Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-12-05
ddress. You say 81 conceived the idea

address. You say 81 conceived the idea
myself"
The prisoner-That is correct
Mr. Porter-Why did you conceal it?
Why did you keep it to yourself?
The prisoner-Why should go and tell
it? That is no point.
Mr.. Porter-Had you made up your
mind whether or not it would be murder?
| The prisoner had not made up my
mind to do the act until about the 1st of
June. l was resisting it with all my
| might and strength and prayer. Iprayed
| that if wrong the Deity would stop me
| by his providence. Please take that in.
Mr.. Porter-Let me return to the sub
| ject of Mr.. Blaine. You say in your let
ter to the president, 'sMr. Blaine is a
| his immediate resignation, or you and the
republican party will come to grief
The prisoner-Political grief not phys
ical grief. Every intelligent man will see
that | meant political grief.
Mr.. Porter-Was that after that We'd
nesday night when you conceived the
idea of removing the president?
| The prisoner-That was a mere flash
which had not taken shape nor form in
my mind, and did not take shape or form
| for over two weeks. All that time I was
resisting the idea.
Mr.. Porter-Then there was no inspi-
ration in May?
| The prisoner-No; it was mere flash,
an embryo inspiration,-a mere impress
sion which came into my mind that pos
sibly it would have to be done. My mind
was fully made up about June l.
Mr.. Porter-You say ''about the LIST of
June" Was it on the 1st of June?
The prisoner say in about two weeks
| from the 10th of May. During that time
I was resisting it with all my might, all
my strength and all my prayers. At the
end of that time my mind was fully fixed
in regard to the necessity and divinity OF
| the act.
Mr.. Porter-Then the question was not
whether you should obey the inspiration,
but whether it was an actual necessity?
The prisoner-I was finding out during
those two weeks whether it was Gods
will or not. At the end of the two weeks
I made up my mind that it was his will
and it was for the best interests of the
American people. That is the way that
get inspirations.
Mr.. Porter-Your making up your mind
was not his act?
The prisoner-Yes, it was.
Mr.. POrter-While you were praying
and protesting to be in doubt, were you
in doubt?
The prisoner-For two weeks I was il
doubt, but never had any doubt since
that time.
Mr.. Porter-What occasioned the
doubt?
The prisoner-Because / wanted t.
know whether it was the Deity that in
spired me. l kept praying that the De
ity should not let me make any mistake
about it, and the Deity has not made AM
mistake about it.
Mr.. Porter-WhY did you have an!
doubts about it?
The prisoner-Because all my natura
feelings were opposed to the act.
Mr.. Porter-You regarded it as mur
, der then?
The prisoner-So-called, yes. 1t wa
not murder, for all my natural feeling
were against it.
Mr.. Porter-Were you aware that
was against human law?
The prisoner felt that the Deit
would take care of me. l never enter
tanned the idea of murder in the Who'll
matter. never had any conception @
the matter as a murder. NV mind is pei
fectly blank on that subject and has been
Mr.. Porter-Why were your naturs
feelings against murder?
The prisoner-I cannot make myse
> any better understood than / have done.
At this period of the cross-eXamin;
4 ton, which the prisoner bore with col
siderable self-possession, the court az
iOurDed.