Brief Look at the Assassination of President James A. Garfield:
On July 2, 1881, President James Garfield was shot in the back at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington D.C. by Charles J. Guiteau, a disgruntled political office seeker with a .442 Webley British Bulldog Revolver. Garfield suffered for weeks as doctors frantically tried saving him. In the end, it was the doctors lack of knowledge of Germ Theory and unsanitary practices that lead to the Presidents demise on September 19th 1881. The prevailing thought was that if the doctors had done nothing, then he more than likely would have survived. The poking and prodding in the wound in an attempt to find the bullet by the doctors with unsanitary fingers and probes lead to infection.
Guiteau said it was God’s doing and even accused the medical malpractice of the Doctors as the cause of the Presidents death and not by him during his trial in November, 1881. This was also one of the first high-profile cases that used the insanity defense. The jury was not convinced by his odd behavior and the multiple excuses he gave during the trial. On January 25, 1882, Guiteau was convicted and sentenced to death. He was dismayed by this outcome as he was so delusional that he was planning a lecture tour and had thoughts of running for President in 1884 once he was released. He was executed by hanging on June 30, 1882.
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American Experience: Murder of a President – PBS Documentaries(Prime Video)
The aftermath of the Garfield assassination had a lasting impact on the United States and changed the course of history for many years to come. Vice President Chester Arthur assumed the presidency following Garfield’s death and led the nation through a period of mourning and reflection as it grieved for its fallen leader. What could have been? The funeral procession for Garfield was one of the most memorable events in American history, with millions of people paying their respects to the late president as he made his final journey through Washington D.C., New York City, and Cleveland before being laid to rest in his hometown of Hiram, Ohio.
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