The Portland daily press., 1881-12-28
GuITEAU's TRIAL.
A Noted Expert Pronounces the
Prisoner Sane.
IMPORTANT ADMISSIONS MADE BY
TIE DEFENDANT.
How Guiteau Expected to Obtain Free
dom.

court. Judge Cox was detained an nan nour
with the grand jury and did not appear IN
court until 1030.
Upon reaching his seat Guiteau looked
around smiling and said, 81 had a nice Christ
mas dinner and hope everybody else did. l
had lots of fruit, flowers and lady visitors, ana
a good time generally
DIR. A. e. Mcdonald, Superintendent of
Wards Island New York; Insane Hospital,
took the stand The witness during his prac-
tce had had under his charge some 5000 cases
of insanity and had given special attention to
the study of insanity. The witness in response
to question stated that the difference between
Exclusions and "insane delusions7 was that
the one was the subject of correction by the
Judgment and the senses, the latter not being
correctible and for that reason denomlnated in
sane decisions, also illusions and hallucina-
TONS giving illustrations from his own expert
ence. He believed, judging from his observa-
lions and experiences, that the claim OF insplra-
ton frequently asserted by insane persons pro-
ceeded from some hallucination or insane de-
fusion affecting the senses The witness was
then asked if persons acting under the claim
of inspiration" would indicate it in any other
way than by their assertions, and replied
s'Their actions and behavior would indicate 1t,
as well as their assertions, To illustrate 1t,
person claiming to be Jesus Christ and acting
| under an inspiration, clothed himself like the
| Saviour gave away his property and slept out
| OF doors because the Saviour had not where to
| lay his head" The witness was asked if such
| ly injury or would take any precaution to guard
| against danger. He replied THE inspiration
always overrules all fear of bodily harm or in
| jury and renders the person who believes he is
acting under inspiration wholly oblivlous to
| such considerations" The witness was asked
! if such persons planned with delibera ton, and
| replied, "On the conIratry, their acts are sud-
den in both conception and execution as rule
and they seldom attempt to avoid the conse-
quences in any way"
'There are two kinds of insanity, doctor, u
suggested the prisoner, 'The crank insanity
| and the Abraham insanity. The latter is the
school that / belong to. Tell us what you
| think of Abraham, DOCTOR"
The witness described what was commonly
called temporary insanity, where man COM
| mits an act which is the only evidence OF in
| sanity, and where the person is to all appear
ance perfectly sane in all other respects both
before and after the act.
Guiteau-ThatS just my case exactly.
Witness-I do not believe in such insanity,
and in all my experience have never seen an
| instance of it,
Col. Corkhill-Doc.or, we had young man
here from Chicago. an agnostic, who testified
that one person in every five was insane. What
would you say of that, doctor?'
Scoyille asked to have the question read by
the reporter, and sharply rebuked the District
Attorney for this persistent attempt to injure
the character Of and to Cast slurs upon wit
ness for the defence. II do not care" he con-
tinued, ito be continually objecting to such
matters. He may continue to do SO if he
chooses. We will wait till we get to the jury.
Corkhill-Well, then, suppose you wait.
The witness, in reply to the question, said
SIN the group of which that young man makes
one the other four will be pretty safe. LAugh-
ter.) AS matter of fact, statistics show that
in the whole United States the proportion OF
| insane to sane is only one to every 1000; in
| New York State one to 800; in New York city
| one to 500, and in England one to 800 persons. y
| The witness thought person acting under in
| spiration to commit certain act would not be
deferred from the commission OF that act
through any consideration OF personal harm to
other persons.
Guiteau-Oh you are talking about cranks
| Now don't belong to that school.
The witness was asked, "Why was DR.. Kier-
nan discharged from his position as apothecary
at Wards Isand?"
Objection was made by Colonel Reed, and
after sharp exchange of arguments between
Reed upon one side and Davidge and Corkhill
upon the other, the latter Withdrew the ques
ton.
The witness visited the prisoner in his cell
remaining two hours and making the usua
mental examination in such cases. He talked
| over with the prisoner all the main incidents Of
his life up to and including the shooting of the
| President The prisoner always spoke of the
act as my conception and s.soon after 1 con-
ceived the removal of the President" The
witness asked the prisoner why, if the acl
The BE AMS Is particular as 70 practice biz
aim, and why he did not trust the details to the
j Almighty. aud the prisoner hesitated. flushed
the details to his agents." The witness talked
at considerable length with the prisoner in re-
gard to the crime, and asked him what plans
or expectations he had for the future, and his
| reply was 10 the effect that while he did moi
consider himself insane he had studied up tn
| subject OF insanity and believed that he would
be found by jury to be legally insane at
time OF the commission of the act, and would
be acquitted. he was asked, sWhat do you
| suppose will be done with you?'' and replied.
| Il will be sent to an insane asylum, and find
that under the law l can, after few months
have commission of lunacy to pass upon my
case, and OF coarse they will find me sane and
/ will be discharged"
| Tue witness believed from his examination
and observation of the prisoner in court that he
| is perfectly sane man. The witness then pro
ceeded at some length to give reasons for his opin
I lon he noticed that his most violent interrup-
| lions have been made when the weight of eAi-
dence has been against him"
The counsel for the defence objected that the
| witness was usurpiDg the functions of the jury
who alone could pass upon the fact that the
evidence was for or against the prisoner.
The court overruled the objection and an ex-
4 ception was noted by the defence.
Guiteau, who had kept unusually quiet all
through the morning, here addressed the wit
ness speaking without any show of excitement,
| You are making great fuss about nothing,
4 A(oSpoA. uoh pIOtouu siIldL i du1 luSAH6.
Now tell as what you know about Abraham,
| get your money and go home"
| The witness continuing closely analysed the
| conduct and remarks of the prisoner during
| the trial, and concluded that he had been play
| ing part ever since the first day. At the out
| set the prisoner, he said, had directed all his
| abuse against one of the counsel, afterwards
| against all of them
Guiteau-Well, you see, Doctor, Corkhil has
| corrupted the rest of them. Evil communica-
l p1r rr1ratf Nd
| The first hypothetical question of the pros
| ecurion was read and objection made by the
| defence to the clause, Assume that he raised
an axe against his sister, which act the prisoner
himself denies" on the ground that the wit
| ness could not be asked to pass upon a hypothe-
| tical question containing two propositions
| Numerically opposite After argument the
| court sustaining the objection, the prosecution
modified the form. 1t was put to the witness.
| His reply was 81 believe the prisoner to have
been sane"
| Exception to the question and reply was
| noted by the defence. Recess
After recess DR.. Mcdonald again took the
stand. Guiteau, who had just taken his seat,
looked over to the jury and said, "Those ex-
perts are doing this business with good deal
of parrot-like talk. DIR. Mcdonald deviated
somewhat from the course pursued by the rest
OF them /! deem it but justice to myself to
say that | did not say to him that had exam
med the law in relation to the matter"
ical question, upon which Guiteau commented
en- PEASANT with such expressions as ''That is
absolutely false, "That is that fellow Shaw's
lie," That is all rubbish" "Its nobody's bust
ness where got the money" did not kill
him. The doctors killed him." etc. The
witness answered, Assuming the facts set
for; to be true and adding that statement to
others it strengthens my opinion that the man
was sane on the I'd of July" Exception to the
question and answer was noted by the defence.
Col. Reid conducted lengthy cross examl-
nation and proposed series of hypothetical
questions based upon acts and conduct of the
prisoner to show that such acts and such con-
conduct would not be inconsistent with the the
DRY of insanity. Witness admitted that insane
persons were more liable to be adjudged sane
than sane persons were to he adjudged insane.
Scoville took up the cross-examination and
questioned witness at some length relative to
symptoms and causes of insa atty. Witness
stated that insanity was the result of a dis
eased brain and was asked 'tAre you not con-
founding cause and effect and cannot unusual
excitation of emotions or excessive worry and
care and anxiety overturn reason and cause
disease of the brain" Witness admitted that
such might be the case with some qualifica-
lion: that Oyer-WOrk. care and anxietv might