The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-11-11
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.
His View of the Proposed DcfeMcc-Can
Jurybe Obtainede
New York Sun.l

| New York Sun.1
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.-"What arc
the prospects for Guiteau's conviction?'
asked Il layman of a lawyer who has q
first-rate standing at the bar here.
"Well," "said the elawyer," "in the first
place Guiteau will be pretty well de-
Tended. He will have the best that
two good and Thoroughly earnest law
yers can give him. 1t will not be a
sham defence by any means. It will
be on ground these lawyers believe in !;
and they will probably be able to make
such q showing as might be successful
before jury, were the prisoner on trial
charged with killing an obscure indivi-
dual. Did not public opinion bear so
heavily against Guiteau, and could the
jury decide perfectly unbiased, free
from considerations that did not relate
strictly to the evidence. 1 would as
soon suppose the verdict would be
acquittal-at least a non-agreement of
the jury-as anything else"
"Nill insanity be the sole defence ?"
"That, and nothing else. The battle
will be fought on single line, as
military men say. Scoville is no COM
mon man, evidently. Ifhe goes to the
end as he has been doing since he
catAC AcIS, Ao Will, Nt &AC very kcssSt,
mako reputation"
fence ."
"He is raving mad with his lawyers
about it, and declares that it is sham,
and that it will hang him. He holds
that the plea of insanity covers him
with obloquy. He Indignantly re-
pudiates the idea. He insists he is the
instrument of God Almighty, and that
this is his true and complete defence.
He wants to be tried ON this ground
solely, and insists that the proof is at
hand. He consoles himself that he will
be saved from the consequences of such
a blunder as his lawyers are commit
ing by the fact that he is God Almi-
ghty's instrument. That, he says, as
understand, is his only comfort and
ground of hope now."
"What is the sentiment among men,
bers of the bar ?''
"Why, pretty much as 1 have said.
By the way, there is better sentiment
and iI is growing more reasonable.
Almost any time before this there was
but the single idea of hanging him in
| the quickest time. OF late, however,
| men of all classes nearly begin to say:
sTry him as you would any man, and
give him all the chance there is.' No
decent man, of course, will pretend
otherwise than that if Guiteau is IRE
| sponsible, or was SO when he shot Gar
| field, he ought not to be convicted, and
any way, should have accorded to him
an opportunity to make good the plea
of insanity"
"What about the prosecution ?''
ssThe employing of Porter of New
York by the AttorneyGeneral may
indicate that Guiteau's conviction has
conclusion. For all that has been
thought to be in the case, Cork hill, with
perhaps some local assistance, ought to
have been enough. 1t is evident, how
ever, that it was thought best to pre-
pare for heavier work than it was sup
posed he could do. Porter has few
equals in great criminal cases. He is
specially capable when the defence will
be, as in this case, insanity only. He
is extremely effective before jury !;
and I say again that there seems to
have been thought necessity for pre-
pairing to meet the best defence posi-
Bile. Porter can slit witnesses with
consummate skill, and probably this
sort of thing was foreseen as something
to provide for-that is, to deal with
experts and others who may be called
as to Guiteau's insanity.''
"What is the prospect Of obtaining a
jury?''
"As to this, some difficulty will doubt
less be encountered. But I think a
far Jury will be obtained even in this
District, though it may take time and
more than exhaust the panel"
The practice of head hunting still
exists in Borneo, through it is evidently
dying out in the regions over which
the Dutch have any control. 1t is a