Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-02


shower, which passed over the city about
O'Clock, served to deter many from going to
the court house to-day. At the opening of
court, however, every available spot in the
court room was occupied. The majority of
the visitors to day were males, but still
quite number of ladies were present.
Upon entering the witness box Guiteau,
before resuming his evidence, made an ap-
peal to the public for money to conduct his
defense. Judge Porter then began a rapid
fire Of interrogatories, eliciting from the
prisoner that he was physically q coward
and always kept away from personal dan
ger. Morally he was as brave as lion,
when he thought the Deity was back of
him. The Deity Influenced him to remove
the President. In his opinion the doctors
killed the President, not he (Guiteau)
The acts of Jones and Mason in attempting
to kill him were wrong, and they ought to be
punished, unless they can show that they
were inspired by the Deity. The witness
soon showed signs of impatience and
excitability, and, striking his open hand
upon the desk emphasized every sentence
uJJ6Tcus WH6u pTSbS6u LOT answers ne
finally became obstinate and shouted to
Judge Porter:
81 know you well, and l know bigger
men than you are. I've seen you shake
your finger at witnesses in New York, but
you can't scare me-"
Shortly after, when asked II he believed
In the ten commandments, to which he re-.
sponded in the affirmative, and IL he be-
Heved that the commandment "Thou shalt
- 1-x11 -, l. l. ferpn
shalt kill, +" he became exceedingly violent,
and refused to discuss that matter
at all. There was no murder in his
case and no killing. 1t was simply for the
jury to determine whether or not his act 10
removing the President was inspired by the
Deity. Il was all nonsense to split hairs
any longer over that word. 1t must be dis
tinctly understood that the removal Of the
President was the act of the Deity. The
witness proved decidedly obstinate ,and after
fatty contradicting the testimony of Gen.
Logan, Col. Reed aud other witnesses, posi-
lively refused to answer several questions.
his invariable response being, 81 decline to
discuss that with you.n He seemed greatly
annoyed at Judge P0rter's habit of pointing
his finger at him by way of emphasizing
his interrogatlons, and again broke ouI
angrily, you need not point your bony
finger at M, Judge Porter. I've seen you
10 that before, but you can't scare me-"
The witness was closely questioned with
regard TO the different boarding houses at
which he had lived, and became very I'M
easy at the bad showing he was making by
his own evidence for honest dealing with
his landladies, and declined to go further
into the boarding house business, as It had
no bearing on the case.
The court decided he must answer The
witness was readily driven from one posi-
tion to another until confronted with the
evidence of his own witnesses, when he
would unhesitatingly pronounce their evi-
dence false. Once he emphasiz I'd his con-
tradictioDs by saying:
"AnYthing that | swear to, Judge, is true.
You can put that down as a fixed fact"
Being pressed as to how he proposed to
raise the funds which he had said he was
expecting to receive, the witness replied:
81 intended to borrow it from some OF my
friends" aud told how he borrowed money.
The witness was questioned as to the pur-
indignant at Judge Porter's use of the word
murder, aud shouted fiercely: "You seem
to delight In the use Of the words 'kill' and
murder There's no use of your whining
in that way. The mere outward fact of
how l removed the President has nothing
whatever to do with this case" The pris-
oner, with flushed cheeks and the air of
JlH6T db Ddys nuTlCu nlS I0pIle5 db uukO Or
ter for two hours, continually interrupting,
however, the course OF questions
and replies to insist upon
his position in relation to the Deity being
thoroughly understood. His shrewdness in
detecting aud anticipating any point which
might be made against him was a marked
feature of the investigation. Judge Porter
pressed him very closely to fix the day when
he received his alleged inspiration to re-
move the President, and Gulteau finally
shrieked out:
"To remove all this loose talk l want you
to know that l would have removed the
President at any time between the middle
of June and the ID of July II l had found
an opportunity. l would have done it for
the good of the American people,"
At twelve o'clock a recess was taken for
one hour.
After the recess, when the prisoner was
brought into the box, he carried bundle of
newspapers, which he spread out on the
railing of the box before him. Judge Por-
ter was several minutes late, and before his
arrival quiet reigued in the court room, not
a word being spoken. The prisoner sat with
his hands clasped before him, watching the
faces OF the spectators with considerable
interest. When Judge Porter arrived he sat
down at once, and without preliminaries
asked:
"Did you mean to support Mr.. Blaine
for the next President?'
"I bad no thought on that subject, sir,
answered the prisoner.
He admitted writing to President Garfield
on the Sth of April, expressing sympathy
with him on account of pressure. "I sym-
pathize," he said, with any President that
has this enormous herd of Office seekers at
his throat"
Judge Porter pursued his inquiries about
these letters, when the prisoner said angri-
ly: Unders and this, Judge, want you to
make a broad distinction between my posi-
tion beofre the first Of May and after the
first of May"
Judge Porter persisted in the same inqui-
ries. when the prisoner said: "You don't
want to twist these letters against me that
were written at a time when had no con-
ception of removing the President? You
are trying to do it but you won't do it.'
After being questioned about his feeling
against Mr.. Blaine, the prisoner suddenly
caught an idea aud said: 81 want to say
this just here. Your idea is that this office
seeking business is at the bottom Of it. If
that theory was correct Mr. Blaine was the
man for me to shoot, and not the President.
That shows how absurd your theory is.''
"WeTe you ever inspired with the idea that
President Garfield ought to be re-elected2"
"I never Claimed any such inspiration; that
was an idea of nv Own.n
The prisoner accused counsel of unfair
ness In trying to twist bis letters written
prior to the "dlsruption" of the Republican
party against him now. 1t was not fair or
manly, he said. President Garfield, he said,
was so bound up in Mr.. Blaine that he
hadn't sense enough to appreciate the sug
gestions IN his (prisoner's) letters.
The prisoner being pressed again on the
same subject, repeated two or three times;
81 don't care to discuss the question any
more" He declaimed at length on what
appeared to him as president Garfield's
fOllv."
''Do you think he committed suicideP"
"Political suicide" replied the prisoner.
"Personal suicide?"
''No, sirl" (emphatically) political sui
eide"
"Do you not think that he caused his
own death?"
''I decline to discuss that matter any fur
ther," said the prisoner In q peremptory
tone.
Speaking of the feeling against him, the
prisoner said: "The Deity seems to be on
my side, though every one else is against
me. There is a great deal better feeling In
respect to nae now than formerly. There
has been wonderful toning down in feel
ing, especially in these cranky newspapers.
l want to say this to the jury, because they
don't see the papers nowadays"
Judge Porter wanted to know what he
meant by "cranky'' in this connection.
"What these newspapers want" said the
prisoner, sis change of heart. They want
conversion before they will get over this
horrible thirst for blood. If was shot or
hanged they would not be satisfied"
The prisoner declaimed at some length
like a stump orator, saying he shot the
President as a soldier In the war shot down