The National tribune., 1881-12-31
TRIAL OF THE ASSASSIN.

That he was physician; had made specially
of the branches of nervous and mental diseases
for nearly six years, and had been called as an
expert in insanity cases twenty-five or SIX times;
had examined the prisoner and pronounced him
insane, and from the hypothetical case stated
should consider him to have been so when he
fired the fatal shot.
On cross-examination, counsel for the Govern
ment having brought out the fact that witness
was a veterinary surgeon, the latter replied: /
have no reason to be ashamed of it. The question
has been asked before from suggestions coming
from certain quarter"
Mr. Davidge having asked whether the witness
had practiced veterinary surgery, the witness
said, with some asperity: " / never have treated
any animal but the ass, and that animal had two
legs"
Mr.. Davidge having asked more questions on
the same subject, the witness made a reference
to asses who ask stupid questions"
Being asked if he was not expert and did
not hold himself out to testify in insanity cases,
the witness said: II am willing to testify to
questions in insanity where l receive respect
able fee. In this case, however, l don't receive
enough to take me to jersey City. If L had de-
sired to sell my service | would now have been
sitting behind you" referring to Mr.. Davidge),
because l had an opportunity of going as an
expert for the prosecution"
Proceeding with his testimony the witness ex-
planned diagram which he had made of Gui-
teau's head, saying that the shape indicated
insanity.
Witness having testified to his having written
a certain article which appeared in the Medical
Record, the same was handed him for identified
ton. While he was examining it Guiteau broke
in with: II see that crank, Talmage, of the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, has been doing up the
business in a sensational style. | believe he is
the man who has been before his synod several
times for lying He is also said to be a tender
for house of prostitution. He is nice man to
criticise me. / have got my eyes on two or
three others of these cranks. The high-toned
decent part of the American people are settling
down in quiet way in this matter, but there
are few cranks who persist in talking about it,"
When witness resumed his testimony he gave
his views concerning experts in insanity cases. by
saying that one of the principal defects in the
system consisted in the habit of calling expert
witnesses for side and not by the court.
Considerable time was occupied by the District
Attorney In crticising the article referred to, but
the testimony of the witness remained mistaken
throughout
Tuesday DR.. Spitzka's examination was con-
cluded, and DR.. Fordyce Barker, the next witness
called on behalf of the prosecution testified that
he considered the prisoner sane.
L. T. GOble, w. P. Ketcham, and o. D. Phelps,
testified to incidents in the prisoners life of no
special Importance interest, the latter stating
that he had practiced law in Chicago, where he
was a member of the firm Of Reynolds & Phelps.
The prisoner had engaged that firm to bring a
suit against the Oneida Community for four or
five thousand dollars which the prisoner claimed
TO have deposited with the community. After
some time he found that the prisoner had lied,
and he told him so. Laughter.
The Prisoner-Phelps is the man who is lying
1 talked with Mr. Reynolds about my suit with
the Oneida Community; but never talked with
Phelps. He used to be lawyer, but he is now a
curbstOne-brO in New York. He hangs around
the Equitable Life Insurance building. He is
like English and Shaw and all that kind of folks.
They are dead-beats and perjurers.
The witness went en- to state that he also met
the prisoner in Chicago in 1875, when the witness
was managing editor of the Inter-Ocean.
Yes" the prisoner broke in, that was when
the Inter Ocean was played out and that was how
Phelps got the job"
The witness stated that the prisoner came to
the office having some sort Of scheme in his head
for publishing the New York Herald and the
Chicago Inter-Ocedn simultaneously. Witness
told him about the Associated Press arrange
ments, from which all the valuable news was OBJ
tanned. The prisoner had not known anything
about 1t, and then he gave up the idea. Subse-
quently the prisoner proposed to purchase the
Inter Ocean, and showed the witness long list
of the names of men who had subscribed to make
the purchase The prisoner knew much more
dDOuU Tie SUOckHUlueISo VI Tie paper tudn The VIII
ness did
The Prisoner-You were only sub, and very
small one at that Laughter.
The Witness wanted that l should accept
the position of editor-in-chief the paper to be
established under these new auspices, and he
showed me the Introductory editorial that was
so appear in the first issue. He brought in
number Of articles to have published and think
one of them latter long labor and immense revis- |
ion) was published
The Prsoner-You thought it was splendid |
work Of art. 1t was column article on the sub
ject of suicide | wrote it off-hand, and you |
thought it was very finely done
The witness went on to relate various other of |
his interviews with the prisoner in Chicago, Bos-
ton, and New York, and said that he never no |
ticed anything about him that led him to believe
that the prisoner was of unsound mind, or that |
he did not know what he was about all the time. |
On cross-examination he was asked whether |
the prisoner was man Of ordinary prudence and |
judgment. His reply was: "Of extraordinary
prudence and Judgment Of the Colonel Sellers |
stripe"
Rir. Scoville-Explain yourself
The Witness Colonel Sellers is the type of
is constantly getting up schemes that are to make
great fortunes for himself and friends-a genial,
gOOd-natured fellow, differing, however from this
man, who, instead of being genial and good-na-
tured has the most unbounded selfish disposition
that have ever met
The prisoner (contemptuously) THAT is the
best you can do, is it? That indicates your
brain.