Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-12-03
AS to Insanity, tho Experts Must
Decide.
Holds Blaine Morally Responsible
for Garf1eld's Death.

WASHINGTON, D. c., December g.
Guiteau arrived at courthouse about
9 o'clock and ate hearty breakfast.
He seemed to be feeling and in good
spirits. His remarkable self-esteem
and egotism never for an instant
failed him and his perfect confidence
in overdict favorable to himself is
unshaken.
At 1905 after the usual appeal from
Marshal Henry for
ORDER IN THH COURT ROOM
the court was opened and the
prisoner was placed in the witness
box. Guiteau glanced at his papers
moment and then said: : Il desire
Judge Porter to state to you and the
court that I decline to answer any
more questions that are mere repeti
tions of what We have already been
over" Judge Porter Immediately
resumed the cross examination with
the question:
"Was one Of your purposes in re-
moving the President to create
demand for your books -
Answer-"Yes, sir" with the mod
ifcation that it was to preach the
Gospel. Witness regarded his book
as
COLLATERAL TO THE GOSPEL.
In othfr words, tho Gospel brought
down to the present time. Witness
soon became excited, and gesticu-
lating wildly, insisted upon his in
spiration and that the Lord had Sc
lected him to do His work. He was
no fool. The Lord never selected
fools to do His work. He had in
spired him to remove Garfield, and
left him (witness) to use his own
judgement in selecting the means.
Several letters written by Guiteau
were read, and the winess interrupt
ed the reading several times to make
explanations.
Cross-examination was resumed,
and in answer to the question, care
you insane at all?" Guiteau replied
"1'M NOT AN EXPERT.
Let these experts and ii
jury decide that" Being presse |
for his opinion the witnts
declined to answer. He was then
subjected to rapid series Of ques
tions, and began to exhibit great
irritability and anger. On being
asked if he had laid in wait for the
President in an alley by night,
he said: "Now you are on
that, I'll give you little news; III
tell you what occurred that evening
July 1st He then
DETAILED HIS MOVEMENTS
up to the time he saw the President
and Secretary Blaine emerge from
the house of the latter and wall
down Fifteenth street. He became
furiously excited and plunged into g
wild harangue, denouncing Secretary
Blaine as bold, wicked, designing
man, who wanted to ruin the Re,
publican party in revenge for being
slaughtered by political conventions
and, striking the desk with consider
able violence, shouted: eyes, sir
in my opinion, Secretary Blaine ii
morally responsible for the death O
President Garfield"
The court took recess for one hour
After recess Judge Porter put
some questions as to the occurrence:
of the 10Th of June, wheh the pris
onsr refrained from shooting the
President on account of Mrs. Gar
fields presence, and finally asked
''If Mrs. Garfield had been with tn,
President on the End of July woult
YOU have shot him ?"
mo, SHOULD NOT
have shot him, whatever the effec
might have been on her
Question Then it depended en-
tirely on your villa"
Answer.-'It depends on whethe
l had a suitable opportunity"
Porter inquired why he would no
have shot in Mrs. Garfield s presence
Prisoner-If your head is so thicl
that you can't get ideas in wont tr,
to pound them in. Don't ask you
questions in a mean, sickly sort O
a way.
Porter pressed his question, where
upon prisoner quietly took up paper
and adjusting his eye glasses, began
to read, paying no attention whateve,
to Counsel.
Porter-"What are you read.
ing?"
Prisoner-fW;thout ra;s;no his