and / 4 have set forth in my
book that all men mav read and know
teL ^ Father ’ didst inspire the
for j now murdered
This Government and nation, by this
act, J know, will incur Thy eternal
enmity, as did the Jews by killing
1 TERMS- $1 50 A YEAR.
NO.
Thy Ulan, ray Saviour. The retribu¬
tion in that case came quick and
sharp, aud I know Thy divine law of
retribution will strike this nation and
my murderers in the same way. The
diabolical spirit of this nation, its
government and its newspapers to-
ward me will justify Thee in cursing
therefore prediet that this nation
will go down in blood, and* that my
murderers, from the executive to the
hangman, will go to hell, ihy laws
are inexorable. Oh thou Supreme
j , Woe unto the men that vio-
j a te Thy laws. Only weeping and
gnashing of teeth awaits them. The
A merican press has a large bill to
settle with Thee, Righteous Father,
for their vindictiveness in this mat-
ter. them, Nothing and blood but blood will satisfy
my be on them and
this nation and its officials. Arthur,
the President, is a coward and an
ingrate. His ingratitude to the man
that made him and saved his party
and ] and from overthrow has not a
parallel in history- But Thou, Right-
cous Father, will judge him. Father,
Thou knowest me, but the world has
not known me, and now I go to Thee
and the Saviour without the slightest
ill will toward a human being. Fare-
well, ye men of earth.
At several points be half P««£»
a >id endeavored to irapait an -
oftou observed during "express so
lus trial, when
he was angered at something which
was said or done. This was peculiar-
ly noticeable when lie- alluded to
President Arthur, and when he de¬
clared that this nation would ‘go
down in blood.’
TttE TOEX.
If lien he had finished reading his
prayer, he again surveyed the crowd,
and said, still with a firm voice) ‘I
am now going to read some verses,
which arc intended to indicate my
feelings at the moment of leaving this
world. If set to music they may be
rendered effective. The idea is that
of a child babbling to his mamma and
his papa. I wrote it r* s morning
about ten o’clock-’ ] O then com¬
menced to chant these verses in a sad
and doleful style;
“I am going to the Lordy,
I am so glad *,
I am going to the Lordy,
I am so glad.
I am going to the Lordy.
Glory hallelujah ; glory hallelujah 1
I am going to the Lordy—
1 love the Lordy with all my soul.
ulory hallelujah!
And that is the reason
I am going to the Lord.
Glory hallelujah ! glory hallelujuh!
I am going to the Lord.’
Here Guiteau s voice failed, and he
bowed his head and broke into sobs,
but he rallied a little and went on
w'ith his chant:
“I saved my party and my land,
Glory hallelujah 1
But they have murdered me for it;
Arid that is the reason
I am going to the Lordy.
Glory hallelujah ! glory hallelujah !
I am going to the Lordy. 5
Here again his feelings overcame
him, and he leaned his head on the
shoulder of , Vir Ilickg a nd sobbed
pititally. Still he went on:
ti j wcm der what I will do,
When I get to the Lordy?
I guess that I will weep no more
*
Then there was another
^.- on cauaed by sobs and emotion,
w j xich he was unable to repress. He
wept bitterly.and then, with quiver-
ing lips and mournful tones, he went
onto finish his ditty :
“1 wonder what I will see,
When i get to the Lordy?
x cxpcc t to see most splendid things,
g e y on d all earthly conception,
When l am with the Lord.
Ulory hallelujah!
Raising bis voice to the highest pitch
that he could —d,
/aVwitb the Lord!’
cl(J8ed th(J chanti and t heo
benccUction anriffarewell^saying’*
*
T m * wooai! adjusted
1 he . .. . , ^
legs, piac s J
anfi carefully adjusted it about his .
n ® ck - Mr. Strong placed the black
cap over his head and as he did so
Guiteau called ouo in loud tones,
‘Gloiy! glory! glory 1*
SWUNG OFF.
