The Evening critic. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1881-1885, 1881-12-07
INSANITY BUBBLES
BuRsTED TO-DAY COMPLETELY.

BUhD Ell lO-DhI COmfLEIE
Testimony ina Rebuttal -- What
Reputable Citizens of Erceport
Say-No Insanity i'm the Guiteau
Famiiy-John Guiteau Enters
PrOtest-An Actors Intelligent
view.
The attendance at the Courthouse to-day
was, as usual, large and the interest evidenced
In the trial OF tho murderer of our beloved
President seems 10 continue undated.
The prepondcrnncc OF women visitors
continues, although the masculine gender is
very well represented. To-day It was pretty
much standom between the two.
The Current Opinion
| runs down ono channel toward the same end
as general, indeed, as II universal thing
| that the defendant is sane, and that he should
meet his deserved doom, death. Even those
who are OF the opinion that he Is not sane still
believe that his insanity IL only OF n relative
character, and agree with tho eminent attor-
ncy, Emory Storrs, that oven though Gultcau
be lllybaanccd mentally, he IA perfectly re-
sponslblc for his act
Guitcau-s Maiignity
| and keen spirit OF revenge was evidenced to.
ward Storrs on account OF his damning tcstl-
| mony. The prisoner is acquainted OF the fact
that Storrs IA n candidate FOR the Attorney
Generalshlp, and is In n very fair way to BIO
| appointed to that position. In revenge toward
Storrs, Guiteau, bidlng his time for several
hours after the testimony OF the witness, sud
denly broke out In quick, lnclslve style with:
~ want 10 Say Something
| about Storrs. He Ia good lawyer, fine
politician. l intend to have Arthur appoint
him Attorney. General. 1 have asked nothing
thus far from Arthur, but propose to make
that request. Ho should have the Office"
This was n deliberately planned effort to
handicap the chances Of storrs-dellberato In
Its conception and revengeful In Its execution
An ActOr,s Views
OF the prisoner struck THE CRITIC as being
quite pertinent to the case and to the condition
OF the prisoner mentally. Speaking with THE
CRITIC to-day, Mr.. W. III. Harris, II well-known
| actor, who has been studying Guiteau with
care and direct attention for the past two days,
said:
"TIo Is not insane, but Is very good actor
To be sure he has the advantage of tho sur
roundlngs OF perfect realism, and is acting for
his life, but still he deserves credit for his
cleverness. He has not, perhaps, brains
enough to be insane, but certainly sufficient to
be very dangerous eccentric. one strong
evidence against the Idea OF insanity is the
himself Just as n man acting ON the stage.
Snow, fatigue is something utterly unknown
to n man insane. The brain of an insane man
Is never wearied. This fellow Guiteau nurses
himself up TO his acting points either by pre-
tending to write, or Disgusting himself
behind the cover of those unread news
papers he protcnds to read.
"IIe doesn't deserve so very much credit
either for his acting continued Mr.. Harris,
"for it is easier to act where all the surround
ings are real, than when hampercd In by those
| that are artificial. An actor-upon the stage
to succeed even In a slight degree, must, by
| the power Of his art, impress his audience that
| the painted trees, and mountains, and paper
| moon are real-and that he Is real, too.
But i'm Guitenu's Case
| everything Is reality-the Judge, the jury, the
leading man himself, the audience, and the
avoidance of the impending doom of death the
stake for which he is.playing. 1t is so much
easier to act whore everything is real than
where everything is advertised rs artnclal--as
a stage and play. For instance, one In the
most perfect state OF sODricty could stagger
into q bar-room and act the drunken man so
| extensively and cffcctually that lie would be
hustled out by the proprietor. He might do
| the same act with double the realism on the
| stage and not impress the audience at all.
| Thus 1t is with Gulteau.
The Assassin IL Surrounded
with every circumstance tended to color his
| stage-play business with the atmospheric hue
OF reality, and with those unacqualnted with
the act, in which he Is very proficient, as he
should be, having been II lecturer, II public
| speaker, and pcrforce Of circumstances, as his
boarding house record specifically proves, n
diletanto actor and professional deceiver,
| Ia ,sn1p tInt tod n
tee that II he was tried by Jury of profess
sional artists, his tricks and schemes would be
80 transparent that the verdict of "Guilty"
would be rendered within ten minutes after
that jury had consulted together
| 81 think the subtle art Of Shakespeare shows
wildly the difference between real and feigned
insanity In the tragedy of "King Lear" where
| the crazy old King ON the heath In the pelt
Ing storm, tears on his clothing, insensible to
the pitlless and piercing blasts, while the
youthful Edgar by his side, who is feigning In
sanity, shivers In the wind and turns aside,
trying to cover his freezing limbs, moaning,
| Poor Toms Il cold
"Lear does not feel fatigued nor cold nor
hunger cither-Guiteau Is not at all inscnslble
to any of the same"
TO-Day's Proceedings.
At 10 o'clock Judge Porter entered the court
room, accompanied by Rev. De Witt Talmage,
| OF Brooklyn, n. Y, and gave him chair near
the counsel table. Hardly had he got seated,
before the Jury followed
In the large attendance, there was especially
a gathering OF notables. A long row OF hacks
was lined in front OF the courthouse ma II u
corpse was within II and the funeral train was
ready to start.
| In addition to Talmage, Gen. Sherman and
| about half a-dozen members of Congress were
present. IL was said that Miss Mary Anderson
was In attendance, but such was not the fact.
Guiteau Opened.
| as soon as Judge Cox took his scat, In n brief,
| quick, snappish manner. He said that neither
| the American people nor he wished the trial to
| drag along ms II has been doing. 81 want the
| President Grant, Conkling, Jewell, Logan, and
| those other gentlemen OF standing as my wilt
nesses. II II had not been for the
political condition of affairs in May and
June the death of President Garfield
would not have been necessary / have
| n right as my own counsel 10 show through
Arthur, Grant and Conkling their bad feeling
| toward Garfield at and before tho time shot
him. 'They wouldn't speak to him, nor visit
him, nor have anything TO do with him." /
want TO show the cordial relations that existed
between me and them. II don't get them
from this court guess the Court In Banc win
give them TO me-"
Judge COx--"Well, that's all right; your OK.
captions have been noted"
Guiteau--"I want to say another thing. Be-
cause my autograph has been greatly I'm de.
mand many people think that / am vain |
reDudiate vanity. Eurthprmora I 1nnft Ito 10