The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-12-08
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.
The Mastery CrOss-QuestiOning
of Judge Porter.
The Assassin Suffers in Porter's Hands
He Tries to Explain the Divinity
2 of His Deed.

WASHINGTON, November 80. Judge
Porter, of the prosecution, began to
crOss-questiOn Guiteau this afternoon,
The prisoner bore the examination with
considerable self-pOssession, although
he occasionally got fluTied and excited.
QuestiOn-YOu determined to kill Gen
eral Garfield, did you not?
Answer decline to answer that.
That is very strong way to put it with
some excltement. l consider myself an
agent of the Deity in the matter. had
no personal vOlitiOn in the matter.
Q-Did you say to Officer Scott, on
leaving the depot after the murder of
the President, General Arthur is now
President?"
Al decline to answer that.
Q.-Why do you object to answering
that?
Al suppose l did say that. (Then he
added eXcltedly): | want it distinctly
understood did not do that of my own
personal vOlitiOn, but on the inspiration
of the Deity. l never would have shot
the President on my own personal ac-
count. The Deity inspired the act, and
the Deity would take care of it. The
Deity furnished the money with which
bought the pistol. l was the agent.
The Deity inspired me to remove the
President, and | had resort to my own
means to accomplish the Deity's will
Q.-The only inspiration you had was
to use pistol on the Presidentp
A.-The inspiration consisted in try
ing to remove the President, for the
good of the American people, and Gm-
patiently all these details are nothing
to the case. The whole matter was in
the hands of the Deity, and Gmpatiently)
do not want to discuss any further.
appreciate the fact of the Presidents
long sickness as much as any person in
the world; but that is a very narrow
view to take of the matter.
Q.-Did you contemplate his removal
otherwise than by murder?
A.-NO, sir (petulantly), do not like
the word murder" L do not recOllect
the actual facts in that matter lex
citedly). If had shot the President of
the United States on my own personal
account no punishment would be too
severe nor too quick for me, but acting
as the agent of the Deity, that puts an
( entirely different construction on the
act, and that is what L want put to the
Court and jurv, and to opposing counsel.
l say that the removal of the President
was an act of necessity from the situa-
t1on, and for the good of the American
people. That is the idea L want you to
entertain, and not to settle down on the
cOld-blOOded idea of murder because l
never had the first conception of muir
der in the matter. ''.- % '.-sgi q
MI. Porter Were you aware Bhat it
was against human law?
The prisoner felt the Deity would
take care of me. 1 never entertained
the idea Of murder in the whole matter.
| never had any conception of the mat
ter, as, murder. My mind is perfectly
blank on that subject and has been.
.r,-,-a,ru, THURSDAY.
The crowd was less dense at the Gui-
teau trial to-day on account of the storm.
Guiteau said he was always q man of
peace, and a physical coward baa ir- n..
Judge POrteF-r-"And very cool and de-
termi 1ed sometimesP'' ~ .aii. IA f
Guiteau+-" When the Deity is back of
me. He is always right, and If ne in
spires man to act, it eiSTightS psa.rr-- i, r.,
Guiteaus said further that if Mason
and Jones, who, shot at him, could prove
they were inspired by duty they would
be Justified. 5h Porter asked whether
Mason and Jones should be punished
anyway, whether he escaped or, net.
Guiteau refused to answer, and told
Porter he had seen him frighten wit
nesses in New York, but. he could not
scare him as he would give as good as
was sent. A long series of questions,
tending to show that the previous wit
ness had testified that Guiteau was not
always peaceable, were answered, 81
don't remember" Judge Porter asked
in an emphatic voice if Guiteau remem-
bered saying at the depot that he shot
the President, adding, "YOu, and not
the Deity" Guiteau answered that the
counsel need not shake his finger at him,
he would not scare. When he spoke of
of himself he associated himself with
the Deity. Guiteau was carefully ques-
toned regarding the notes he had
ffnrn 80 H,nr Il nf 90
brother and sister, but evaded all contra
dictiOns by saying he did not remember,
or must have been mistaken. When
sharply questioned as to the truth of his
testimony yesterday, Guiteau replied
that anything he testified to was true.
He denied knowing what became of the
rest of the box of cartridges. Porter
passed to boarding house experience,
and Guiteau appealed to the court if he
must answer. Judge Cox replied that
he must, and Guiteau told of several in
stances where he could not pay his
board bill, and it was because he had nc
money. When he came to Washington
last March he had 81; borrowed $25 from
Maynard, and several days later bought
tthe pistol to execute the Divine will in
removing Garfield. Took the prettiest
pistol because it would look best in the
library of the State Department. Porter
asked why he practiced shooting al
saplings if the Deity was to shoot Gar
field. Guiteau replied that counsel was
going too deep into the outward act
The motive was the thing. Porter then
asked: "The motive was to kill Gar.
field, was it nOtP" Answer: "The motive
was to remove the President for the
good of the American people," Guiteau
was then led to detail his pistol
partice, and said he would have
been acting out of Divine will
if he had removed the President
any time between the middle of June
and the day the shooting was done. Was
watching for a chance, and thought that
would settle all talk about the outward
act. God was responsible, and was using
him and the court, jury and counsel fol
his own ends. He said he had not thought
whether he would or would not support
Blaine, but if he had got the Paris con
sulship he would have felt under obi
cation to do so. He emphasized his
words by pounding on the rail of thu
witness box and saying: That's my
politics. You tickle me and I'll tickle
you" (Applanse, which was suppress
ed.) About his letters to Garfield, h,