The Evening critic., 1881-12-12
GUITEAU'S BLuSTER
GETS A SETBACK TO-DAY.
An Indignant Spectator Threatens
Him--''Shoot Him DOWN. Was the
RemarI-A Queer Expert Testify.
ing to Guitcau's Insanity.

Him--ssShoot Him DOWN. Was the
ElenarIs-A Queer Expert Testify.
ing TO Guitcau's Insanity.
Tho complexion of the audience nj the
Courthouse to-day to look upon the trial of dui.
tcau, the nbomination In the sightof God, was
somewhat different, there being larger pro-
portion Of men ana corresponding decrease
In the presence OF women.
There were to-day ut the opening OF thc court
very few people OF marked prominence present.
Tho Jury entered ut 1880. There was moth
Ing characteristic about 1t, except in the per-
son of the colorcd luryman, wormlcy, whose
brow was bound up In saffron cloth, and ono
OF his eyes closed by combination OF crysipc-
las and dyspepsia.
Counsellor Scovillo ana wife, and MIR. John
W. Guiteau were at their desks nearly an hour
before the trial commenced.
Judge Donaldson, the court-crlcr, who has
been for several days lndisposcd, has COM
plctcly recovered ana opened the court to-day.
Mr.. scovllc opened, explaining to the Court
that he had the witness DR.. Spltzka, whom he
had under attachment and had held In reserve.
DIR. Edward Charles Spitzka
took the stand Witness is physician; re-
sides I'm New York city; has resided there all
his life, has been practitioner for eight
years; his specially is nervous and mental
country; regards himself rs still n tyro In the
study; has been called about twenty.six times
rs an expert In insane cases In court; has
written on the subject OF insanity; obtained
the prize offered by British magazine for the
best essay ON sanity.
Witness never saw prisoner until yesterday
In Jail; never saw him before; the result was
that
Guiteau IL Insane.
Witness has not the least doubt OF his insanity;
examined his Dyes and pulse; his eyes with
an opthalmoscope and his pulse with sphyg-
mograph The result was that both the eyes
and pulse were normal and healthy; there was
nothing in that however, to AFFECT witness
opinion as to prisoners insanity; could not
explain his insanity to any jury unless of ex-
perts I regard him as being influenced by de-
lusivo opinions and morbid and fantastical
projects, and being imbeciie OF Judgment-in
fact, look upon him asa
Moral MOnstrOsity.
Witness regarded from the prisoners face
and eyes that he was insane before he spoke
to him at all. An acute retentlvc memory Is
| consistent with some forms OF insanity ana III
consistent with others; the same OF quick per-
| ccptlon.
| mr.. Scoville here put the assumed fact OF
| hereditary insanity In the Guiteau family TO
| the witness, and asked his opinion as to what
| he would deduce the condition OF the prisoner
from thcm.l
The Hypothetical Assumption.
| To this question tho witness said 81 de-
cline TO answer any Hypothetical questions
| after l have examined patient and formed
conclusion" But witness thought that the
prisoner was In n morbid mental state more
| or less throughout his entire life, ana was
probably insane at the time of the shooting OF
BY Mr.. Davidge-"w What do you mean by In
sanity?"
That is question never attempt to answer,
but give you an approximate answer. Any
| thing that varies from the proper channel or
common sense There are various degrees OF
insanity. Any one with single delusion Is
| insane.
Medicine, however, is not an exact science,
SO cumulative evidence as to ones insanity Is
necessary, but, as n witness on the stand, the
| witness would base his belief that the prisoner
| was insane from the simple fact OF being pos
sessed Of the dcluson that 1t was necessary to
kill the President.
sane asylum; has applied for positions In In
sane asylums about three times; once for Black
wells Island, once for Oshkosh, WIS.,, and once
for Danville, Pa. made application for posi-
ton ut Wards Island; also at the request of
DR.. Mcdonald. All of his applications were
declined; never applied for position at the
Bloomingdale, n. Y, asylum, nor at Madison,
Wisconsin.
A Horse Doctor.
Witness was professor of comparative
anatomy at n veterinary establishment In New
YORK, but never treated any Otner uuliHhlh
, than asses; Witness has committed about forty
, people to insane asylums; witness does not ro
, gard himself as n professional expert but Ia
willing to testify in any case honestly. II he
Ind been purchaseable lie would be sitting
| with the Government experts by the side OF
tho prosecution.
The Horse Doctor BaIky.
Mr.. Davldge here began to get in his lin fine
/ mony began to get mixed. He stated first
/ that Judge Porter had called on him TO ask
, him 10 appear for the prosecution about the
] 31st of October, but he refused, because he be
. lieycd the prisoner to be insane. When
pressed closer he admitted that Judge Porter
had not asked TO rctaln him as witness, Du'
merely to ask II he could BIO of value TO the
prosecution, and that he had said he had al
ready been engaged by tho Defense He had
formed his opinion of the prisoners insanity
, before seeing him from his letter TO Gen. Sher
' man, his proposition of marriage, ana IRON
I picture he saw Of him In an illustrated
y newspaper; also from what he had read In tht
o | newspapers.
Never saw Mr.. scovillc but three times sine,
L ho has been In the city; has been here sinct
y Friday last; went with Scovlllo to tho jail
y yesterday; Mr.. ScOville may have trainet
= Guiteau In advance; doesn't know; witness
!. In order TO get complete examination, passe!
I himself of as "Prof, Brown, phrenologist;
!, asked prisoner why he "romoyed" tho Prcsi
= dent; prisoner said he had no objection q
T President Garfield, but that lac was objection
!. able TO Grant and Conkling, and was wreckinl
= the Republican party; that he was u veal
. man ana wholly ulucr Diitlnc tiiuHlD, tiSht'
u prisoner why he had not removed Blaine
, prisoner said that II ho did some ono els
y would I'LL his shoes and, moreover, that Al
thur would not be President; he wanted &
cement the Republican party, and could onl.
do that by tho death OF Garfield; prisoner toll
d the witness that the reason no Interrupted tn
# Court and witnesses so frequently was that tn
"a Saviour Himself, lamblike as he was, ono
y threatened n certain set with damnation, an
:. that no could not contain himself
"a prisoner was very violent and wild a
4, limos during tho visit OF the witnes
!. yesterday Witness found his memory good
?, and that he had tho legal attachments OF a
u ordinary third-class criminal shyster &c
t. knowlcdgod that no believed Guiteau insane
A. MS he know, as II lawyer, tho responsibility q
,, crime; Guitcau told him that he believed tina
~ the American people would mover let him die
~ disgraceful death; that he Will, on his rcleas
y, from Jail, 90 10 Europe for few months, an
- then returning, Will lecture; witness examine
n murderer two weeks ago who was regarde
MS insane and found him sane; this he state
as an example to show that he doesn't bcliev
~ crime and insanity always go togetheri mos
NJ murders are committed by sane mon.
y Witness attributes the crime OF Guiteau
u n "morbid project growing out of n disease
IL condition OF the mind" Witness doesn't III
n dertalte 10 give any opinion as to his condltio
H. mt the time no murdered the President fu
n Their than that he was always OF n morbid di