Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-12-02
The Prisoner Very Excitable
And Very Obstinate.
A Good Deal of Shrewdness in
His Answers.
WAsHIxGToS, Dec. l.

I
stration of approval. OF otherwise, on their
part. saving I'VE shall expect you to OBJ
serve perfect order today, and avoid laughter
and applause"
| Upon entering the witness box Guiteau de-
| sired. before resuming his evidence, to make
a personal statement and addressed himself
TO the audience, saying: Two weeks ago |
sent out an appeal for money. did it on
my own account, and the day afterward SEQ
vile publicly announced that it was without
his authority. again invite my friends to
send me money in the interest of the cause
of Justice and my defence. They can send
s., $40, SIS, or $1,000 if they wish. If they
don't want TO be known they can send it with
out their name to Mr.. Scoville."
Judge Porter then began a rapid fire of
interrogatives, elcting from the prisoner in
his several replies that physically he was a
coward and always kept away from personal
danger Morally, he was brave as a lion,
when he thought the Deity was back Of him.
The Deity influenced him to remove the
President. In his opinion the doctors killed
the President, not he. The acts of Jones
and Mason in attempting to kill him were
wrong, and they ought to be punished, unless
they can show that they were inspired BY the
Deity.
The witness soon showed decided signs of
Impotence and excitability, and striking his
open hand upon his desk emphasized every
sentence he uttered. When pressed for
answers be finally became obstinate and
shouted to Judge Porter: II know you we'll
and know bigger men than you are. I've
seen yon shake your finger at witness in
New York, but you can't scare me-" and
shortly after when asked if he believed in the
ten commandments, to which lie responded
in the affirmative, and if he believed that the
commandment ''Thou shall not kill ought
to read in his case Thou shalt kill" he be-
came exceedingly violent and refused to dis
cuss the matter at all. There was no murder
in his case and no killing; it was simply for
the Jury to determine whether or not his act
in removing President Garfield was inspired
by the Deity or not. 1t was all nonsense to
split hairs any longer over that word. 1t
must be distinctly understood that the re-
removal of the President was the act of the
Deity. The witness proved decidedly Obsti-
nate and after fatty contradicting the testi-
mony of Gen. Logan, Col. Reed. and several
other witnesses, he positively refused to
answer several questions, his invariable re-
Spouse being: Il decline to discuss that
with YOU"
The witness seemed to be greatly annoyed
at Judge Porters habit of pointing his finger
at him. as he frequently did, in the way en-
phasizing his interrogatories, and again broke
out angrily: You needn't point your bony
finger at me. Judge Porter; I've seen you do
that before, but you can't scare me-"
The witness was closely questioded with
regard to different boarding houses. at which
which he had lived while in Washington, and
being very uneasy at the bad showing he was
making by his own evidence, for honest deal
ing with his land ladies. The restlessness
soon found expression as follows: | decline
to go into this boarding house business. 1t
has no bearing on this case. suppose owe
a hundred and fifty dollars in Washington to
these genteel ladies', and sometime or other
expect to pay them, when have money"
He continued angrilly: II pay my debts,
and when have no money can't pay them
that's all there is in it,
Judge Porter-Perhaps the Judge will
think differently.
Gniteau turning with smile and nod OF
satisfaction to Judge Cox, Your honor will
you see how irrelevant this talk is?
Judge Cox-You were allowed great lati
tude, prisoner, in making your statement.
You will reply to the questions.
Witness was rapidly driven from one po
sition to another till confronted with the evil
dence of his own witnesses, when he would
uIlUeSltdtluSN pTOHOuuClUS tutlT eNlueuCt
false. Once he emphasized his contradiction
by saving: Anything that may swear to,
Judge, is true you can put that down as a
fixed fact"
Being pressed as to how he proposed
to raise funds which he said he wa.
expecting to receive, witness replied, II in
tend to borrow it from some of my friends
and added, "Ill tell you, Judge how Dor
row money. 1t may be of service to yor
when you want to borrow for yourself"
Il don't lie nor sneak, but go right up to :
man and ask him for what want. And i
he has got it, perhaps on the impulse of thu
moment, he will give it to me. If not. that,
all there is to it."
Witness was closely questioned about thu
purchase of the pistol and was asked why h,
bought one with a wrought handle instead o
plain one. He replied Because though
it worth dollar more" Judge Porter aske,
did you not say that it would look better il
the Patent Officer
Witness admitted he might have believed
or thought the pistol would be sometime
placed in the State Department. Shortly af
terward Guiteau became very indignant a
Judge Porter's use of the word murder. an,
shouted, ''You seem to delight in the use O
the words kill and murder.
| Mr.. Porter-After you had bought tho
revolver, being unused to firearms, did yor
practice with it?
Al went down to 18th street and fred i
off over the river.
Q-Why did you go there?
A-Because a man in the store told woul,
have to go outside the city limits to fire.
Odd you take the box of cartridges will
you?
! Al think so. fred it off two rounds
ten cartridges.
! Q-What did you shoot at?
Al shot at sapling.
Q-why did you want to shoot at sapling
You had no divine command for that?
Al wanted land here witnes; hesitatet
for some time) to FIRE ii two or three times
knew nothing about the weapon. l ex
pected to have TO use it and familiarize my
self with the outward use of the weapon.
A-You did not know how to fire pistol
but this was the work of the Deity?
| A apparently in violent passion and ges
tcculating wildly There is no use of YOU
whining in this kind Of a way. You nigh
as well rest. I say you have to go back an,
look at the motive.
Q-Motive was to kill:
A interrupted excitediy)-T remove th,
President for the good of the American speo
pie The outward fact which you desire i
an irrelevant matter. There is no use i,
| whining.
O-You urac.iced remarkable