The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-12-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

OR WASHINGTON LETTER.
DENTS AND EFFECT.
The Guiteau trial, which seemed
i'll the beginning to excite but Ian
guild interest, has grown TO be the
paramount question of the day.
The crowd that gathers at the court
! room door shortly before nine each
morning, grows daily more clamor-
GUS and more numerous. Judges,
lawyers and marshals are Overrun
with applications for passes to the
best parts of the courtroom. The
remarkable consideration shown by
the officers to the ladies in attend
ance, among whom there is pre-
ponderance of elegantly attired
bellies from the West End. in gaining
admission .and finding desirable
seats for them. has been enthusiast
tically acknowledged by the gentler
and more curious sex, who testify
their appreciation by attending i'll
daily increasing numbers, to the al
most complete exclusion of the men.
This, of course, has had the effect OF
drawing forth from the obliterated,
divers remarks more fOrcible than
complimentary concerning the alb
normal curiOsity-the unhealthy ap-
petite for sensation displayed by
their selfish sisters, cousins and
their aunts. IL was distinctly laid
down in the beginning. thatmembers
of the bar should be shown the pre-
ference insobtaining admission but
during the past few days n member
of the bar who could succeed in
barely forcing his way over the
threshold of the courthouse to crane
his neck above the intervening
crowd of bOnnets, or. at best, could
obtain seat on the railing that en-
circles the body of the courtroom,
with permission to swing his legs
on the inside, was favored indeed.
Most exasperating of all, it is plain
that in many cases the very same in
dividuals have occupied conspicu-
GUS seats in the courtroom every
day since the trial opened, whilst
people from Baltimore and adjoin- |
ing cities have essayed in vain to |
obtain a single glimpse OF the re-
nowned assassin, and have been |
Obliged TO leave the city with this |
laudable object of their prilgrimage |
unaccomplished.
y There is no doubt that the APP
pearance of elegant nOtewOrthies, |
packing the court from the judges |
chair to the tarthermost corner, has |
its own celebrating effect on the
EGoTIsTIC CRIMINAL,
who is the attraction, and who |
poses with the consciousness that |
the eyes of the world are upon |
him. Ii is exasperating to contem-
plate that he is realizing during |
every moment of his trial the very
end for which he committed such an
overwhelming crime. 1t is his.
That infamous notOriety for which
he laid his plans, and over which
he gloated, during weeks of antici-
patton, while he was tracking the
president with his murderous
weapon in pocket and his foul plan
of revenge in his head. Never were
human designs more completely re-
warded by the realization of the OBJ
ject tor which they were laid. He
enters this breathlessly thronged
hall and finds himself the centre of
a dazzling company, such as his
widest dreams have often pictured
(for it transpires now that he always
intensely desired "tine society,", but
never hoped to realize; he carries i'll
his cadaverous, manacled hands a
bundle of the leading newspapers
containing whole columns concern
ing himself, and seating himself at
his desk, midway the room, between
his sister, brother and his counsel,
with body guard behind him, he
proceeds 10 prOmulgate, in O high,
important voice. his manifestos to
judge, jury, press, "cranks," and in
fact, the world at large, or whoever
or whatever has reused his ire,
whilst the row of distinguished
press correspondents, facing him,
rapidly transcribe his words, tone,
looks and appearance; then, whilst
witness after witness takes the
stand and valiantly strives 10
show the jury that he is
an irresponsible lunatic, the
prisoner opens his paper and reads
eagerly the careful description of
every act and word of his on the
preceding day. That pleasant di-
version over, he leans back languid-
ly in his chair, posing carefully
while artists draw his portrait,
dozens of
FAIR HANDS LEVEL OPERA-GLAssEs
AT HIM,
and whispered comments on his
fill the AIR with buZzing
interest. Now and then, when a
witness lets fall anything offensive
TO his vanity, he promptly and dis
tinctly brands him liar, generally
off with the soothing re-
mark that "the witness is good fell
low and he thinks the world of him,
hut in this matter the witness is
This sop to Cerberus is
thrown out TO take the
edge off the insult. His calculating
is further shown by the care
he takes To emphaIicaily deny any
which lends in tile re-
hottest degree TO show that The con-
tinual rebuf1s with which he was
met in his application for Office en-
gendered any revengefnl disap-
He is sharp lawyer
enough to see that the existence Of
grounds for malice sufficient to
color his act with the merist shade
of revengefulness promptly over 1
turns the inspiration theory on
which rests the insanity plea.
The witnesses for the prose-
cution occupied but few
days. The well-known story of
the assassination was told over.
Nothing new was developed that
was not known months ago. Mr.
Scoville's cross-examination was
confined to strenuous efforts to ,
elicit from the witnesses some proof