The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-12-27
TIIg CASE on GuIrEAu.

THE CASE OF GUITEAU.
9 The Facts that Are Being EutablIuhSd b
His TFiAl.
Utica a. ~ Herald.
There ia beginning to be observable som
i. impahencO on the part OF tho public, b,
: cause the prosecution has not brought II
ease to more abrupt conclusion, trustin
a tho jury to return . verdict which will az
cord with the public conviction Of the gull
Of the assassin. But no such method woul,
: have been satisfactory, in the after eontem
: plation Of what IL proving to be the mos
remarkable criminal trial Of the age, TIL
prosecution believes that Guiteau SHOULD
be hung, not in Difference to popular clamo
or sentiment, but for the vindication OF tn
J law, But 1t has gone to its work from lii,
beginning on the theory that It has some
what difficult task to perform, The homes
conviction OF the assassin requires that the
jury shall BIO convinced "beyond reason
able doubt," OF his sanity and his moral anC
legal responsibility, 1t has been confronted
from the start with state Of affairs which in
the mindSol many persons has induced u be-
llel in Guiteau's insanity. His unparallel
ed conduct in court, coupled with the
audacityot his act OF murder andthe cratic
character OF his whole career have been
sufficient to demonstrate that Guiteau is al
least most remarkable parsonage, who
differs IN many important respects from
the ordinary and average run Of men, and
who has been in the habit, all his lie, OF
delying the standards by which other men
regulate their life. 1t was therefore for the
prosecution to show il 1t were possible,
first that the act oil assassination was not
IN act OF harmony with the previous con.
duct and character Of the prisoner, and
second, that his previous conduct and
character, did not partake Of the nature Of
insanity. In no other way could the minds
OF the jury be relieved OF that reasonable
doubt" which the prisoner himself has Ia
bored Assiduously and with most deyilish
cunning to instill.
10 do this, 1t was necessary to review, In
all Its details, the whole career OF the man
from childhood to maturity. It was neces.
sary to summona cloud OF witnesses, of per.
sons who had known him under all Circum-
stances and relations and In all the walks
oil life he has essayed. Each witness, rs he
appeared, testified to some separate petty
act OF rascality or meanness; and the evil.
dcnce began to take on, in tho eyes OF the
casual observer, something OF the character
OF u useless iteration OF conceded facts But
The whole story, as 1t is made up out OF all
these threads. and patches, Is a wonderful
revelation OF persistent and consistent
criminality-in the presence Of which the
great crime by which 1t eliminated, be.
comes It's component part 1t is the story
Of a life very different in many respects,
from those OF other great criminals who
have become famous in this or other
countries, and still in many respects, very
like them. 1t Is thestOry OF q man afflicted
with the three vices Of laziness, vanity and
love OF notOrioty. He,had been commit.
ing petty crimes all his life-chieHy the
crime oIthioving-fOr that term describes as
well as any other the conduct Of the man
who lives by running away from his board
bills. From earliest manhood he has been
a hypocrite and sneak. There was a
degree OF shrewdness In his hypocrisy. He
knew that the men who claim 10 he Chris
tians and proclaim some special mission in
connection with Christianity can secure
certain favoB which arc not accorded to
men who undertake to beg their way thro'
life on the other theory. There never was
any religion in the man. 1t was always Il
sham and a pretense-a stimulation, lust as
his insanity Is now simulated. His reli.
gious inspirations" 'wereassumed In order
that he might cheat the world into accord.
ing him Il living he was too lazy to earn.
lie early showed his passion for noto.
riety by seeking the rostrum. Afflicted
from childhood with glib tongue, he has
sought to make that member do the work
his hands would not touch. He was al
ways talking wherever he was-talking in
the Sunday school, in the prayer meeting,
and on every occasion where ho could yet
together an audience specially to listen to
him. What he said WIS always common
place, us his mind Is commonplace; and
in his pushing for notoriety, he succeeded
in being universallya bore. But there Is
yet to be discovered, in all the scribblings
Of his yapid and active pen, a single line
through which breathes the spirit Of In.
sanity. There Is in everything he has
written, however, the unmistakable spirit
of hypocrlsy-the spirit which has con.
trOlled his worthless life from the begin.
ming.
The best illustration OF this controlling
phase Of Guiteau's character Is found In
the Oneida Community experience Cult.
eau joined that body without the slightest
faith in, or care for, Its peculiar tenets, re.
ligious or otherwise, but solely in ex.
pectatlon that by feigning religious con.
viCtiOn OF their kind, he might provide for
himself soft and slothful home. lie
qnarreled with his associates because they
would allow no drones In their busy hive.
lie left in u hui, went TO New York, tried
TO coax living out Of Christians OF an.
other character, came nigh unto starya-
ton, but still would not work, and finally
sneaked back to tho community again, OH
n profuse and hypocritical profession OF re.
pentance, TO live drone again us long us
he could.
There Is nothing OF the insane man in
all this monotonOus story. II Is simply
the story OF acunning loaicr seeking to
make his living out OF his wits. It may be
conceded that Guiteau WIS born without
moral instincts. 1t frequently happens
that men are born so, or are so educated
that they appear 10 be born so. He Is nat.
urally and wholly deprnved. In that re-
speCt he Is rs common criminal rs ever
felt halter. The only difference be.
tween him and other criminals, Is that he,
who succeeded 80 well In passing his
hypocrisy for religion, thinks lie can pass
his depravity for insanity. Take man
wholly depfaved, and Unfortunately con.
ceited, and you have the kind Of d man
| al tn naa Id.