New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-12

LED TO TIE KILLING OF GARFIELD AND OF TIE
DUKE or BUCKI GHAM-sOME OLD FAMILIAR
TACTS RFsTATED.
InY TELEGRAPH TO THE TEIRrNEl
WASHINGTON. Nov. LITTLE tHal OF u"','au
for the assassination of PreNr'ent "arh''u
is 70 begin next Monday; and the conh.ci
on both sides are inlu>tuously engaged IN
preparing for that event. II IS gwen ont ny "u'-
ieaus counsel that they will rest the defence on the
ground of his alleged insanity, and that to prove
tbis thew will call as witnesses several Of the rea-
tives and number fthe former acquantances oil
The assassin. besides putting in evidence numerous
letters written by him and covering series OF
years prior to the time when he conceived the
idea of shooting the President The motive which
impeIlcd Gaifeau TO commit his crime IS, OF
course the vi al point In the case.
Mr.. Scov,lle of counsel for the defence. mani
tests considerable anxiety 10 get possession OF GER
tain newspaper clippings collected by Gultean be
fore the shooting and in possession of the DIS
trict-Attomcy with view 10 using them 70 snow
lat Guiteaus disordcreI mind had been so lniiamed
by the bitter political controversy then wagins as
to render him morally and legally irresponsible Tor
his act and its consequences, and that III MS insane
condition he imagined himself called upon as the
champion Of Mr.. Conkhng ana the oldiNdI's' l"
kill the President.
Hardly ANYTHING could be more absurd than tins
in view of the fact that while Gut.au retained any
hone dat his persistent attempts TO secure an ohce
from the Administration would succeed, he wrote
repeated notes to the President approving
his course in appointing Robertson and
refusing to recall the nomination at the demand
of the Stalwarts and it was only when he
had lost all hope of political prcerment and deter
mined to kin the President, that he bcthouGht him
self of the pretcxt which he set forth in his written
/. IL, ,t,.lt I he, .ol
Anabundance of evidence can be produced TO show
that this is true. During the period when Gutcau
Nyasa daily suitof for an official appointment AZ the
State Department aud the White House, and before
it was found necessary virtually 10 exclude him
from the Executive Mansion, he wrote many notes
10 the President of which the following published
in The inter- OceIp Of Chicago tho day after the
shooting, is a sample:
regret the trouble you having with Senator COnk
Yon hayc my support and that OF all patriotic citizens
would like an audenc. Of IA few minutes.
An eminent lawyer in discussing the Guiteau
caso with TRIBCNE correspondent yesterday, said :
"There is no crime foul that the perpetrator of it
does not desire TO elevate dignity it by assigning
as the cause some higher motive than that which
acinated him. TWAS perfectly natural for Guiteau.
in Lls attempt to describe his motive to assert that
lie was driven to his murlcrous deed by desire 10
save the Republican party or the country. That
was DO freak of insanity; but an exhibition of
the low deliberate cunning of maleyolcnt, revenge
ful and devilish villain"
Speaking of Guitelu's studied attempts to create
and foster a belief that he is insane by means of
statements to tn. effect that he acted under divine
inspiration, the lawyer said: That was all an
afterthought All the statements written by Gun
teau OF made orally, since he conceived the idea of
assassnating the President are worse than worth
less as evidence either of hs mental condition at
the time they were made OF the motive which
impe led him TO commit his dasardly crime They
are all part of his scheme to save his own worth
less neck by inducing belief III his legal iTrespOn-
sibIity 1t would IN my opinion be absurd for the
counsel for the prosecution put any of these STATE
meutS i'll evidence. and it would be the very height
Of absur ity for them to allow the defence to DO So
In the course of this conversation the lawyer men
toned the case Of John FELTON,, who aSstssinated
the Duke Of buckingham in 162S, as one which
presented some strong smi!0rics 30 that of Gutcau.
FELTON, had been n p"rspyering applicant for official
promotion. failing to secure which ne became sourcd
aud determined to XIII the Duke to whom he
ascrIbed his disapp intment In his History of
the English People Green says:
A Lieutenant 10 the Army, soured BY neglect and
wrongs, had found in ia" remons rance some imaginary
reason FOR the revenge plotted and mixing wltn the
tong which crowded he hall at Portsmouth he stabbed
Buckingham 10 the heart.
Hume, in describing the motives which impcllci
FELTON,, says:
While private resentment boiling IN HE suen
uusnciabie mind, he heard the nation reeuuuu with
TIgiDts against the Duke; hc win the lrinuu
eraucc Of Commons in which his enemy was repre-
RcntCd the OF every national grievance and s
the great enemy Of the pnbIc. .isohs 'anaticHn
further ndncd these yudIctye thrctDHs and he fan
Cied ne should do Heaven acceptable selvCet at one
blow he dispatched this dangerous Zoe t0rcAgOn and 10
ms country.
Like Guiteau, FELTON,, after he found that mis- ap-
pcas for official prefement were diaregarded and
after his means were exhausted, made deliberate
preparations for his crime. One contemporary
account says
aud bought a tDHpcuUy knife with "a long blade and d
white handle. TIE sheath OF which he sewcd mtO the
forth the blade with enc hand FOR the Other
was disabled Oy wound w"lch he received
Portsmouth. travelling sOluc' LlcH ON HoIheback ana
sometimes foot, Tor ne hId not money suuelent "a
enable him 70 perform The lOrhty WIZ more conycui
tud "ypc iitlun. lie arrived n iIihy, tir "a 81
August 62s and went not out OF ms roou lna evening
which he spent In preparation lOa TIC norma business L'
had undertaken.
FELTON, made no attempt to escape arrest bat
like Gultear- boldly ayowed his crime and declare,
that he had been inspired 10y heaven to take the
Dukes life in order to save the Nation. No plea oi
insanity appears to have been thought ofIu his case
and he was promptly tried and duly executed.
Within the first few days after .he shooting OF
the President numerous statements were published
ali tending 10 show the relations that Guteau bore
toward the President and to other influential public
men, and to disclose the Tue motive for his deed
In the subsequent weeks of anxiety and grief these
statements appear to have faded from publc recoI-
lection. IL is to ue hoped that they have not eluded
lie memory of District-Attorney CorkhiIl. or es-
aped the most searching and thorough inYestiga-