Instantly the spring was touched,
the drop fell at 12:if» p in. and
Guiteau swung in air. The body
turned partly around but there was
not the slightest perceptible move¬
ment of the limbs or any evidence of
conscious effort to move them. \\ hen
the drop fell a yell was sent up by
some persous inside the jail. This
was received outside by the voices of
a thousand or more people, who
hurrahed lustilv. There was a general
onslaught by the populace upon the
door, which was so powerful that the
officers were unable to withstand it.
Hundreds of people crowded into the
office and there was a terrible crush
at the doors.
For at least forty seconds after the
drop fell the body hung motionless.
Then there was a slight motion of the
shoulders and lges, due 4 to muscular
contraction.
instant death.
eZiiS
bv the physicians. There was a
decided action of the heart for fully
fourteen minutes, and the pulse
fluttered two minutes after When
the body had ground hung with the feet just
touching the for over half an
hour, it was lowered into the coffin,
which was waiting for it under the
scaffold. The physicians decided at
once that the neck had been broken,
When the body w as lowered the black
cap was removed and the face exposed,
The features were pallid and com-
posed. About the mouth there was
considerable moisture. After the
body had been arranged in the coffin
Warden Crocker ascended the steps
of the scaffold and addressing the
cr0 wd, which was kept back from the
scaffold by a line of officers, said that
those who desired could pass along-
s i de of the scaffold and view the
body.
viewing the corpse.
T| )e crowd 0 f spectators formed
into Hne . and passing between the
and y le wa ll of the jail,
Some of the
^ ,* Hi J kg 3t00( , three a hoiU physicians the coffin,
' w. Guiteau joined this company
‘ f d llis dead brother’s face to
keep away the flies, John Guiteau
did not go upon the scaffold, but stood
during officers the scene just within the lino
of at the bottom of the steps.
When liberty was given to the crowd
to view the remains, the scaffold was
at once filled with people, who curi¬
ously examined every joint and bolt.
____ tj -------
THE MAN WHO RAN THE FIRST
LOCOMOTIVE IN AMERICA.
J. Van Burcn, a resident of Clarks¬
ville, Ga., where hc has been living
since 1839, was the first and is the
oldest locomotive engineer in the
United States. He ran the first
one placed upon a railroad in the
United States. lie was born in
Schenectady, N. Y., in 18C0, and is
consequently 82 years old. He says
the first locomotive placed upon any
railroad in the United States, was
put on the road known as the Sche¬
nectady and Saratoga railroad, in
1832. li was built by George
Stephenson at Ncwcastle-upon Tyne,
England, and imported by the Sche¬
nectady and Saratoga Railroad
Company. A man named Turner
came with it as engineer, and Van
Buren. assisted him in setting it up
and driving it from time to time to
and and from ^Saratoga. The Mohawk
Hudson river railroad was
completed operated in 183 ) or 1831, and was
for two or three years after
its completion entirely by horse
power. A half way house was built
by the company on the line of the
road, where the" horses were changed
for fresh ones in going both ways.
The first locomotive put on this road
was built by David Matthews, a.
young man from New York, and it
was named the Brother Jonathan.
STILL IN DOUBT.
Wall Street News.
wh a v r ocer at Port Huron,
ran ^, a3 sa jj last winter to
have experienced religion, the state¬
ment wag carried to a prominent
deacon, who inquired :
-p>j d | ie confess to mixing two
kinds G f oats together and selling
them for No. 1?*
think not ’
-Say anything about having woried
over old butter every fall for twenty
yea^
-Did he confess that lie had been
caught using short weights?
*VVasn't lie even sorry for watering
-Well, it may be that t the Lord „ faa has ,
seen fit to poke him up a little around
the edges, but before you receive him
into the churea you d better gn
a fair c h a nce to pass a quarter with a
hole in - lfc> if he resists the tempta*
tion I shall pray thei Lord to continue
the wrestle until Satan gc,& three
straight falls.’