But it wasn’t Guiteau’s bullet that ultimately killed Garfield, rather a far more preventable medical condition: sepsis. Garfield was taken to the White House where his wound was repeatedly reopened as doctors, led by Doctor Willard Bliss, tried to remove the bullet from his back. He survived for 11 weeks, but his condition worsened. By the end, Garfield was having consistent hallucinations and was given nutrient enemas because he was no longer able to digest food. As portrayed on Death by Lightning, Alexander Graham Bell, credited with patenting the first working telephone, did drop by the White House to try and find the lodged bullet with a metal detector he invented, but it malfunctioned in part because Garfield was lying on a metal bed frame, and because Dr. Bliss only allowed to check Garfield’s right side.
Garfield died on Monday, September 19, 1881, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Many physicians believe that Garfield would have survived the surgery had proper modern sterilization measures been taken, which were already being used in Europe at the time. “It was the most horrific death you can imagine,” wrote Millard in Destiny of the Republic. “He was riddled with infection and, when they did the autopsy, there were huge gouges. The fingers had created these burrowing holes through him and they were filled with pus and infection. He lost so much weight and was horribly dehydrated. He almost certainly would have survived had it not been for his doctors.”
Guiteau’s end was no more merciful. He went on trial in November 1881, represented by his brother in law, George Scoville, and garnered attention for his bizarre behavior—insulting his defense attorney, and claiming that he was innocent because God demanded that he assassinate the president. According to Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, Guiteau’s trial was one of the first major trials to seriously consider the innocent by reasons of insanity defense. Ultimately, Guiteau was convicted on January 25, 1882, and sentenced to death by hanging. Guiteau stubbed his toe on the way up to the gallows on June 30, 1882, two days before the anniversary of the shooting. He then recited a musical poem he wrote, “I Am Going to the Lordy,” (further musicalized in Stephen Sondheim’s musical Assassins) before dropping to his death.
“Assassination can no more be guarded against than death by lightning,” Shannon says as Garfield in the film. While it sounds eerily prescient, Garfield did actually write that very sentiment in a November 1880 letter, unaware of the fate that would befall him only months later. But at least he wasn’t living his life in fear of the outcome: “And it is not best to worry about either,” he added.
Chris Murphy
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