Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-30
HOW THE JURY STAND.
ONE MAN PERSUADED OF GUI-
TEAU'S INSANITY.
More Damaging TestimOny-Fun
Over Heads-The Assassin Unsub-
dued-StIll at His Tricks.

WASHINGTON, December 29.-Wheu the
court opened this morning some DELAY in
the proceedings ensued, and Guiteau made
his usual morning speech. He complained
that the usual guard of policemen had been
Withdrawn from the prison van, and that
there is more danger of his being shot when
riding to and from the jail than at apy
other time. He requested the Judge to or
der the usual guard Of policemen to ac-
company the van, and said that it would
only take one crank with sufficient nerve
to shoot him in the van, and that the only
danger he anticipated was from cranks.
DR.. Calender was recalled. Judge Cox
said the statement had been made Yesterday
that the court SURF unded the prisoner with
unusual guards and protection. He would
state that the prisoner was in the custody
OF the Marshal and not of the court, and
whatever guards had been furnished had
been supplied by him.
Guiteau-"Well then, your Honor. If the
Marshal won't do his duty, appeal to the
court. II the Marshal won't furnish a
proper guard. kick him out and let's have
new Marshal"
The Judge-"I have no doubt the Mar
shall viii do his duty in this connection"
Mr.. Scoville read to the witness a letter
written by Guiteau about ten days ago to
senator Don Cameron, asking for five hun
dred dollars, and asked for his opinion
whether such letter to a man he did not
know does not indicate unsoundness of
mind.
II do not think It indicates uusouudness
OF mind. 1t seems to me consistent with
his character aud habit through life of So
Gpfffnn from NH bo kad
no reason to expect it."
WHAT THE JURY THINK.
A rumor is current tn at the Guiteau jury,
with one exception, are satisfied of the
guilt and legal responsibility of the prisoner
! The twelfth juror, 1t is said, stoutly main
tains that Guiteau is as "crszy as a March
hare"
Mr.. Scoville then read to DR.. Calender
| the hypothetical case Of the defense, and
the witness replied: ''Upon that hypothesis
| his insanity is a eelf-eVident proposition -
Dr.. Walter Kempsler, Superintendent Of
the Wisconsin State Hospital for the Insane,
had devoted his attention to the study of
| Insanity for the past fifteen years. Witness
was familiar with the process of taking the
conformity of the head, and did not believe
that much importance, as a rule, could be
attached TO the shape of the head in deter
mining sanity or insanity. Witness exhib-
| tied a number Of slips, showing the shape
as taken by conformity of the heads of a
| number OF prominent men, inc u1ing Treas
urer Gilfllan, Colonel Ingersoll, Judge Car
ter and Colonel Corkhill
| Consl iersble anus ement twas created by
| the illustrations of the witness aud the run
ming comments o'sGuitesu. Not single dia-
gram disclosed a symmetrical head, the wit
ness remarkLg that, possibly, not a single
/ perfectly symmetrical head might be found
/ IN the court room. In the case OF Colonel
| IngersOll the witness remarked, pointing
with his fuger, "this side appears fiat as
| compared with the other"
Mr.. DAvidge-"It bulges on the wrong
| side"
The WitDess-"Yes; some would say so.''
Guitesu-"That shows that both he and
l are cranked In the same direction -
"Col COrkhill's head" said the witness,
"hss a very marked depression on one
sid ="
Guiteau nterruptIng)-'In bet you you
could put your foot in the depression in his
head"
Witness (continuing) 1.-THE depression
| is very similar 70 that noticed in the pris-
oner's head" [Lsughter.]
GuIteau-"O, he's cracked great deal
worse than | am"
The witness was then asked if he had ever
seen q case, where a person committed
crime and claimed divine inspirati n, aud,
II so, how such persons deported themselves
| before and after the aci?
| He replied that IN such cases delusion or
| inspiration, as they claim il to be, comes
| suddenly and with intense pressure, and
tha, such persons act quickly aud upon sud-
| den impulse, delaying neither to consider
| oppor' unity nor weapons; that it would be
/ impossible to conceive, without actually
| witnessing II, the energy, impetuositY and
/ determination with which persons acting
under an insane delusion carry out their
proposals. Witness did not believe in
/ distinct type of insanity which could be
called ''moral insanity" It was simply
convenient term which had been invented
to excuse the commission OF heInous crimes.
| Witness had never seen case where an in
/ sane man after committing a crimt boasted
| of his insanity and urged it as an excuse for
/ a crime. Insane murderers do not parade
| their acts, but on the contrary very rarely
| will allude to them, unless a good deal of
ingenuity is used to draw them out. Wit
ness until he entered this court room, had
| never heard OF case of alleged inspiration
that came from within. Always such per-
sons claim to have heard the will of God or
seen His image, or something of the sort
| Such an inspiration is never a conviction
arrived at after mature reflection on the
part of the person so affected.
| Witness was asked IL he believed the be-
lief of the prisoners father, L. w. Guiteau,
that disease could be cured by prayer
should be taken as any evidence of insanity,
and replied: 'By no means. We all know
that thousands and thousands OF sane people
PRAYED daily for the salvation OF President
Garield's life this summer. They would
hardly have done so II they had not a strong
belief in the efficacy Of prayer"
Guiteau-'.It shows that the Lord and the
| people don't agree on this business. The
/ people are beginning to come over to my
side and the Lords, too"
1 Il Do,Ebfli fheu road fha hunOfhpti0al
| questions of the proseeu' ion and the witness
replied to each, "Taking the facts set forth
TO be true, IN my opinion he was sane"
Witness had visited Guiteau in prison and
there asked him If he considered himself
insane. His reply wa: "Not what you ex-
perts call insane, but legally insane" When
asked what he meant by the term, the pris-
oner said If he could get the jury to believe
/ that he was acting under inspiration
| from the Lord when he shot the President,
that would be all he wanted and would &C
quit him.
Guiteau had been engaged with his mail
| for some minutes, and be called out, al
would like to have you know. ladies and
gent emeu, that my letters now come ad-
dressed Hon. Charles Gltitedu. Quite a
| change from last summer"
Witness was cross-examined by Colonel
Reed, who produced pamphlet report pre-
psred by witness as Superintendent OF the
| Wisconsin Insane Asyiums ana reao eX-
tracts from 1t. During the reading
dispute arose between counsel,
who seem to have gradually de-
veloped q vast amount of bitterness.
Some fifteen minutes had been consumed
in the dispute, when the court admonished
counsel that the trial must proceed without
CO. suming so much time in discussing i'm
material disputes. The cross-examinatinn
was continued by Mr.. Scovile, with an oc-
| casional outburst on the part of the
prisoner until the adjournment. ''He came
here,n said Guiteau, referring to the wit
ness, ''as an expert for the defense. That's
What he said when he was In nv cell: but