The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-07-15
COMMON SENSE ABOUT GulrEAU:

IUo luuUCeull0utSs
COMMON SENSE ABOUT GUITEAU:
lFrom the Inter Ocean.l
There Is no other created thing in
this world quite so dangerous as fool.
When the fool has just 4 sufficient
motlicum of brains to become crazy the
danger Is doubled. When n being of
this makeup studies law, ne simply
adds method TO his madness; and when
In addition to all the rest, he becomes
possessed of some sort of a religious
frenzy, his capacity for mischief is COM
plete. Such q combination Of moral
and intellectual odds and ends is
Guiteau. He has been we'll enough
known here in Chicago, off and on, for
these fifteen years. He was sort Of
hanger-On at the Office of very respec-
table attorney here, whose kindness he
abused in every imaginable way, until
he was finally gotten rid OF, and then
for season he protested to practise
law in an Office of his own. He had
neither brains enough to cheat people
out of living, nor honesty enough to
excuse his want of capacity, and so he
Jared but poorly in the law. He turned
his attention to theological pursuits
and made book. He came to under
stand all spiritual mysteries, and gave
public lectures on religious topics-or
would if he could have got an audience
together in response to his numerous
advertisements. He knew all about
the second coming of Jesus Christ, and
there was no hidden thing that he
could not expound. Then he had a
mission among the newspaper, and got
up wild schemes for getting other peo-
pie to furnish money that he might
instruct the world through daily
publication of his own. He went to
New York, and did manage there to
get so far lnto the mysteries Of Journal
ism as to be arrested for contiscating
money collected for one of the great
dailies of that city. He took in politics
as part of the universal affairs of
mankind which needed his guidance,
and has latterly been a pestiferons
loafer about Washington, whom no.
body ever wanted to see or was able to
get rid Of. He has now probably
gratified the Hottest reach of his ambi-
ttOn. He has immortalized himself as
the neanest sneak of the nineteenth
century.
There Is no lesson to tie learned from
such thing as Guiteau. He is not the
frnit Of despotism, nor the fruit of re-
publicanism. He is not fruit Of any
thing; he is simply worm-eaten
windfall. His friends cannot DO charged
with neglect of duty, for he has mover
been idiotic enough to be sent to an
asylum for the feeble. minded, or crazy
enough to he sent to tho hospital for
the insane; and his vices have not
heretofore been vigorous enough to
land him In the penitentiary.
Tho fsNSDl .ki0lnv
only blessed with such u benefactor
would have taken him in hand long
ago, but in the present imperfect state
of human laws there has been no way
to interfere With Guiteau's personal
freedom. He will not serve as warn
ing to parents, for ne was we'll brought
up; nor as frightful example to boys,
for ho did not, in the ordinary sense,
fall into evil ways. He wasinot ruined
by bad companions nor by strong
drink. He was not pointed ut AS Il
Sabbath-breakrr, nor as IL scot1er at re-
ligion. Flo ran no course of crime.
He has had no downfall. All that he
ever was he continued to be up to the
day of the assassination. He was sim
ply an intellectual weakling without
moral sense. He came near killing
his own sister once, to whom he was
under every obligation for care and
support, but still he did not usually
manifest Il murderous disposition, and
was not considered an unsafe man to
have at large.
1t matters little what becomes of
Guiteau. Hanging would I've II COM
pliment to his intelligence, and W ould
very likely seem to him Il heroic way
OF going out Of the world. His prede-
CcSSOr In assassination sixtcen wears
ago, was shot like dog in the street,
and his crime was never dignitied by
trial. IT Guiteau's worthless life had
somehow been snuffed out in the uepot
at Washington, Saturday morning, it
would have been taxing human nature
too much to ask any regrets over his
speedy dissolution.
Published reportS from most of the