New-York tribune., 1881-12-12
THE EXPERTS AND THE ASSASSIN.
A PRACTICALLY UNANIMOUS orlNloN mn w, rr,,
rs go am LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE
MrRpER OF GENERAL GARFIELD.

MURDER OF GENERAL GARFIELp'
Try TEL EGRArH To THE rRIBUSr'
w.surycroN Dec 11.-Sixteen of the experts
summoned or either side of the Guiteau trial nave
be,d consultation at which it was found tha' al
were agreed in the opinion that the assassin is sane
and legally responsible for the murder of james A.
Garfield This number includes pracncaiy lho
whole body Of expertsnow here attending inc 'riAi
One of them said tonight that he did not kno" oi
a single expert who would testify that "n'eau was
insane unless DR.. L. c. Spitzka, OF New-l orN' ""'
has not been present during the tr1ai out mas uo"
arrived in Washington in obedience 10 ~upP"'",
should do SO. One of the experts lauShingly sa'u
tonight that the public was aoouV " Soo '""' -''
once the doctors could agree.
The fact of a practically unanimous agreement
may have an important effect in shortening tue 'rai
A fierce conflict among the experts wonid ihe'l'S
bly lead to minute and exhaustive examination Oh
the whole subject with much disputing and ha'r-
shifting on infntesimal points and countless re-
fnements of detail Where the experts think ahNo
it will not lie necessary to go over the same grou'i
in every case 1t is believed that the prosecution
will adopt the plan of putting first upon the s''u
two or three of tie older and better known experts
and make a thorough showing OF the Government
side of tho case with them using the remaining ex-
merits TO confirm the testimony given before, anu
perhaps closing with restatement OF the prlnclpai
points by some expert of distinction reserved ior
that purpose.
II NAV be of interest to say here that few of the
experts in attendance upon the trial believe III what
is called moral insanity-a theory winch Is heid as
rule only among the older mon OF the profession ana
is practically discarded by the new generation OF
alienists who hold that there can be no insanity
without impairment of the intellect, and that, where
the operations of the ntellectare normal depravty
however great, is simply depravity and not IN
sanity.
One of the experts gave a TRIBUNE correspondent
this evening general statement II the reasons
which had led him to believe that Guiteau Is sane
These are probably the same substantially with ali
the experts. This gentleman, who holds high
rank among alieuists first asked to what extent
he and his colleagues had been guided in their de-
cisiOn respecting the assassns responsibility oy eA-
animation of his head. etc.
1.-THE ewes y he replied, "have been examined, but
the results will probably not be known until Dr.
Loring tie oculist goes upon the stand Some
have thought they could see difference between
the pupils, being larger than the other but
have seen none that was noticeable. The shape OF
the head has been taken, but attach little import
ance to anything that will show. The two sides of
the head are not exactly alike, but his head Is not
more a symmetrical, the term is, than other
heads If Won should go into hatter's with half a
dozen friends and have all their healsmeasurcdyo you
would be astonished to see their shapes. Guiteaus
hair is cut close and that tends to bring out the IT.
reeularities His head is really no worse in shape
than that of a great many men who have lived good
honest lives and never committed murder"
what other physical tests did you appyf"
eve found that IN his there was no sleepless-
ness and no unnatural excitement--no excitement
except that which an irritable man might exhibit.
He simply gets angry more easily than most men do
There is no quckening of the pulse There is moth
ing TO show congestion or Inflammation of the brain
on the one hand and on the other nothing like dz-
ziness ETC.. TO show anema or deficient nutrition
of the brain. If there was inflammation there
would be more marked periods of excitement. He
wonld get excited without cause but he never gets
excited without a cause. Usually he grows angry
only when the testimony of witnesses is unfaVorabe
to him. His features not pleasing, of course.
There is one impor ant point about his eyes. There
is great difference between the appearance OF them
when he is sitting quietly in his cell, and when he
Is AZ bay before that crowd OF two three hundred
people, all of whom, as he knows know him to be a
. murderer and want him to be hanged. His eyes
brighten and glare under that unnatural excite
ment. do not regard that look in his eye as an
insane gean"
"What general considerations lead you to believe
him sanei"
"Well look at his career From his birth until
he was sixteen seventeen years OF his life was
that of an ordinary, studious. qnet school boy. He
did not during that time, develop any unsual traits
of wickedness and did not show that hereditary
tendency TO insanity which the defence has at
tempted to prove His family history on both sides
is really good There is nothing in the history of
the family that is out Of the usual run. That his
mother was in poor health, after bearing good
many children and doing good deal of hard work,
is not remarkable. great many children are born
uder the same circumstances who grow up healthy
ond do not become insane When he reached early
manhood his system changed greatly of course
He has evidently been man of strong passions,
and that fact explains many things iii his career.
He did not smoke. chew swear. lie preserved
the outward moraltics. He went at an early age to
the Oneida Community, where he aspired to be a
lea der which would mean that he was to have ex-
oepiional liberty Leaving the Community because
his life there did not sult lm he went 10 New-f YORK,
and ever since that time has been tending toward
criminalty. lie assumed the cloak Of relig gi0n and
nsed il to cheat everybody he came in contact
with He seemed to give up all idea of doing that
which is right as between man and man. lie mar
red and then cast his wife of. deliberately COM
mitting a crime second only 20 that OF murder in
its denoralzing influence upon society, IN order to
make sure that he should get rid of her. That
before Mr. scoville's hypothetical ques-
ton assumes that he was lit sub
shows his steady tendency toward crime. search
ing examination of his whole life fals 10 reveal
single creditable act. lie has never done one thing
apparently that was kindly or unsellsh. All TINS
crimnslity cannot be laid 10 insanity.
" Ii he had inherited tendency TO criminal in-
sanity, IL would have been found that ne had gwen
indications OF 1t when boy by depnvlty OF various
Elnds. He wonld have been inclined 10 be vlndlc- |
tive and cruel with his playInates which was rot |
10 faulty education and unfortunate experiences In
early life. But after seventeen years of age man |
Is supposed TO be capable OF thinking for himself
Guiteau may have been advised TO 20 10 the Oneida
(OmuuultV. n, Ihe AL e WI 30