The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1881-11-24
THE NEW S.
TIE Opening Statement in the Gui,eau

Tie Opening Statement in the Gui;eau
WASHINGTON, d. c., Nov. 1.-THE
/ following is the substance Of the al
dress Of Col. CorkbiIl in opening the
Guiteau case for the prosecution:
The person a. the bar stands before
| you charged with the murder of James
a. Garfield. Under ordinary circum-
stances there rests great anu response
| bic obligation upon every one who is
called upon in the discharge of his duty
under the law 10 render a decision upon
which depends the life of fellow crea-
| ture. but III this instance the response
hility is greater than usual. Il is true
that the offense charged in the present
case is no greater IN legal gravity and
Consequences TO the prisoner than if an
humble and obscure citizen of the Re
public had been murdered. Still it Is
impossible to overlook the fact that the
eminent character of the man whose
| life was, taken, his office, his position
and the startling effect of the commits
sion Of the crime render the case enc of
importan e. 1t is the second time in
our history that citizen chosen by The
people of the United States to discharge
the high aud responsible duties of Presi-
dent has fallen victim to iawless assas-
sin during the period of his incumbency
of the office, but in the former case we
were just emerging from long and
bloody war; the country had been rack
ed by connections and scared by civil
feuds throughout the lelgth and Breadth
of the land, and nearly every
household mourned the loss of some
one slain on the battle fields of the Re
public. 1t was a danger that the
thoughtful had anticipated; il was a
calamity lhat patriots had feared, and
when it came, with all its dread conse-
qucnce, it was, nevertheless, accepted rs
one of the results of the then disOrdrrrd
conditions of public affairs. But we ha |
passed from the arena of war. The
sword had been beaten into plough
share and the spear into a pruning hook.
The country was united, and peace
reigned at home and abroad. There were
no local discussions, there were no in
ternecine strifes Suddenly the startling
fact was proclaimed throughout the land |
and around the world that the president |
of the United States had fallen victim |
to the assassin's bullet in the capital of |
the nation. Mr.. Corkhill then referred |
TO this trial as remarkable illustration |
of the genius and skill of the govern |
ment, that although our chief ruler was |
murdered; although the effects of his |
death were felt in every station of life, |
in every avenue of business, in every de-
partment of society, yet his murderer
stands before you to-day entitled 10 the
same rights and privileges, panoplied by |
the same guarantees of the constitution
as If he had killed the lowliest
member of the community. Had
this crime been committed in
any other country or under any
other form of government, long ere this
the prisoner would have paid the pen.
atty of its commission by Il punishment
as swift and rapid as it would have been
effectual l doubt whether in the worlds
history there can be found another in
stance like the present one. In no form
of government has there ever been seen |
such sight as we have here before US.
The assassin is here defended by emf
nent counsel, demanding as right the
full benefit of every provision of law
and the protection of every guarantee of
the constitution, with the power cXer-
cised carefully to see that every man Sc
lected to sit in judgment on the case
is unbiased and free from preju dices.
Every right is extended to the prisoner
that would be granted 10 criminal
charged with the most insignificant Of
Tense; that, although this was as great
a case as was ever presented to court of
Justice, yet under the simplicity of the
forms under which the United States
government is administered the sole de-
termination of the question of the guilt |
or innocence of the person charged with |
the murder CT the President of the |
United States is left 10 a jury selected |
from the body of the people, just as
would have been the case ifthe humblest |
citizen had been murdered.