Guiteau was known to be crazy and no-one would get anything out of killing Garfield. And if you're going to put a conspiracy around anyone involving that killing, I'd blame the doctors (with a bit of the last-days-of-Stalin flair).
Acctually, that is not entirely accurate. In theory, the powerful New York Republican political machine under Roscoe Conklin had a lot to gain from the assassination. Chester Arthur was one of their guys, a true lacky who had owned any job, including VP, he had ever had to Conklin. Garfield was also an opponent of patronage and supported civil service reform which many thought would gut the power base of the boses.
Of course, Arthur grew a spin as President, and became the Original civil service reformer.
But you are right, you can find a "conspiriancy" almost anywhere if you look for it. Which is my point. Guiteau was deranged, and almost certianly acted alone, but admit it, after reading what I posted, you are a little convinced that might not have been the case. If I spent long enough trying to look at all the angles, I coudl probably convince a few million people that it was a plot.
Thanks
I nearly did put down an "except for Roscoe Conkling" caveat...
Of course, in real life, Garfield served as something of a martyr for the "clean up the civil service"--and, of course, Arthur wasn't exactly a loyal Conkling stooge
after he took the presidency. And it would have been pretty absurd for Conkling to organize the assassination of Garfield over an incident of a week or two prioer (he had already made his political move, resigning from the Senate).
But that said, Conkling wouldn't have known any of that at the time.
