The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-11-16

circumstance to a lady friend, telling her that
Guiteau was insane, when he overheard the
conversation from an adjoining room. He APP
preached in great rage and violently de-
nounced her for saying that he was insane, and
threatened to have her placed in an asylum
His manner no less than his words indicated
intense mental excitement. His eyes were
wild, restless and bloodshot. After few days
he was taken to Chicago, and in the fall of
that year again entered upon his unsuccessful
lecturing career.
II is claimed by the defence that the forego-
ing will be established by the evidence of Mrs.
Scoville and other persons who were present at
the time of the alleged conduct on the part OF
Guiteau.
Secretary of State Blaine will be the first
witness for the prosecution, and there ia a pro-
found interest awaiting his narrative.
Before the trial is ended the government will
offer in evidence number of letters written
by Guiteau to Cen. Garfield before the shoot
ing, when the assassin was an applicant
for consulship. They are said
to be very interesting and very important.
Their existence has only lately been disclosed
The question of jurisdiction, though waived
at the outset, may, nevertheless, arise later
on. Some lawyers here are saying that, even
if the defence waive it, the court may itself
feel compelled to take it up,if it doubts its own
jurisdiction. The recent decision of Judge
Cox inthe star route cases seem, to many law
yers here to foreshadow like decision in this
case The District of Columbia, 1t is we'll to
remember, is not an ordinary Federal judicial
district It has no systematic code OF its own,
and is governed under special acts of Congress
and the old State laws of the States from
which it was cut and ceded to the general gov
eminent. In 1909, while Alexandria (ceded
by Virginia) was part of the District Bladen,
in that city, wounded man, who was re-
moved into State and there died. The old
Circuit Court of the District examined former
Virginia laws applicable, and refused to try
Baden for anything more than the striking.
A. to the charge of murder the court said that
since the death happened out of the District,
although the fatal stroke was given within it,
Judgment must be for the prisoner, "the Of
fence not being complete within our jurisdic-
tion."
In Guiteau's case it would seem that the
old State laws of Maryland must be looked up.
Guiteau is to be tried by what is called "the
Criminal Court" of the District, which, strict
ly speaking, is a term of the Supreme Court OF
the District held by one of its justices, and
devoted to criminal business
The latest definition of the powers OF the SUI
preme Court of the District is that made py
Congress in an act passed in 1877, which pro-
vides that:
Said court shall have cognizance of all
crimes and offences committed within said
District and any one OF the Justices
may hold criminal court for the trial OF all
crimes and offences arising within the District.
Acute lawyers are fastening on the words
"aYising within the District" as covering
Guiteau's case. They argue that if his crime
was not completed in The District, it certainly
s'arosen there There will be some fine hair
splitting, if the defense raises this point OF Ju-
risdiction, or if the court raises it OF its own
motion.