The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-16
AN 1NHARMoN1oUs DEFENCE.
Guiteau's Family and His Cousel Disa-
greeting The Question OF Jurisdiction.

WASHINGTON, NOV. l5.-Ine exClJed scenes
in the district court between the prisoner Gut
teau, his family and his counsel, have for their
animus some old differences in the Guiteau
family which date back some fifteen years and
more. On one side of this long contention are
Mr.. Scoville and his wife, and on the other are
the family of the elder Guiteau. still living in
Freeport, Illinois, and Mr.. j. Wilson Guiteau,
the Boston insurance agent 1t had its origin
in religious question. Guiteau, the father,
was firm believer in the doctrines of the
Oneida Community, and would have entered
into the fold of Elder Noyes, had not his wife,
the mother of the assassin strongly objected.
So the elder Guiteaa remained throughout his
life cashier of the bank at Freeport Ill, but
in constant correspondence with Elder Noyes.
Mr.. Scoville is not of that way of thinking,
and has always spoken OF the Oneida Commu-
nifty in severe terms. His theory of defence is
understood to be strongly colored by his con-
4victions in this regard. He believes the father
of the assassion was "a Religious Monoman-
iac,' and in collecting his evidence he has
brought together all the facts that would seem
to support the theory that Charles j. Guiteau
inherited from his father that fanatieal streaB
which finally prompted him to commit the
fearful crime sof July I'd last. The Guiteau
family object to this line of defence, which,
they say, seeks to clear the son at the expense
of the memory of their father, and also at their
own expense, by putting the ibrand of heredi-
tary insanity upon them all. j. Wilson Gut
teau, the Boston brother, is especially sturdy
in his dislike of Mr.. Scoville's view of the
case. He had, learn, a lengthy correspond
ence with Mr.. Scoville before che left Boston
on this very point. Mr.. j. W. Guiteau warm
ly contended in his letters to Scoville that his
father was in no sense insane or crazy, or even
strange in his life and conduct; that he always
enjoyed the business confidence and respect
of the community il which he sived; that he
was sober. virtuous, upright citizen, whose
beliefs touching the doctrines of Mr.. Noyes
were the result of the earnest thought of de-
vout mind. Mr.. Scoville replied in one or two
somewhat tart letters, in which he intimated
to the Boston brother that he did not know as
much abont his fathers life as he imagined
he did: went on to say that he had strong evil
dence of his fanatieal views of religion,
and OF his strange attachment to the
Oneida Community, which Mr.. Scoville charac-
terzes as ga pestiferous nest of free love"
The point of this correspondence on Mr.. Sco-
ville's side appears to have been proposition
that Mr.. j. Wilson Guiteau and the Freeport
members of the family should keep out of the
way and permit Mr.. Scaville to pursue the de-
fence along the line he had chosen, while they
suppressed their own views. This Mr.. j. W.
Guiteau and the other members OF the family
were not willing to do. Their theory is that
their father was of perfectly sound mind; that
insanity is not an hereditary faint in the Gui-
teau blood; and that though their brother, the
assassin, is insane, as they believe, he became
SO from causes entirely independent of his in
herited traits. or of his youthful training, and
causes for which his own bad, dissolute life is
alone responsible. They say that his father al
ways sought to restrain him from his wicked
courses, and Mr.. j. Wilson Guiteau has in his
possession several letters that passed between
the father and son, showing how the former
labored for years to win the latter from his
wicked courses. He will, no doubt, be q very
important witness for the prosecution, SO far as
breaking down the Scoville theory that the
son inherits madness from his father. The ev-
: Of Wilson Guifaory will hQ nnb
cally against this theory. He believes his
brother, however, to be insane, but as the d.
rect result, and as the climax. so to speak, of a
long life of vicious and demoralizing habits.
He will testify, among other things, to the
fact that in the early manhood of Charles j.
Guiteau, the prisoner, his father paid several
medical bills incurred to rescue him from the
most depraving private vices. These bills he
will produce in court Altogether, it may be
predicted that the evidence of j. Wilson Gui-
teau. of Boston, will afford some of the most
salient points IN the entire case, and it will not
be astonishing if there are some scenes be-
tween him and Mr.. Scoville. for there Is evil
IDENTIFY good deal of smothered indignation In
his mind at Mr.. Scovilles determination to
save the miscreant son by blackening the dead
father. Meanwhile Mr.. Scoville pursues his
theory with great persistence. He gives out
now that he has more evidence OF the religious
greatness of his client, and adds the following
statement to that which he has already sub
mitted to the experts:
In the summer and fall of 1876 the Moody
and Sankey meetings were held in Chicago,
and Guiteau was constant attendant. He
was appointed one of the ushers. he became
filed with zeal and soon began to look forward
to doing the work of great evangelist he
gave his entire time to religious study and de-
votions. 1t was in January following tnat ne
commenced his career as lecturer. AFTER
six months of labor and failure in that direc-
ton he drifted around to the house of his
sister, in Waukesha county. Wis. That was
in July, 1877. Soon after arriving there he
went to work in the bayfield, with her sons.
The weather being very hot he returned to
the house after a short time complaining of
the heat, seeming much exhausted, and laid
down on the sofa. After he had rested
while his sister asked him to cut some wood,
and he went out for that purpose. In lew
minutes she had occasion to pass where ne was
at work, and without provocation he raised
the axe to strike her. She avoided MIN ana
ran into the house. She then set the hired
man to watch him, with strict orders to keep
near enough to prevent him from doing IN
iurv to any one until her husbands return
from Chicago That surveillance was kept up
a day or two until Mr.. Scoville came, when
the question of sending him to an asylum was
discussed In the meantime the family physl-
clan was consulted and examined Guiteau
The physician reported to- his sister that he
w as undoubtedly insane, caused probably by
eYnosure to the suns heat and that there
would he no difficulty in establishing the fact
and in sending him to an asylum. At the
same time he was of the opinion that the
maady would soon b. less pronounced by resi-
and the avoidance of exciting causes, and that
the tendency was to imoecllity rather tnau TO
any violent form OF insanity.
In the afternoon of the same day on when
~, roiaad his sister was relating the