Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-12-08
The Experts and Guiteau.

From the Chicago Iutsr-ocean,
A committee of experts are in Wash.
ington consulting as to the mental con.
dition of Guiteau. II Is understood
that they do not agree, and the pros.
poets is that their evidence will be quite
contradictory.
The sensible way TO look at the case
is not to weigh the question of the
mans mental arrangement, but that of
his mental responsibility. All men who
commit fragrant crimes without seem.
ing provocatioD, or indulge in unusual
conduct regarding any of the affairs OF
| life, are, TO greater or less extent, OF
unbalanced minds. The question is,
are they sufficiently so 10 be held re-
sponsible for their acts The difference
between insanity which becomes ire
sponsible and mere eccentricity OF char
aeter was pointed out short time ago
in these columns. and may be properly
alluded to again, showing, as II does.
the line which divides the two cases.
| IL Guiieau, for instance. believed him.
self perfectly competent TO be the Gen.
eral.inChief OF the army he would un
doubtedly be called an insuiferable ego.
list, or would be laughed At as a block.
head, but would hardly be deemed in.
sane in the sense OF being mentally ir.
responsible for crime. Many persons
during our civil war imagined them
selves far more competent than Grant
or Sherman TO carry on the war sue.
cessiully, though without military ex
perience. Mr. Murat llalslead, of Gin.
| Gig natl. then "A comparatively unknown
i r II H.
wrote long letter to General Halleck
detailing how the campaign in the
West should be prosecuted. Halleck,
used TO such suggestions. merely in.
dorsed the letter "Halstead NJ, tells
how the war should be carried on" and
placed it on file. lie didn't send out
and have the Cincinnati editor arrested
as crank for il was plainly case OF
great self. confidence. and not OF delir.
ium. But If, instead Of fancying that
| he was competent TO be the command.
er.in.chief OF our forces, Mr. Halstead
had actually conceived himself 10 Be the
commander, then egolism would have
passed the boundary and have become
insanity; and u, while lRboripg under
this delirium, he had felt called upon
to shoot a man as a deserter. aud IL had
been shown that no malice otherwise
existed for the deed. his place there.
after would have been an asylum, not
the gallows. Precisely so with Guiteau.
| lie thought himself competent TO GIL
| any position, no matter how exalted,
but he never imagined that he actually
| filed such position when he did not.
He was angry and revengeiul because
the President did not set the value on
| his services that he himself considered
them worth, and be fred the shot, not
because he imagined himself 10 be Con.
sui at Paris. but because he knew that
he was not Consul and had no hope
to be.
Whatever bis vagaries. therefore, and
however much be msy have overrated
his powers, he was plainly responsible
for the murder OF the President, be.
cause he knew, first, that II was assassi.
nation, and secondly. because he de
liberately weighed bis grievance and
coupted IL sufficient for the commission
Of the crimee1 The talk about being
commissioned by the Diety IL shown to
be twaddlo which GuiteAu himself does
not credit, otherwise he would not ex.
hibit the craven fear OF bodily harm
which he has constantly shown since
his crime. and which he could not feel
we're he deluded with the idea that
God directed bis aim and would shield
him from danger.
That the witnesses should generally
agree that the man il of unbalanced
mind is not strange. Indeed. IL would
be strange IL they thought otherwise
Tut the point is his mental responsibili.
ty for the murder, and upon this the
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