The Portland daily press., 1881-12-30
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.
Eleven Jurors Said to Believe the
Prisoner Sane.
THE CULPRIT STILL NOISY AND IN
SOLENT.
More Experts who Think Guiteau Sane.


court room was again densely packed this
morning, despite the rainy, dismal weather.
A rumor was current this morning that the
jury, with one exception, are satisfied of the
guilt and legal responsibility of the prisoner.
The twelfth juror, it is said, stoutly maintains
that Guiteau is as crazy as Marchihare.
The prisoner entered the court room at 10
O'Clock and was taken at once and without
demonstration to his place in the prisoners
dock This is located about twenty-five feet
from his counsel and upon the left of the room,
narrow passage separating it from large
window which overlooks Louisiana avenue,
upon which the building fronts. Guiteau
glanced hurriedly around tho room and then
out of the open window, and evlnced some
nervousness at his apparently exposed position.
He complained of the draught and the window
was closed. Some delay in the court proceed
ings ensued, and Gaiteau started in to make his
usual morning speech
/ noticed as I rode up in the van this morn
ing that the usual guards of police had been
Withdrawn. Now l want to say emphatically,
if was turned out tomorrow would take
care of myself. But SO long as L am in the
custody of this court the court is bound to pro-
tect me. There is more danger of my being
shot when riding to and from Jail in the van
then at any other time, and want your honor
to make an order that the usual guard of po-
licemen shall accompany the van. The cranks
are not all dead yet, though they are fast dying
off As matter of fact it would require but
the van. That's where the most danger lies.
I'm making moro friends every day and get
ting lots of letters of sympathy. don't an
ticipate any danger except from cranks.
DIR. CALENDER was called to the stand, but be-
fore any question could be put to him Judge
Cox remarked that as a statement was made
yesterday that the court had surrounded the
prisoner with unusual guards and protection,
he would state that the prisoner was in the
custody of the marshal and not of the court,
md hota avfr lar6c III haan furnished
had been supplied by him.
Guiteau-Well, then, your honor, if the
marshal won't do his duty appeal to the court
If the marshal won't furnish the proper guard
kick him out and let's have a new marshal, :,
Judge Cox-I have no doubt the marshal
will do his duty in this connection.
Scoville desired to exhibit to the witness as
an expert letter written by Guiteau some ten
days since to Senator Don Cameron.
Guiteau interrupted from his place in the
dock and shouted out in harsh and strained
tones, "Hold on, L want to say something
about the letter. protest against its being
here. 1t is private. 1 wrote to Senator Came.
ron ten days ago asking him for loan of $500.
1t was an entirely private matter. entrusted
it to my brother to give to Cameron and he
withheld it in a miserable mean way and gave
it to this man Scoville. My brother had bet
ter go back to Boston and try and make some
money and pay his debts. He has been per-
feet nuisance on this case ever since he has
selves into the case to get little notoriety at
my expense. repudiate both of them. Sco-
vile, you had better go back to Chicago. You
are a perfect jackass on this case and won't
have you on any longer.
Mr.. Davidge objected to the letter, but the
court overruled the objection and Scoyille then
read:
Hon. Don Cameron:
Dear Sir-I am on trial for my life and need
money. L am stalwart of the stalwarts and SO are
Vnn
and SO do 1. My inspiration smade him President
and am going to ask you to let me have $500; if
get out of this will return it, if not charge it to
Yours for our cause and very cordially,
CHARLES GUITEAU.
In court Dec 49, 1881.
P.S.-Please give your check to my brother, j..
W. Guiteau of Boston, and make it payable to my
order.
The prisoner commented:-"I don't care a
snap about it one way or the other. Ii you had
presented the letter you would probably have
got the money; but as you concealed 1t in a
mean sneaking way you did not get the mon
ey. It's a very good letter anyway, but don't
like this way of stopping and stealing my pri-
yate letters and dragging them into court"
Scoville then asked witness, "Will you give
your opinion whether such letter as that writ
ten to man he didn't know does not indicate
unsoundness of mind?"
