Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-12-17
THE TRIAL OF GUITRAU.
OF the Case and Testimony
Given.

Given.
On Wednesday, Mr.. Scoville said he
had sent written questions to President
Arthur, whose testimony would be i'm
portant to the defense, but had received
no replies. The prosecution began the
rebuttal by calling Gen. w. T. Sherman
as a witness. He told how he ordered
out the troops in Washington on hearing
of the assassination under the impression
that it was the result of a conspiracy,
and how he afterward satisfied himself
that it was the deed of one man alone.
Eight or ten residents of Freeport,
Illinois, where Guiteau's father lived.
testified that they never regarded any of
the Guiteaus they knew as insane.
Among these witnesses was State Sena.
tor Sunderland, who used to be Gui-
teau's schoolmaster. He said he never
saw any symptoms of insanity in the
Guiteau family.
The prisoner frequently interrupted
the witnesses. He declared that his
father was the laughing stock of Free
port for years on account of his reli-
gious oddities. Once he exclaimed that
the assassination was the only bad thing
his family had ever done, and that
wouldn't have occurred if he could have
got ont of it.
There was scene between Guiteau s
brother and his sister, Mrs. Scoville, in
which the Judge had to interfere to
restore order. Mr.. Scoville had asked
a witness if he did not know that Gui-
teams half sister was sent away to
undergo treatment for insanity. The
witness replied no, and J. W. Guiteau
Indignantly protested against any stig-
ma being put upon his half sister. His
interference apgered Mrs. Scoville, who
excitedly reproached him for it.
In addition to the customary eiacu-
lations, contradictions and seedlings by
the prisoner, the proceedings in the
trial of Guiteau were interrupted
Thursday by the objections and ex-
plantations offered by the assassin's
brother, J. W. Guiteau, who is accused
by the defense of trying to keep out of
the case all proof of insanity in the
Guiteau family. Mr.. Scoville got
angry, and Guiteau broke out in de-
nunciations of his brother.
Several witnesses gave testimony
tending to disprove the plea of insanity.
This displeased Guiteau, who accused
some of the witnesses of bias, and
claimed that the testimony of others
was irrelevant President Arthur's
reply to the written questions sent him
by Mr.. Scoville was read. The Presi-
dent said he had seen Guiteau at least
ten, and perhaps twenty times, but had
had no conversation with him except to
return the ordinary salutations,
and once or twice in answer to
his request to be employed as speaker
by the Republican State Committee,
of which he was Chairman. Guiteau
had never rendered any political SER
vices that the President knew OF
to the Republican party III the
last campaign. There was nothing
in the prisoners relation to himself
or to any other leader of The Repub-
liean party. socially or politically, to
give him any ground for supposing he
would receive political preferment, and
he had never given Guiteau any reason
to think he could have any political or
personal influence with him. The Presi-
dent added that in October last he re-
ceived a letter from Guiteau, containing
some claim to having rendered important
services to the Republican party, and an
appeal for the postponement of his trial.
He did not preserve the letter.
The Rev. Dr. Macarthur of New York
City, of whose church Guiteau and his
wife were members several years ago, de-
scribed his acquaintance with the assas-
oc4o ,snI,
Guiteau was expelled from the church.
The prisoner alternately contradicted
this witness outright and addressed him
with an air of familiarity.
In the Guiteau trial Friday the
Rev. DR.. Macarthur testified that he
never saw in the assassin any indica-
tions of an unsound mind. DR.. Cald-
well, of Freeport, ILL.,, the physician of
Guiteau's father, testified that he never
noticed in him any indications of un-
soundness of mind. A large number
of witnesses gave testimony showing
that the assassin was an accomplished
swindler, and that no suspicion of his
sanity had ever come to them.
There were put in evidence applica-
tions made to the Mutual Life Insurance
Company by Luther w. Guiteau and his
sons, John w. and Charles j., for life
insurance policies, in which the state
ment was made that there was no in-
sanity in the family. ID. Mclean Shaw,
an attorney from New York, testified
that in conversation with him some
wears ago Guiteau said he was bonnd tC
become notorious before he died; that
he would get notoriety for evil If he
could not get it for good; that he would
initiate Wilkes Booth and 'shoot some
of our big men," Senator Benjamin
Harrison, of Indiana, was one of the
witnesses.
In the Guiteau trial Friday the
Rev. DIR. Macarthur testified that he
never saw in the assassin any idica.
tions of an unsound mind. DR.. Cald
well, of Freeport, H., the physician oi
Guiteau's father, testified that he never
noticed in him any indications of un
soundness of mind. A large number
of witnesses gave testimony showing
| that the assassin was an accomplished
swindler, and that no suspicion of hi
sanity had ever come to them.
There were put in evidence applica
tions made to the Mutual Life Insurance
Company by Luther w. Guiteau and hi
sons. John w. and Charles j.. for lif
insurance policies, in which the state
ment was made that there was no in
sanity in the family. ID. Mclean Shaw
an attorney from New York, testifie
that in a conversation with him som
wears ooo Guiteau said he was bound t