The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-10-28

The President nominated Hen
ny Highland Garrett. the colored
preacher Of New York, Minister
Resident and Consult General to
Liberia, and the following post
masters: w. 0. Pierce, Marshall,
Texas; Clifford Stratham, Lynch
burg, Va.,Wm. a. Brown, Macon,
Ga.
The defense of Guiteau is one
Of the strangest pleas ever pre-
scented to a court. If he is mad,
there is method in his madness,
to say,the least. The reader will
remember that when arraigned
he pulled out a dirty, %.crumpled
paper, which he attempted to
read, but was refused by the
Court on the grounds that.i was
not the proper time. 1t has been
published by the Washington
Star, and is as follows:
"If the court please, | wish to
say that have been terribly viii
fled by the press, and it has made
some persons bitter and impuls-
i've against me. On October 6
the New York Herald published
seven columns from my auto
biography, which ! expect to IS
sue soon in a book. Aside from
the impertinent statements that |
am a creature Of the greatest van
ity and that | crave %notoriety,
which are absolutely false, and
similar unkind statements, | am
indebted to the reporter and the
Herald for giving me so fair a
hearing. Iplead not guilty to
the indictment, and my defense
is threefold:
II. Insanity, in that it was
Gods act and not mine. The di-
vine pressure on me to remove the
President was so enormous that
it destroyed my free agency, and
therefore ! am not legally respon-
sible for my act.
~. The President died from
malpractice. About three weeks
after he was shot his physicians,
after a careful examination, deci-
ded that ne would recover. Two
months after this official an
nouucement he died. Therefore,
I say he was not fatally shot. II
he had been well treated he
would have recovered,
"3. The President died in New
Jersey. and therefore, beyond the
jurisdiction Of this court. This
malpractice and Presidents death
in New Jersey are special proVi-
Jences, and | am bound to avail
myself Of them on my trial, in
Justice to the Lord and myself. |
undertake to say that the Lord is
managing nay case with consul
mate ability, and that He had a
special object in allowing the
President to die in New Jersey.
His management Of this case is
worthy Of Him as the Deity, and
have entire confidence in His
disposition to protect me and send
me forth to the world a free and
indicated man. He uttered His
voice says the psalmist, and the
earth melted This is the God
served when | sought to remove
the President. The Lord and the
people do not seem to agree in
This case. The people consider
the Presidents removal an I'M
bearable outrage and me a das-
tardly assassin, and they prayed
the Lord to spare the President,
For nearly three months the Lord
kept the President at the point OF
death. and then allowed him to
depart. thereby confirming my
act. The mere fact Of the Presi-
dents death is nothing. All men
have died, and all men will die.
Gen. Burnside died suddenly
about the time the President did.
Gen. Burnside and the Presi-
dent were both splendid smen
and no one regrets. Their
departure more than !. The Pres,
idcnt died from malpractice, and
Gen. Burnside from apopjeXy.
Both we're special proyidences,
and the people ought to quietly
submit to the Lord in the matter.
The President would not have
died had the Lord not have wish.
ed him to go. have no concep-
ton of it as a murderer, or as an
assassination, | had no feeling
of wrong doing when ! sought to
remove him, because it was Gods
hct. and not mine, for the good Of
the American people. ! Plead
not guilty to the Indictment