Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1881-10-21
A Ora YEN WRETCH AT TIE BAR.

The second step toward the punishment
of Charles J. Guiteau for the assassination
of President Garfield was taken last week |
when he was brought into court to plead to |
the indictment which the grand jury had |
found against him. Whatever fears might |
have been entertained that it would be I'M
safe to remove him from the security of the |
prison, on account of popular hostility, have |
proved to be groundless. Every precaution !
was taken in conveying him TO and from
the court room to place him beyond the
reach of individual vengeance, and the court
room was thronged with officers in uniform
and in citizens clothing to apprehend any
person who might make an attack upon the
prisoner.
Indeed the sentiment felt for Guiteau might
well have been one rather of pity than of
vengeance. The human being who has
plunged hundreds of millions of people into
mourning, who shook the fabric of our gov
eminent, and slew kindly gentleman who
had done him no injury, was brought into
court to be observed by his fellow-citizens
iOA ShO ilob eihiO oihSS blC Vi lis
crime, and more abject, miserable, craven
wretch it would be difficult to picture
Conceited, defiant and remorseless in the
safe limits of his cell, he was whilst on his
way to and in court the incarnation OF ter
ror and pplication-conscious, apparent
ly, that his fellowcreatures, to the last man,
regarded him with loathing and adherence,
| tempered here and there with contemptuous
pity that creature bearing some resem-
blance to a man should have sunk to such
a condition. 1t is clear that but one passion
can affect Guiteau, and that is fear. The
sense of justice seems wanting in him; the
constant apprehension of violent death at
the hands of some of his fellow-men tortures
him most cruelty. Anything more despi-
cable than Guiteau in court it would be
difficult to conceive; any event that would
have shocked the world more than his act
can scarcely be imagined. Few could pray
for him without divine command, but
there is loyalty of citizenship that quietly
submits to the rule of the law
The prisoners brother-in-law, Mr.. Scho-
vile, is laying the basis for long, tedious,
expensive trial. There is need that it should
begin soon if it is ever to end A defense
on the ground of insanity, and of malprac-
tice in the treatment of the President, will
open the way to a deluge of expert testi-
mony. The battle of the doctors will be
long and exciting struggle for the continued
possession of that professional eminence
which the public has accorded to at least
two of them. We may have volumes of
wisdom from experts who have the very
great advantage of testifying after the fatal
result and with knowledge of the autopsy
If q jury is secured under the usual rules it
is difficult to imagine in what part of the
world it will be obtained, unless persons are
accepted who are far below the average in
intelligence; and how fit is an ignorant jury
to grapple with the expert testimony that
will be brought into the case?
The miserable wretch shot our late Pres-
dent to feed his morbid appetite for notori
ETY., and if public patience holds out he will
have enough Of it to satisfy aglutton.