Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-03
Guiteau and Lefroy-TwO Styles of
Juaffce.

Justice.
That Guiteau is not, on the whole, as
level headed as the average man. may be
conceded, but that he is any the less
responsible for his atrocious crime can
not be admitted, when one reviews the
facts in the career of the assassin, and
particularly his conduct during his trial
Had he throttled his victim for the
sake Of robbery, or had be shot him in
revenge for real or fancied insult. there
would have been no question as to his
responsibility. His assault on the Presi-
dent had all the elements Of the crime of
the cold-blooded villain, who lies in
hiding for his victim. His plea
of inspiration was an after
thought, and Guiteau dwells
upon it to such an extent that he shows
he knows its value. Knowing the ex-
cuse that alone can save him, he knew
the nature of his crime, and is therefore
to be treated as would any other slayer
of his fellow man.
And yet it is not improbable that he
will escape the gallows and be removed
to an asylum, whence in time he may
be turned loose to renew his evil courses.
His counsel is ably assisted by the court
and audience in his efforts to mislead the
jury. The trial thus far has been veri-
table farce. Unless the balance Of the
prisoners faculties inclines more to the
side of sanity than to that of de-
rangement his evidence, besides
being open to the suspicion that attaches
to that of prisoners on trial in general,
is practically valueless. By putting
him on the stand his sanity was admitted,
or else he was put there to show how
great crank be was. Despite the symp.
toms Of arrangement, which he mani
tests, he exhibits a shrewdness, a wari-
ness and cool impudence that would
warrant the jury in finding him guilty.
In marked contrast with the disgrace.
full mockery of justice presented at
Washington was the trial Of Arthur Le-
troy, in England, for the murder of
Gold in a Brighton Railway car
riage. LEROY was counterpart
of Guiteau Tolerably educated,
good talker, but like Guiteau an
egotist to the point of insanity, politi-
cal tramp who tried his hand at one
thing and another, wandering over the
country, now flush, again a beggar, on
intimate terms with the leading men of
England, and forcing himself upon them
on the plea of services rendered. The
parallel is complete, and they are but
samples of a class that is steadily grow
ing. Lefroy's family, too, was cranky.
and a number of his people were in
asylums.
But LEROY was hanged, despite the
efforts his counsel made to persuade the
jury that he was possessed of a homici
dial mania and was not responsible.
The jury were given the fac.s, and
the court ruled on the law, which
had been settled by full bench of
Judges in the House of Lords in the case
of McNaughten, when it was held unani-
mously that elf a person, under an insane
Gelusion as to existing facts, commits an
offense in consequence thereof, he is
thereby not excused and is equally liable
with person of sane mind" On the
law and the facts the jury said LEROY
must hang, and hanged he was. But
few lodges in his behalf were interposed,
because but few were allowed. The jury
was intelligent and not made up of
selected blockheads. No bubbles of
law were permitted, and the verdict of
the jury when given was a fnality. In
short, there was no nonsense or inter
ference. He was promptly caught, tried
and hanged.
1t is more than probable that, were the
punishment of crime as certain and i'm
partial in this country as in England,
Guiteau would not have claimed inspira-
ton, but whether he would or would not
have removed" the President, it
is certain that human life would
be safer in this free land
were there fewer avenues of escape left
open to criminals. Insanity is noto-
riously hackneyed defense, and vet it is
as potent to day as it ever was. Guiteau
should be hanged, if for no other reason
than to furnish shining exception to
the monotonous rule of immunity to vii
lains.