St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-12-30
The Washington Trial.

Since Guiteau's trial was resumed
on Wednesday of last week, every day
has brought out more or less evidence
as to his sanity and he has consequent
ly lost ground. The government has
called large number of expert wit
nesses who have testified to their be
lief in the assassin's sanity, and given
abundant reason for the faith within
them. On Thursday Guiteau was less
freaky, but on Friday he was very de
mOnstrative and made an abusive at
tack upon his counsel, attempting to
place another lawyer in charge of his
case. Finally G. H. Reed was taken
as associate counsel with Scoville. DIR.
S. II. TalcOtt, of the Middletown, n.
Y, asylum, testified to the sanity of
Guiteau on the I'd of July, taking all
the circumstances of the case into con-
sideration, as they have been brought
out in the trial. This made the pris-
Oner very angry and he poured out II
torrent of abuse. Much more evidence
of the same sort was brought out.
On Tuesday morning as Guiteau
around smilingly and said IL had a
nice Christmas dinner and hope every
body else did. | had lots of fruit,
flowers and lady visitors and ii good
time generally" There are ladies at
Washington possessed of sufficient
sickly sentimentalism, and a false idea
of hero worship, to fawn upon this
guilty wretch and enhance the egotism
of which he is naturally so full. These
things are disgusting, but they are in
evitable, We suppose, since some ma
lures are not particular what they wOr
ship.
The principal witness on Tuesday
was DIR. Me Donald of Wards Island
On. " insane asylum, who had, dur
ing his practice, some 5000 cases of in
sanity under observation, and was well
qualified to testify. His testimony was
important, and bore strongly against
the prisoner. Visiting Guiteau at the
Jail, lie had asked him why, if the act
was the Almighty's and he was simply
the agent, he was so particular as to
practice his aim, and why he did not
trust the details to the Almighty and
the prisoner hesitated, flushed IA little
and said, 1.-The Almighty often trusts
the details to his agents" Witness
talk ed at considerable length with the
prisoner in regard to the crime, and
asked him what plans or expectations
he had for the future, and his reply
was to the effect that while he did not
consider himself insane he studied up
the subject of insanity and believed he
would be found 10y jury to he legally
insane at the time of the commission of
the act and would be acquitted. He
was asked, ''what do you suppose will
be done with you I" and replied, al
will be sent to AN insane asylum, and |
find under the law | can after few
months have "A commission of lunacy
To pass upon my case and of course
they will find me sane and | will be
discharged" Witness believed from
his examination and observation of the
prisoner in court that he is perfectly
sane man. Witness then proceeded at
some length to give the reasons for his
opinion, using the expression, 81 have
frequently noticed that his most violent
interruptions have been made when
the weight of evidence has been against
him.
The amount paid for witnesses i'll the
Guiteau case by the government thus
far is about $4,000. The greatest sum
was paid to Guiteau's former wife and
her husband, who were summoned
from Colorado. They were paid S472.
The physician assigned TO take
charge of the jury says that three of
them are in very bad condition of
health and that he Is nnahle To say