Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-10-21
INSANITY.

0UIrEAU'S INSANITY.
Seville, Guitsaa's counsel. says no
shall depend for defense more on the
theory Of insanity than anything else.
In fact that il the only tangible defense
he can make. Bot the main point and
the most difficult will Be to prove such
insanity. The ssssssin's own autobiog-
raphy merely shows him to Be . man OF
somewhat peculiar and original ideas.
bot very msthodical. not abandoning an
idss until no had thoroughly tested 10
and fairly worked Il out. From FIRST to
last, according to his own testimony
alone, after be had conceived the idss to
ssssssinats President Garfield. he fol.
loved IL up With the most msthodicslly
dsvilish p~srtinscity. He did not. like
many another murdsrous eonspirstor.
eounds bis plans or inpart his ideas to
any one else. but very ssnsibly and
coolly kept his own counsel. He did
not act rashly upon any sudden. Wild
impulse. but after long and we'll matured
reflection o. 10 the immediate and future
consequences. he made full preparation.
watched his opportunity and With . firm.
rssoluts hand and aim. carried his ne
farious purpose to . successful accom-
plishmsnt.
He assigned q his principal rsassn
for the brutal deed that he had come 10
the conclusion that Il vas . political
necessity; that he did 1t in the interest
Of the Stalwarts and to combine and
harmonic the opposing elements and
factions Of the Republican party. Bot
there il no doubt that his own private.
selfish ideas and personal piqus and
strong desire for revenge were the chief
underlying motives. He was . man Of
intense stalwsrt pertinacity. political
impudencs and insuffsrabls sgotism.
with an ovsrwseniug idea Of his own
importance and merits. He hsd most
psrtinaeiously tried to urge his claims
70 recognition a. deserving Of political
reward for his services during the last
campaign. as . public speaker. and val
maddsnsd at not only being unsueosss-
full. bat at being actually slishted. re-
pulsed and ignored. He concluded that
he had little to live for except revenge.
and 10 be could not attract attention and
create Q sensation in one way he could
in another. He succeeded. And now
II he could only succeed in escaping the
just penalty Of his foul crime he would
DO happy.
Nothing but fully established proof
and belief 10 his insanity at the time hs
committed the deed can save him from
the halter. and perhaps even that may
not. I. 10 to be hoped that II will not.
for such cool. ingenious and eccentric
murdsrsrs should be put TO death a. hu-
man monstrositiss, and as q measure Of
public safety. There ere hundreds. yea
thoussnds, Of such eccentric. peculiar
men In this country. They are to BE-
found 10 every community. They have
lived and died. and their esuntsrpsrts are
still TO Be found. even here on the Com.
stock. They are men Of high intslli.
gsnes in many respects, bat their heads
are unsvenly balanced. They are con-
tinually saying or doing something uau-
sual. calling attention to themselves.
and people do not feel much surprised
when their strange. peculiar ideas impel
them to commit murder or suicide.
Yea they are not generally considered
insane. but only eccentric and peculiar.
They are looked upon and held to b
responsible 10 all business transactions
add social matters. II they commit any
o6suss against the laws Of the land.
they are held strictly to account there
for; u they commit suicide. they are
amsnsbls to q higher power; but u they
murder their fellow man. they should
and must be held strictly responsible
and made amsnsbls to the Law Of the
land. 0uitssu never was generally con-
sidsrsd insane. any mor than hundreds
Of Thousands Of his fellow countrymsn.
and for his devilish deed he deserves at
least to bs hanged.