The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-12-27
Guiteau Trial,

STAND Tor the u6f60Sc 10 answer Tile nypGbuct
ical question proposed by Seville, testified
that in his opinion the prisoner was . sane
man.
Guiteau, sharply-How much Go you ex'
pect 20 get for that opinion, sir. suppose
that will be worth about $500 to you That
is the way Corkhill is running, but DOM
think it will be worth q snap with the jury
not 4 snap, sir.
Corkhill then read . Hypothetical question,
which covered the material facts in The pris-
onsr's history from his boyhood down to his
act GU the End of July, aud inquired, assum-
ing all these facts to be true, in your opinion
was the prisoner sane or insane when be
killed the President?
Answer-I believe him to have been per-
fectly sane.
Guiteau-Yes, sir, you expect to get $500
for your opinion.
All thrsugh the reading Of Hypothetical
question Guiteau continually shouted, 'that
is faise-absolutely false" At one time he
said: "That's false; get the facts right for your
hypothesis, or whatever you call it. Judge
Porter must have got that stuff up Ter you;
you certainly have not got brains enough.
| want to say right here that Col. Corkhill
has made a very good outward statement of
tbs facts, but he hasn't touched al all upon
what was going on in my mind at that time.
That is a matter for the jury, the court, the
Deity and me to decide-we four.
Col. Corkhill thon read another hypothet-
ical question, setting forth in it's most unen-
viable light the career Of Guiteau.
The prisoner WINGED under the record, but
confined himself to . sort of growl, /" that's
false or that's absolutely false"
On concluding the reading Corkhill again
inquired of tho witness, "Do you consider
the pris ,aer was q or insane on the second
day of July.
Answer-"1n my opinion he was sane"
Recess.
After recess Or. Worcester again took the
stand, when Guitsau insisted upon being
heard, and with some inpstuosity said, 81
want it distinctly understood that on the
third of July l gave Col. Corkhill and his
reporter, in a two hours interview, M views
on this whole subject-the Inspiration, the
political situs:isn, and all the Causes that i'm
PEELED me to fire on the President; and his
man Corkhill destroyed his notes so that l
could not use them upon this trial. It's a
burning shame for him to come in here now
and say that | never said anything about in
spiration until three weeks after the shoot
ing"
DR.. Worcester then turned to Cox and said {:
If the court please, l understand that | ap-
pear here an an expert, summoned by the
government to testify just as believe i'm
partially in this case.
Col. Corkhiil undertook to explain that tbs
witness had remained in the city wholly
against his will, when he was interrupted by
S~coville, who, with evident anger, proteste ]
against the action of the counsel for the pros
ecution in attempting to fsrtify this witness
with the jury in advance Of his evidence.
A sharp c~olloquy ensued between counsel
which was interrupted by Guiteau.
Resuming the cross-exsEination, Scoville
asked: When and where did you get your
title of docter !?
Answer-I got my title of doctor from
Howard University in 1868. l began my
course of study in 1863.
Witness was then questioned at great length
in regard to his medical practice the books
he had read the patients he had treated, and
the opportunities he had enjoyed for ~investi-
eating the subject of insanity. He was
asked how he had come to the opinion in the
trial that the prisoner was insane, when he
had written to counsel (Scovllle) that such
was not his belief, and replied:
From what statements l have seen, that he
was sctuated when he shot the President by
an insane dslusion, and that the uncontrolla-
ble impulse under which he acted was all
outgrowth OF that insane delusion, l wrote
you, thinking ] might be of service to an in
sane man.
Witness said be had changed his opinion as
to the insanity of the prisoner, because he
die not believe that to be = true statement
on which he had based his opinion before he
went to Washington.
Gulleau, impatiently-Don's you under
stand, Scoville, that $500 has moditisd his
views? what's the use of wasting time on
him? LIST him go.
Scoyille was about to resume the examina-
ton when 1uiteau struck the table violently
and called GU "Maks matters short. 1t is
simply a matter Of fact for the jury to determ-
inc whether my free agency was destroyed or
not. l claim it was and wont Lave you
compromise my life A. you are doing by your
stupid blunderbuss way Of examining wit
nesses.
Al the examination proceeded Guiteau fire.
quently interrupted and roundly abused Sce-
Vile for his inconpeteucy and charged him