The Portland daily press., 1881-12-06
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.
Testimony Tending to Show In
~ sanity.
THE DEFENCE NEARLY ooNoL UDED

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-The opening of the
Guiteau trial was delayed until IL o'clock to-
day. Judge Cox was engaged in organizing
the December term of the Criminal Court.
The court room was completely filled with
spectators as early as half-past g. Among the
new corners was Speaker Randall, who APP
peared in answer to a subpoena. He was quite
as much at loss to know why he had been
summoned or what he was expected to testify
as was Senator Davis on Saturday. The de-
fence also subpened President Arthur, but
will not summon him to appear until after Mr..
Scoville has seen him and gal led his assent
Mr. Scoville has an appointment to call upon
him at o'clock this afternoon. Guiteau has
stated that he had frequent interviews with
President Arthur during the late canvass, and
il is known that he has written several letters
to the President, which the latter still has in
his possession. The defence wish to obtain
possession of these letters and have them go
before the jury.
Guiteau was little late in arriving at the
court house this morning. An immense crowd
lined the sidewalks, and upon alighting from
the van the assassin evinced unusual trepida-
tion and begged the officers to take him around
to the back entrance. He was assured that
the escort was ample for his safety, and with
trembling steps and gait quickly shuffied
through the angry crowd. Abject fear was de-
picted on his saliow countenance, and 1T was
several minutes aIJ6f U6 I0dCutu LILO IOUul III
the building before he regained his usual COM
posture.
Prof. ]. w. Shively, who calls himself the
'strue Messiah arrived in this city Thursday
and took rooms on 9th street. He at once adj
dressed letters to Judge Cox, Attorney Porter
and others connected with the Guiteau trial to
convince them of the fallacy of Guiteau's al
legged inspiration. In his letter to Judge Cox
LIE demanded to be put upon the stand to con-
front Guiteau and 'to tell the Court where
G ~ -H.xl T~s4~ - %tnp
publican party" The police were notified and
this afternoon arrested him. He will be sent
to the insane asylum to-day. He is about 60
years old with long white hair and heavy grey
beard.
Immediately after the opening of the Court
Mr.. Scoville called to the stand
DIR. JAMES KENYON,
of Chicago Before questions could be asked
the witness Guitean desired to address the
Court, and without waiting for assent or dis
sent on the part of the Court, said in quiet,
nervous tones, II want these expert witnesses
to pass upon the stand whether when man is
impelled to an awful act by power which he
cannot possibly control or override, and by
which his moral agency is dominated, he is to
be considered sane or insane"
Judge Cox-"We will have that question
discussed"
Witness stated that he was managing. editor
of the Chicago Medics Review and lecturer
on mental diseases at the Chicago Medicsl
school. He delivered his first lecture last
April. Witness replied to hypothetical
question predicated on the trustworthiness
OF the evidence to which he had listened that
he had no doubt of the prisoners insanity.
UDon cross-examination witness was closely
questioned as to his opinion OF other members
OF the Guiteau family who were alleged to
have been insane. Some discussion ensued
between counsel as to the character of the evil
dence.
Davidge urged that the evidence had not
shown the prisoners father was insane, but
on the CONTRARY that his own son, John w.
Guiteau, had sworn positively 10 the contrary.
Guiteau-"We will show by all Freeport
that he was insane"
Mr.. Davidge-"Never mind, we VIII take
care of that"
Everybody knows that my father
was badly cracked. He was good man but
badly cracked on religion"
Witness believed in moral insanity in GER
tain rare cases although no lesion of the mind
could be detected, no impairment OF ludg-.
ment or intellect. Still there may be moral
insanity rendering man irresponsible. The
cross-examination was continued at consdera-
BILE length, Guiteau breaking in at times with
EXPLANATIONS and remarks.
After recess
COL. RICHARD j. HINTON,
of Washington, and editor of the Gazette, was
called BY Mr.. Scoville. He identified Guiteau
as q person he had seen around the republican
headquarters in New York making himself at
home in the committees room. He would not
pronounce upon Guiteau's alleged insanity,
but thought him an ill-arranged, cranky egot-
ist. He though Guiteau's political speech,
"Gsrfed and Hancock" wretched COM
pound of trash.
This reused Guiteau, who declared he was
not a fool, and that he would rather be hanged
as man then acquitted as fool He called
Col. Hinton crank and berated Mr.. Soovllie.
CHARLES H. NICHOLS.
of the Bloomingdale Asylum, replied to ny
pothetical question proposed by Mr. Scoville,
''If the evidence to which L have listened is
correct should say the prisoner is insane"
DIR. FOLSOM,
Of Boston, thought the same.
DR. SAMUEL WORCESTER,
of Salem, declined to express an opinion until
counsel explained more definitely what he
meant by the term inspiration" Guiteau
impatiently retorted and witness was finally
told to stand aside.
DIR. VIM. w. GoDpING,
of the Government asylum for the insane at
Washington, thought if the facts in the hypo-
thetical question were true the prisoner was
undoubtedly insane.
DR.. JAMES H. BRIDE,
of Milwaukee, Wis, and
DIR. CLAIMING,
of Brookline, Mass, also thought the same.
DIR. THEODORE W. FISHER,
of Boston, would dislike to be confined to
hypothetical question, but If compelled to an
swer wonld say he should judge that the pris-
oner was insane. Witness was informed by
the prosecution that they would want him as
witness.
Mr.. Scoville announced that he had no more
witnesses present and would introduce but two
or three more before closing the case.
Guiteau interrupted and demanded that sub
penas be issued for Gen. Grant, Senator
Conkling, Gov. Jewell and the others he had
mentioned on Saturday. Finding that no OBJ
lection was made to his interruption, Guiteau
proceeded to make an incoherent harangue. He
was finally silenced by Judge Cox, and Mr..
Scoville read from Guiteau's book, Truth"
until the hour of adionrnment