>The appointment, James

>>3220693
james garfield i presume? didn't the guy just walk in and shoot him without any pretenses?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x-Gfeen-b8

My name is Charles Guiteau my name I'll never deny...

>>3220756

The story is much longer and weirder than that. Guiteau did have at least one actual conversation with Garfield. This was back in the days when you, as an ordinary citizen, could simply walk into the White House whenever you wanted, at least during the day. Taking advantage of this Guiteau spent so much time in the White House that it was practically his home as much as it was Garfield's. And when he couldn't speak with Garfield directly, he was writing letters to Garfield from other locations. He kept this up for weeks. White House Staff was a first politely patient with him, and he misinterpreted this as a sign that he was being heard out and that he was making progress towards getting his desired appointment (ambassador to France). Guiteau's own diary makes it clear that he actually considered several members of the staff to be close friends, although they would have strongly disagreed with that. Eventually, however, James G. Blaine (Secretary of State) got tired of his constant badgering and bluntly told him that he wasn't even remotely being considered for the position, banning him from the White House, and refusing to respond to any more letters. Guiteau's reaction, recorded in his diary, makes it clear that he had viewed Blaine as very friendly and agreeable up to this point, and was confused as to why his "friend" had turned against him.

>>3220811
interesting, did he have any qualifications for the job or was he just an oddball? was he delusional or something? what made him so angry that he decided to kill the president? why didn't he choose someone else? I

IT WAS ME JAMES. THE AUTHOR OF ALL YOUR PAIN.

>>3220889

The thing is that he wasn't angry. His diary contains essentially no hint of genuine hatred towards Garfield. It frequently expresses distaste for the anguish that the act would surely cause for Garfield's wife and children, and even concludes Garfield will surely rise to Heaven upon being killed. If anything, he seemed more genuinely angry at Blaine, calling him a wicked man who. Giteau even wrote polite letters to Garfield asking him to fire Blaine, although at that point the White House staff wasn't letting Giteau's letters get through anymore.

In the end, his actual motivation for killing the President was a powerful delusion that God simply wanted him to, as well as an excitement for the notoriety that the deed would bring him.

He seemed to also believe that somehow, General William Tecumseh Sherman would become president when Garfield died, and that Sherman would pardon him. And besides that, he also sent a religious manifesto to a newspaper, which he hadn't actually written but had plagiarized from another source. There are layers upon layers of delusion going on here.

>>3220966
wew, thanks for writing it up interesting to learn about

Good thread

>>3221023

Everything I just said comes from "Destiny of the Republic" BTW. Short, but interesting read. Every chapter about Giteau reads like cringe humor. There is essentially no doubt that he must have suffered from a serious mental illness. Before killing Garfield, he drifted throughout the country, seeking fame and fortune in all sorts of incredibly misguided ways. Imagine a more dangerous version of Forest Gump, prone to grandiose delusions.

>Borrowing $15 from a Mr. Maynard,[19] Guiteau went out to purchase a revolver. He knew little about firearms, but did know that he would need a large caliber gun. He had to choose between a .442 Webley caliber British Bulldog revolver[19] with wooden grips or one with ivory grips. He chose the one with the ivory handle because he wanted it to look good as a museum exhibit after the assassination.[20]

haha

>>3220966
>calling him a wicked man who
A wicked man who - what?

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>>3223405

Giteau's troubled mind makes it difficult to get a sense of his true feelings, but it seems like he believed that Blaine was causing a split in the Republican party that would cause the country to fail apart. And the was in fact a split in the Republican party at the time, between the Half-Breeds led by Blaine, and the Stalwarts who were led by a Senator named Conkling. This split was indeed causing problems for the nation, because it was making it very difficult for Garfield to even put a cabinet together.

Giteau became obsessed with reading political news after being banned from the White House. He read all these stories, and his diseased mind decided that this split would somehow lead to the end of the Republican party, and that God wanted him to resolve this split by killing Garfield. Of course, Giteau's desire for notoriety played a huge role in making him actually go through with it. During his trial, Giteau behaved like he was a celebrity getting interviewed. It was also the first trial in American history where the insanity defense was attempted, although it was unsuccessful. The prosecution succeeded in arguing that Giteau was not actually insane, but merely a self-promoting outlaw who was feigning mental illness for sympathy.

During his final execution, Giteau smiled and waved to the crowd as he ascended the gallows. He even did a little dance and shook hands with the hangman. Finally, before being hung, he even recited a poem to the audience. All evidence suggests that it was the happiest day of his life.

He has gone to the Lordy now.

>>3220811
>>3220966
This is pretty wacky, thanks for the summary anon

>>3221343
stylized violence is best violence desu

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>>3223650
>All evidence suggests that it was the happiest day of his life.