Opening the text

The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and LettersBrown, E. E. (Emma Elizabeth)

History

The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and Letters

Name: The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and Letters
Author: Brown, E. E. (Emma Elizabeth)

Brown, E. E. (Emma Elizabeth)

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Presidents -- United States -- Biography

With the love of other days, I am, as ever, your brother,

     JAMES."

Here is a glimpse of his home life,--

     "WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 1876.

     "MY DEAR CORYDON: On Saturday last I addressed a large
     Republican meeting at Hackensack, four miles from
     Schraalenburg, where I went with you twenty-two years ago. I
     have never been so near there before, and it brought up the
     old memories to be so near. I was called here by telegraph
     to the bedside of our little boy Edward, who is very ill
     and I fear will not recover. He was recovering from the
     whooping cough, and his disease went to his brain. He has
     now been lying in an unconscious state nearly four days, and
     unless the pressure can soon be removed, he cannot last
     long. He is a beautiful child of two years, and the thought
     of losing him rives our hearts. But he is in the keeping of
     our good Father, who knows what is best for us. All the rest
     of us are well. I have worked very hard this campaign,
     having spoken almost constantly for two months. You have
     probably seen that I was re-elected by about 9,000 majority,
     this being my eighth election; but of what avail is public
     honor in the presence of death? It has been a long time
     since I have heard from you, and I hope that you will write
     soon. 'Crete joins me in love to you and Mary.

     "Ever your friend and classmate,

     "JAMES A. GARFIELD."


     "WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 1876.

     "MY DEAR CORYDON: I arrived in this city yesterday afternoon
     and found that your kind letter of the 2d inst. was awaiting
     me. Our precious little Eddie died on the 25th of October,
     and the same evening 'Crete and I left with the body, and on
     the 27th we buried him beside our little girl who died
     thirteen years ago. Both are lying in the graveyard at
     Hiram, and we have come back to those which are still left
     us, but with a desolation in our hearts known only to those
     who have lost a precious child. It seems to me that we are
     many years older than we were when the dear little boy died.
     His little baby ways so filled the house with joy that the
     silence he has left is heartbreaking. It needs all my
     philosophy and courage to bear it. It was very hard to go on
     with the work of the great campaign with so great a grief in
     my heart, but I knew that it was my duty, and I did it as
     well as I could. I spoke almost every day till the election,
     but it now appears that we are defeated. What the future of
     our country will be no one can tell. The only safety we can
     rely on lies in the closeness of the vote both on the
     Presidency and on the members of the House of
     Representatives. We have so far reduced the strength of the
     Democratic House that I hope they will not be able to do
     much harm. Still we shall have a hard, uncomfortable

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

History

The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and Letters

Brown, E. E. (Emma Elizabeth)

Garfield, James A. (James Abram), 1831-1881; Presidents -- United States -- Biography

With the love of other days, I am, as ever, your brother,

     JAMES."

Here is a glimpse of his home life,--

     "WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 1876.

     "MY DEAR CORYDON: On Saturday last I addressed a large
     Republican meeting at Hackensack, four miles from
     Schraalenburg, where I went with you twenty-two years ago. I
     have never been so near there before, and it brought up the
     old memories to be so near. I was called here by telegraph
     to the bedside of our little boy Edward, who is very ill
     and I fear will not recover. He was recovering from the
     whooping cough, and his disease went to his brain. He has
     now been lying in an unconscious state nearly four days, and
     unless the pressure can soon be removed, he cannot last
     long. He is a beautiful child of two years, and the thought
     of losing him rives our hearts. But he is in the keeping of
     our good Father, who knows what is best for us. All the rest
     of us are well. I have worked very hard this campaign,
     having spoken almost constantly for two months. You have
     probably seen that I was re-elected by about 9,000 majority,
     this being my eighth election; but of what avail is public
     honor in the presence of death? It has been a long time
     since I have heard from you, and I hope that you will write
     soon. 'Crete joins me in love to you and Mary.

     "Ever your friend and classmate,

     "JAMES A. GARFIELD."


     "WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 1876.

     "MY DEAR CORYDON: I arrived in this city yesterday afternoon
     and found that your kind letter of the 2d inst. was awaiting
     me. Our precious little Eddie died on the 25th of October,
     and the same evening 'Crete and I left with the body, and on
     the 27th we buried him beside our little girl who died
     thirteen years ago. Both are lying in the graveyard at
     Hiram, and we have come back to those which are still left
     us, but with a desolation in our hearts known only to those
     who have lost a precious child. It seems to me that we are
     many years older than we were when the dear little boy died.
     His little baby ways so filled the house with joy that the
     silence he has left is heartbreaking. It needs all my
     philosophy and courage to bear it. It was very hard to go on
     with the work of the great campaign with so great a grief in
     my heart, but I knew that it was my duty, and I did it as
     well as I could. I spoke almost every day till the election,
     but it now appears that we are defeated. What the future of
     our country will be no one can tell. The only safety we can
     rely on lies in the closeness of the vote both on the
     Presidency and on the members of the House of
     Representatives. We have so far reduced the strength of the
     Democratic House that I hope they will not be able to do
     much harm. Still we shall have a hard, uncomfortable

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and Letters

The Life and Public Services of James A. Garfield: Twentieth President of the United States, Including Full and Accurate Details of His Eventful Administration, Assassination, Last Hours, Death, Etc., Together with Notable Extracts from His Speeches and Letters

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