Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-28

| yIrn. Scoviile and aPublic OpiniOn.''
Mrs. Scoville is now residing as guest with
Colonel and Mrs. Daniels of this city. Mr.. SEQ
vile has taken bachelors quarters at the Ire
mont house. STAR reporter. meeting Mrs.
Scoville on the street. was saluted with the re-
mark: You see, am still here. 1t nearly
| broke my heart to think that I had to go home.
| The news from Mr.. Scoville's mother is better.
My son has gone home and he will send me
| word If I am needed there. Mr.. Scoviile said
| that might wait for a few days longer. | in
tend to stay here until it is all over, unless
| am absolutely obliged to go"
Mrs. SeOville is o very ready and rapid taker,
and needs no suggestions or leading questions
| from interviewers. She watches every witness on
the stand. and makes as close study of the case
| as her husband. Il have nothing to blame the
reporters for" she said Except it is that when
anything interesting or important on our side
comes up, they leave it out, but If Porter and
| Dayldge get good turn on US. they always
print that in full. The papers have to great
extent manufactured public opinion in this
| case. There was no such prejudice against my
brother until Corkhill said through the news
| papers, He Is sane Before that everybody
| believed he was insane. Since then COrkhill
and the newspapers have been manufacturing
public opinion He is Mason, suppose. and
the thing has been worked up for him. so that
| he can win his CASE"
| marshal Henry" she continued, "thinks my
| brother might escape. | would like to know to
what place he is to escape. Where could he go
and be safe l am the only person who could
| want him to escape and l am sure have no
place to keep him. l want him to be in the
strongest Jail in the United States. This insanity
will come out again in some way. He is like
| one partially cured now. When he was taken
to jail, he was confined alone and placed under
| just about such treatment as he would have
an inca oSx-lIr hat haS oh rod
him considerably. Yes, public opinion has been
manufactured against him. l don't think the
| reporters are at fault Probably the editors
don't print al they write. think that some
time the newspapers will take back good deal
they have said. Public opinion can be manu-
featured on our side too. l think the people
prefer to have the truth about the natter
| Mrs. Scoville was anxious to know the effect
| OF communication she gave to the papers a
day or two ago, setting forth her ill success in
an endeavor to enlist Marshal Henry i'm more
vigorous efforts to protect the lives of Mr.. SEQ
vile and her unworthy brother. 'If that was
received well, i" she said. II shall have more to
give out. l will keep the reporters supplied
with news"
Neither Mrs. Scoyille nor John Guteau appears
to entertain any fear that the trial will result in
conviction. The prisoner seems to view the
situation in careless. happy way. He told a
gentleman who saw him Sunday that he expected
to be President of the United States yet. He
he ever said anything in his life. He will not
discuss the possibility that he might be con-
Vlcted at ALL and does not seem to give it any
consideration.
What Mr. ScOvislc Says.
The character of the expert testimony offered
during the last week. has not apparently,
shaken Mr.. Scoville's confidence in the case.
These experts" he said this evening, 'are so
placed that they had to testify the way the Dis
trict Attorney wanted them to, or they could
| not get their money. All of them have said in
| answer to my questions, that they expected to
get their compensation after they had testified
The newspapers are very unfair, bit think
some OF them will take the back track before
the case is over. The feeling among those
around the jury is SUCH that it is hard to keep
them free from the influences of the newspapers
and public opinion
Il will not" continued the lawyer. take back
one single word that said in my opening ad-
dress. told the jury then that Guiteau was
man of little mind-little capacity for business;
that II he was turned out to make his own liv-
ing he can do nothing. The way he is acting in
court, shows how little sense he has. He does
not see when am asking question, to what it
is leading. or if it does dawn on is mind he at
once blurts it out, and puts the witness on his
guard.
Il don't see" continued Mr.. Scoville, ':what
is accomplished by capital punishment. and |
am decidedly opposed to it. Guiteau's case
shows that the fear OF death is not sufficient to
deter man from crime. Notwithstanding all
he has SAID in court, Guiteau is so afraid of
death that he shrinks away from the mere
thought. He will not stand up in court for fear
some one will shoot him. Yesterday when
Judge Porter said he would have to be put in
the dock, leaned over to Guiteau and said:
They will put you in the dock if you don't
keep quiet, and you will surely be shot if you
get there. with the crowd around you" He
became quiet at once. He hasn't sense enough
to see that a BLACKBOARD remark to a witness
hurts his case. This thing will have to be
stopped though. l am going to have him dis
tinctly understand that if he continues these
Interruptions i'm court he will be placed in the
dock. feel myself like choking the man. or
doing something with him when he talks. My
son would not go into court and sit by him.
He said to me: IF l should go there and he
should say anything to me in the way that ne
has been talking to you, know should strike
him"
CASES TO WHICH MR.. sCOvILLE REFERS.
Mr.. ScOyille refers frequently to the case of
negro named Freeman. convicted for murder in
Auburn, New York, in 1916. This case. he will
endeavor to impress upon the minds of the jury
men, for the double purpose of showing how
little reliance can be placed upon expert testi-
mony. and ofinducing the jurors to consider the
case well before they vote upon it. In the Free
man case. the late VIM. II. Seward was the only
counsel for the accused, and he raised defence
of insanity. The jury having found a verdict of
guilty, Mr.. Seward applied to Hon. Silas Wright.
then governor Of the state of New York. for a
pardon In his letter to the governor Mr. Sew
ard said: 81 acted his counsel on the solicta-
ton OF humane persons who believed him in
sane. | believe him absolutely and hopelessly
insane sinking from monomania into dementia. I
believe he was lunatic, and committed his crimes
under the influence OF Oh insane delusion. Thus
believing, it seems to be duty to appeal to you
for pardon to the convict. = x Nv own duty is
finished when express to you my sincere con-
viction of the truth of the plea which success
fully maintained" heapplication was refused,
and Mr.. Seward. having appealed TO the supreme
court of the state. gained a new trial for his
client. Before brought to trial again. however,
Freeman died in prison. A pOst-mOrtem exam-
nation revealed the fact that the mans brain
had turned to a liquid like water. "You can see
the difficulties in our way" remarked Mr. Sco-
Vile. speaking of the case just mentioned. s.if
the eloquence. and shrewd ability of Mr.. Seward
was unable to convince jury and the execu-
tive of the fact of the mans insanity In that
case, too. Mr.. Seward did not have to fight a
most bitter and preiudiced public opinion"
This case of Freeman Judge Porter remarks Oc-
Cured thrty-fve years ago, when physicians
had not mastered the subject of insanity. as they