Garfield was struck by two shots ; one glanced off his arm while the other pierced his back , shattering a rib and embedding itself in his abdomen . " My God , what is this ? " he exclaimed . Guiteau , as he was led away , stated , " I did it . I will go to jail for it . I am a Stalwart and Arthur will be President . " Among those at the station was Robert Todd Lincoln , whose father was killed sixteen years earlier by an assassin . Garfield was taken on a mattress upstairs to a private office , where several doctors examined him , probing the wound with unwashed fingers . At his request , Garfield was taken back to the White House , and his wife , then in New Jersey , was sent for . Blaine sent word to Vice President Arthur in New York City , who received threats against his life because of his animosity toward Garfield and Guiteau 's statements
father was killed
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
James A. Garfield