Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-12
The Case ~ Sergeant sra.em.


IL viii I've remembered that on the evening o.
september nth last. Sergeant John A. Mason, cf
tae FL L. 8 artillery, as he WAS about going on
iuty with detachment Of his battery at the Iail,
went 10 the corner of the building and fired q
esh through the glass and into the cell OF the
assassin Guiteau. Mason WAS OF course, put into
the guard house at the arsenal, where he remains
no 70 this time awaiting his trial by oour;-aartial
~ Is now sisted that be VIII not be tried until
alter the trial OF Guitpau
y lew days ago MI. SCCyiile or counsel for Gui-
teau received IA hts fnsil letter o. his client IN
ais care Castiny a hasty glance over n. and not
i.FpEnllhs the name, mason having reversed the
is1.grS IN ms meme he noted It's contents and
marked II "Crsnk' 10 "Crank." This letter ia
lated October y, and reads: swell, Pari n mas
becn some time since sent YOU a Note. Now 4
VIZ have II say That am In aS bad a fiN as Your
I'll ana IN ne country Ike this two insane or
rraSy persons ought 60 be allowed 10 exchange a
lew verbs Ana as YOU anal are the only ttno
mat are eFdzs az the prcS,gd time. that ia,
IN Size minds az some, not all viii brake the fce
by writing 20 yo2 To tell you Somcthi lg IN q might
days, and you are the one that knows more OF the
case than amy one know OF. Yet they win not
let gI cone IL called on although YOU on, nj 10 he
present. You must not be- fright ned: no one viii
hurt yo since Mason, the soldier, has been locked
up for shooting 1T you on Sunday eVeling, Sep
tptnber II. ISL III YOU had been on duty at the
WINDOW you would have got that shot 1 must
tel you that fools think that L shot and hit
You AMI passed through your bOiy, and that
the Lord slyod You TO be moobod by the good law
81 the Lana. This is world OF good and bad luck.
~ would have been better for Mason's shot % have
Killed YOU Than 20 wait SO long. see that your
trial Is 90 come OF or 10 commence on November
l4th That Is giving you chance @ grow, and
you will get a new suit of clothes from Boston:
then you WIN look better than YOU do now
You ought not 10 have called on those soldiers to
Keep mob away There is no mob I'm Washing
ton that would hurt you, vt there are some that
would like To you killed and they have not the
grit 10 try. The reason is you are one that is a
1HgfStidn. and your Lord viii help you ia need.
Your removing" the President has made some
extra work TO many. and some have made money
by it, Well, must tell YOU that your shot last
July has made many pray that never prayed be-
lore. Yet your good Old prayer that you offered
mp TO your Lord did you good. hope.
mist tell you that you viii get fair trial yet,
the sympathy is with the people and the people IS
the law. Your crime is one that has never been in
law. Your plea is that the Lord told you q shoot;
that Is bad In you TO say that you are Christian.
and ought not to say that Don't blame God for
all the bad. This is a land OF chance. They will
have 10 get something new up in your case j
think that you viii be treated Ike the witches OF
Old. You are crazy, viii ten you; they Will nut
you on the Potomac river flats and tie you. II you
get loose TO come TO shore You VIII he
mobbed. III not, you viii be lett TO die
at high pressure OF the tide, and sc the
same time there VIII be an under current OF elec-
tire light that viii strike You at the rate OF 20
times per second. You wiIl wish that you MAS In
your cell thinking of your bright and happy home
so FAR away. You viii have the sympathy OF an
good Christians. at least you ought Well i have
been writing and told you all that Grassy man
can. Yet person does not IKE 20 BE called Grassy.
III Is as grating on the mind as ''aSsassSin.n The
word "reInoyedn is mild Yet II Is ~ the same in
yGur case, Now must say that viii do all can
TO have YOU ~ nyrfaL You must look bold nd trust
in your Lori. You have 4 coed brother-ln- law: he
VIII 40 all he can for You. Nou must write o me;
You know me- would like 10 DO YOU all the good
no one allowed 10 see me. All have is the pa
pers; yet nave to buy them. think of you gIpte
letter, yet it is from one that would Ike 20 en-,
(signedJ JOHN A NosAn.
Washington City, DC.
MAsoN's ELECTROMAGNETIC DEFENCE WILL BIZ m
SANITY.
Mason, who has heretofore been known as straw
bone, healthy man, commences TO show the effects
OF his confinement In the guardhouse, and has
lost some flesh. He does not complain-the quar-.
tiers being much more comfortable than they were
at first He has room to himself, which is moro
than others can say, for since he mas been
In prison the opposite apartment has frequently
had as many as i've or six occupants In IL He
spends his time mostly reading. and writing at
times TO his friends and relatives. IN his con-
versations he often speaks OF Guteau having
removed the President, and says that his Masons)
Inspiration was TO dispose OF the assassin, and 1t
Is remarked that at times he INDUCES i'm extrava-
CANT expressions and eccentricties. As has been
stated the defence will be something like that
which is to be made In the case OF Guiteau-in-
sanity at the time of the commission OF the act
anu on the subject OF re'aopino the ASSASSIN.
MILITARY RECORD OF MASON.
Sergeant Mason was born In Orange county, Va,
his father being mason by trade, and the fam
lily removed to Ohio when he was but years
OF age. When but Is years old he enlisted in 1862
In Col Leggetts regiment, 18th Ohio volunteers
I'm the same company with his father,
and being wounded-his left shoulder
joint destroyed-May 18th, 1863, he
was transferred to the Veteran Reserve Corps and
served therein till 1855, stationed principally at
indianapolis. His friends claim that since he
received the wound bis disposition has changed,
and on his visits TO his family I'm 1865 and 1874 It
was noticed that he had grown very irritable and
passionate.
AAsoNs CoMRADEs-THE CouRT-MARTIAL
The comrades OF Mason, as Wen as the officers OF
his battery major McGilvray's,, speak well q
Sergeant Mason, and regard him as a good
soldier and good man. The guarding OF the jan
has never been consderd as pleasant duty by the
soldiers, and had Sergeant Mason killed Guiteau,
the men generally would not have regretted It. for
they would have then been relieved or this duty.
Shortly after the occurrence Mason's friends Sc
cured the services Of Mr.. j. G. Bigelow, a member
OF the bar OF the District and he at once entered
upon the work OF preparing the defence. In the
latter part OF September, the case having been
ported to Gen. Hancock, and the counsel having
suggested that on the court martial to try the
case officers not attached TO this post be detailed,
q detail was made, and the time set for converting
the court In view, however, OF the preparations
for the Yorktown centennial being then I'm pro-
greSs the order setting the time for the trial was
SuSpen ded and no action has since been taken.
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