The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-12-17 00:00:00

THE TRIAL OF GUITEAII.

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 11.

Most damaging evidence against Guiteau's insanity
plea wag given yesterday by Mr. D. M'Lean Shaw, a
New York ;a lawyer who once rented Guiteau desk.
room. When Mr. Shaw entered the witness-stand,
Guiteau said ;—" I have not seen Shaw since 1874.
He is a good fellow. I offload with him several
months." The witness said :—" From the first time
I knew the prisoner I knew he was vain and egotis-
tical, and that he had a great desire for publicity. He
told me once that he was bound to be notorious before
he died." Guiteau here shouted :—" I never said so."
The witness continued :—" I asked him what he
meant by that. He said that if he could not get
notoriety for good he would get it for evil."
Guiteau.—" That is false." The witness continued :
"Of course that surprised me. I asked him what he
meant, and he said that he would shoot some of our
big men." Guiteau.—" That is a lie. I never thought
80, and never said so." Witness.—" He said he
would imitate Wilkes Booth." Guiteau.—" That is a
lie." The witness, continuing, said :—" Guiteau
said, 'I may be hanged for it, but that is an after
consideration.' I did not carry the conversation any
further."

Guiteau here broke out in a rage, pouring on the
witness the most abusive epithets. The witness, dis-
regarding him, continued his evidence, and said he
regarded Guiteau as a sane man. He thought the
above conversation was in 1872. He did not, to his
recotlection, speak about it till after the assassination.
The Court then adjourned till Monday.

DiiILADELPHIA, Dec, 12.

A statement has been made here that sixteen in-
sanity experts who were summoned to Washington
have consulted together and agree that Guiteau is sane
and legally responsible for crime, basing their view
upon a close examination of the prisoner since the trial
began. Some experts, however, still believe him to
be insane, notably Dr. Spitzka, of New York, who
was the first witness to-day. Dr. Spitzka said that he
made a special examination of the prisoner yesterday,
his decision being that the prisoner was insane, with
a tendency to mental delusions and morbid projects.
Guiteau, in his opinion was a moral monstrosity,
with imbecility of judgment. He judged the prisoner
to be insane before asking him a question. His eyes
and facial expression were as well marked for sanity
as he ever saw. Dr. Spitzka then answered the de-
fence's hypothetical question that the man was pro-
bably insane. On cross-examination, the witness had
controversies with the counsel, but he adhered to his
opinion of Guiteau's insanity. He thought him mor-
bidly egotistical, and that his act of shooting was a
morbid project. The Court then took recess, because
of the illness of a juror.

Guiteau made one outburst during Dr. Spitzka's
examination. Dr. Spitzka said that he thought that
depravity might tincture morbid projects, but he did
not think the prisoner's behaviour consistent with the
theory that depravity was father of the act of killing
the President. Guiteau thereupon shouted, "There
was no depravity about this business. I think it a
burning shame for the prosecution to harp on that
word depravity. I have been a consistent Christian
all my life." The bailiff's cried "Silence!" but in
spite of them Guiteau struck the table, shrieking loudly,
"I am not afraid to go to the gallows if the Lord
Almighty wishes me to go. I expect an act of God
that will blow this Court and jury out of that window
to protect me if necessary. I want to thunder this
in the ears of the American people." Judge
Davidge said, with a disgusted air, "Oh, this panto-
mimic business is getting played out.' Guiteau
shouted :—" You are getting played out, and your
theory of the prosecutien, too." Guiteau then
subsided.

Notices have been sent to the warden of the jail
to remove all prisoners from the wing where Guiteau
is confined, the intention being to blow it up with
dynamite., but not to endanger other lives than
Guiteau'L.,

WASHINGTON, December 12.

As Guiteau was furiously denouncing the Press
to-day, one of the audience cried out, " Shoct him
now..' A scene of great excitement followed, and it
was some time before order was restored.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.
While witnesses were testifying to-day to his being
sane, Guiteau insulted both them and the lawyers
engaged in the case. He insisted that the shooting
of the late President was brought about by a grinding
pressure on his brain.