The truth and the removal

The truth and the removal

Guiteau, Charles J. (Charles Julius), 1841-1882

Title pages

Autobiography

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881

Assassination

The truth and the removal is Charles Guiteau’s autobiographical defense of his assassination of James A. Garfield and an account of his own trial, written while he was in prison and awaiting execution. This is Guiteau’s own copy, and it was recently digitized as part of the Medical Heritage Library project.

Guiteau said, “My book, The truth and the removal … will enable a competent historian to write my life & work accurately. My theological views will probably attract more permanent attention than anything else connected with my life.” Charles Guiteau presented this volume along with some of his manuscript poems to William Watkin Hicks the night before his execution. Hicks recorded, “In doing so, he expressed gratitude to me for kindness shown to him, and begged me to declare to the world that he was sane to the last…. And then smilingly but with moist eyes said, ‘I am sorry to part from you, faithful friend, and wish you were going along’!”

Title page and flyleaf of Charles Guiteau's own copy of his work, The truth and the removal, from around 1882

Guiteau, Charles J. (Charles Julius), 1841-1882

1882, circa

The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu

Access to the original work depicted requires advance notice. Contact Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu for additional information

George Burgess Magrath Library of the Harvard Medical Library (E687.9.G94)

Fulltext available through the Medical Heritage Library, <a href="https://archive.org/details/truthremoval1882guit">here</a>.

text

Title page and flyleaf

English

Gift of Frances Glessner Lee to the Magrath Library of Legal Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 1940