The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-15

Court. He intrusted the manuscript of his
speech to a friend, and the following is copy
Of it:
THE AssAss1N's ADDRESS.
If the Court please, / desire to address your
honor at the threshold of this case. | am in
the presence of this honorable court charged
with 'maliciously and wickedly numbering
one James A. Garfield" Nothing can be more
absurd, because Gen. Garfield died from mall
practice. The syllogism to prove it is this:
Three weeks after he was shot his physicians
held careful examination and officially de-
cided he would recover. Two months after
this official announcement he died. There
fore, according to his own physicians, he was
not fatally shot. The doctors who mistreated
him ought to bear the odium of his death, and
not his assailant. They ought to be indicted
for numbering James A, Garfield, and not me.
But have been indicted, and must stand my
trial for the alleged homicide. Gen. Garfield
was President of the United States, and / am
one of the men who made him President. His
nomination was an accident, his election the
result of the greatest activity on the part Of
the stalwarts, and
HIS REMOVAL SPECIAL PROVIDENCE.
Gen. Garfield was good man but weak pol
itician. Being President he was in position
to do vast harm to the republic, and he was
doing it by the unwise use OF
L
the responsibility of removing him. I certain
ly never should have sought to remove him on
my own account. Why should 1 shoot him.
He never harmed me. From him | expected
an important flee. I considered him my po-
litical and personal friend. But my duty to
the LORD and to the American people overcame
my personal feeling, and l sought to remove
him. Not being marksman, he was not IA
tally shot, but incompetent physicians finished
the work, and they and not me are responsible
for his death. Nothing but the political situa-
ton last spring justified Gen. Garfield s remov-
spring was widening week by week and
I FoREsAw A CIVIL WAR.
MY inspiration was to remove the late Presi-
dent at once and thereby close the breach be-
fore it got SO wide that nothing but another
heartrending and desolate war could close it.
The last war cost the nation million of men
and billion of money. The Lord wanted to
prevent a repetition of this desolation and in
spired me to execute His will. Why did He
inspire me in preference to some one else? Be-
cause l had the brains and nerve, probably, to
do the work. The Lord does not employ in
competent persons to serve Him. He uses the
best material He can find. No doubt there
were thousands of Republicans that felt as
did about Gen. Garfeld's wrecking the Re-
publican party last spring, and had they the
conception, the nerve, the brains and the OPP
portunity they would have removed him. l, of
all the world was the only man who had the
conception. On the trial of my case propose
to summon some of the leading politicians of
the Republican and Democratic parties, also
the leading New York and Washington editors
to show the political situation and the perls
which surrounded the republic last spring. /
propose to go into this branch of my defence
extensively.
Another reason the Lord inspired me to re-
move the President in preference to some one
ole so Ha nod f, LOFT
logical work, The Truth. This book was writ
ten to save souls and not for money, and the
Lord in circulating the book is after souls. By
it He breaches the Gospel and prepare the
world for the judgment, which some people
think and with reason, is not far distant. 1
have been delayed in getting out new edition
of this book, which will include graphic mar
rative of my life, but expect it will be issued
shortly. More than one hundred witnesses
have been summoned by the prosecution. Two
thirds of them / know nothing about.
and the court, 1 presume, will decide
WHO FIRED THAT SHOT
the Deity or me? The Deity seems we'll dis
posed to father it thus far, and expect He will
continue to father it to the end 1t is not likely
He will allow me to come to grief for obeying
Him. How do you know it was the Deity? I
was SO certain of it that put up my life on it,
and undertake to say the Deity is actively en-
gagged in my defence. l am confident he will
checkmate the wise heads on this prosecution.
1 beg they go slow. They cannot afford to have
the Deity down on them. HE uttered His
voice." says the psalmist, land the earth melt
ed" This is the God whom 1 served when l
sought to remove the President, and He is
bound to take care of me. Recently WASH
ington newspaper Autographed a crumpled
piece of paper had carried in my vest pocket
a week, under the title of "Guiteau's Plea"
1t was written when had the malaria, at odd
times. and I could hardly read it mysely, and
SO told the gentleman gave it to, but he
thought he could read it, and took it, as he
was is haste. next heard of it as ,litho-
graph.
Owing to circumstances beyond my control,
/ have been forced to ask Your Honor to assign
the council and furnish me witnesses for
merly practiced law in New York and Cicago.
In 1877 left a good practice in Chicago and
went out lecturing, but had but small success.
had
IDEAS, BUT NO REPUTATION.
MY theological work, 'sThe TRUTH" contains
my theology. 1t was written during period
of five years, and cost me a great deal of troub-
lie, and have no doubt but it is official. 1t
left me in reduced circumstances and have
had no chance to recuperate ny finances since.
L easily could have made $4,000 at the law in
Chicago in 1877, and worked myself into a
splendid position, but / had other work to do.
As know something about the law, I propose
to take an active part in my defence. Ny
George Scoville of Chicago, is
a true and active friend, but disapprove of
some of his movements in this case, notably,
his mixing me with Oneida. Noyes, for twenty
five years, was under the curse of my fathers life
and for six years lived the despotism he
welded in the Oneida Community. I express
ed my detestation of Noyesism then. To-day
John 81. Noyes, the founder of the Oneida
is an American fugitive on Brit
III Sc al da1 al
He has debsuched more young women, broken
up mo re reputable families, and caused more
misery by his striking fanaticism and licent-
iousness than any man of his age. Had Noyes
had his dues he would have been hung thirty
years ago for crimes committed with his own
flesh and blood, and it would have been God
send to great many decent people if he been.
During my residence in the Oneida Commun-
ity, l. like most of the men in that concern,
was practically Shaker. Mr.. Scoville is de-
veloping theory of hereditary insanity which
may have an important bearing in this case.
two sisters and nephew and niece in an in
sane asylum. He himself was a momomaniac
for twenty-five years in the Oneida Commnn-
ity He coald see no evil in that concern, and
no good out of it. He thought Noyes greater
man than the Lord Jesus Christ He was
rational enough outside of the Community
idea. On that he was lunatic. He would
get greatly excited in discussing that, and look
and acs like a wild man. He was cashier of
bank, and attended to his duties promptly and
1t was owing to his fanaticism and
insanity that get into the Oneida Community
when boy. Once under Noyes' influence it
was impossible to get away, and | fingered
there in the greatest distress for six long and
weary years. was in the Community from
1860 to 1866. Since then L have known and
cared nothing for them. One Smith, whom
knew there, has taken upon himself to write on
- .srI
nent statements he says was in habit of con-
Meeting my name with words
premier TO ENGLAND"
etc. These statements are false. My father
was frequent visitor at the community, but
never resided there. He wanted to CO. but my
step-mother opposed it. / wish this Oneida
Community business to pass into Oblivion. My
ex-wife has been Summoned by the prosecution.
Our marriage was premature. l only knew
her ten weeks, and we were married on ten
hours notice. She was poor girl. She had
been unfortunate and had no business to have
married her. We were married in 1869, separ-
ased in 1873, and divorced in 1874 without issue;
was practising law then, and we lived at hotels
and boarding houses. l have known little
about her since 1873 / understood that she
married well four years ago, and is living in
Colorado. 1 have been strictly virtuous for six
Or seven years. 1 claim to be
A GENTLEMAN AND A CHRISTIAN.
I have bbn in Jail since July 2. have borne
my confinement patiently and quietly, know
ing my vindication would come. Twice have
been shot at and come near being shot dead