Answer-"I do not think it indicates un-
soundness of mind. 1t seems to me consistent
soliciting money from sources where he had no
reason to expect it,"
Guiteau-'sI don't think SO either. 1t only
shows what jackass you are, Scoville."
Col. Corkhill-"Your honor, if these inter
ruptions on the part of the prisoner are to con-
tinue must request that the dock be placed in
another part of the ROOM"
Scoville-'You can place 1t in the cellar if
you want to. We shan't object"
Corkhill-"You can't object"
la VIC 6nv,jf Aocir IN AII
we ask is that you will make your motion, if
you have one to make, and not harangue the
jury as you did yesterday"
Scoville then read to witness the hypothetical
question of the defence, and witness replied,
Upon that hypothesis insanity is self evil
dent proposition"
DR.. Walter Kempster, Superintendent OF the
Wisconsin State Hospital for the Insane, testi-
fed that he had studied insanity fifteen years.
Witness was familiar with the process of tax
ing the conformity of the head and did not be-
lieve much Importance as rule could be at
tached to the shape of the head in determining
the question of sanity or insanity. Witness
related incidents within his knowledge of per-
sons who had committed crimes while acting
under the influence of insane delusions and de-
fined what he considered insane delusions to
be.
Guiteau shouted to him-"Oh, you're talking
of cranks. Tell us something about Abraham
and then there would be some sense to your re-
marks"
Witness was then asked If he had ever seen
where person committed a crime and claimed
divine inspiration, and if so, how such persons
deported themselves before and after the act
He replied that in such cases the delusion or
inspiration as they claim it to be, comes to a
person suddenly and with intense force, and
that such persons act quickly and upon sudden
impulse delaying neither to consider the op-
portunity nor weapon that it would be impos-
sible to conceive without actually witnessing it
IAfr
with which persons acting under insane delu-
sion carry out their perposes; that it would be
equally impossible to describe it with language.
Guiteau-"You don't agree with Abra-
ham doctor, he took plenty of time to make
his arrangements"
Witness stated that he did not believe in a
distinct type of insanity which conid be called
moral insanity. 1t was simply o convenient
term which had been invented to excuse the
commission of heinous crimes. Witness had
never seen case where an insane man after
committing crime paraded his insanity and
urged it as an excuse for his crime. Insane
murderers do not boast of there acts but on the
contrary very rarely will allude to them unless
good deal of ingenuity is used to draw them
out. Witness until he entered this court room
had never heard of case of alleged inspiration
that came from within. Always such persons
claim to have heard the voice of God or seen
His image or something of that sort. Such in
spiration is never a conviction arrived at after
mature renectlOn on tne Fart OF tn6 person SO
affected. Witness was asked if the belief of
the prisoners father, l.. W. Guiteau, that
diseases could be cured by prayer should be
taken as any evidence of insanity, and replied,
SPY no means, we all know that thousands and
thousands of sane people prayed daily for the
preservation of President GaTfeld's life this
summer They would hardly have done SO if
they had not entertained some belief in the
efficacy of prayer"
Guiteau-"It shows that the Lord and the
people don't agree on this business" The peo-
pie are beginning to come over to my side and
the Lords though"
Col Corkhill then read the hypothetical
questions of the prosecution and witness replied
to each, 'Taking the facts set forth to be true
in my opinion he was sane"
Recess
After recess Guiteau opened the proceedings
with request for pen and ink. "If your
honor please" he remarked, II have good
many letters here that require to be answered
If could have paper, pen and ink 1 could
put in a great deal of time to advantage"
The throng that besieged the door of the
court room was greater than upon any previous
occasion and hundreds were unable to gain ad-
mission
Another expert for the defense has been dis
covered through the following telegram which
Col. Reed received this morning from jack
sonville, Ill: