The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-12-22
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.

obtained a prize in 1878. Ho testified that he
examined the prisoner on the previous day,
that he might speak ihtelligently If compelled
10 testify, his decision was that tho prisoner was
insane " "Guiteau's tendency Is toward mental
delusiohsi the formation Of delusive opinions
and morbid projecta is moral monstrosity
with imbecility of judsment. judged him
insane before lad asked him question:" said
the witness. ellis eyes aud the expression of
his face are rs well marked for insanity as any
over saw. Mr.. Scoville tnen put hypothetical
question summarizing incidents in the prisoners
history, and asking finally If in witness opinion
the prisoner was insane when he shot the Pres
ident The doctor thought the man was prob
ably insane at that time. MIR. Dayidge opened
tho cross-pxamnation by asking q definition of
insanity. Tho doctor declined to formulate q
definition, but gave an approximate reply. Mr..
Davidge made somo attempts to probe DIR.
Sptzka's professional record and standing with
the intent to throw discredit upon him. This
led to passage of wits between them in which
both suffered to some extent. AS lar back as
October 81 the doctor had, he said, fixed
opinion that Guiteau was insane, founded on his
writings, on his picture and on the published
opinions Of various lay people who had seen the
prisoner; on this account he declined to testify
for the prosecution when approached bv Judge
Porter, and he was unwilling to testify on
either side fitness had examined the pris-
oner, representing himself to be a phrenolo-
gist that the prisoner might not know him
and act part. Or. Spilzka thought GuiteaI
exhibited the usual characteristics of insane
! people, and narrated the substance of his talk
! with him. He thought the prisoner knew the
ordinary legal con-equences of criminal acts,
| but was morbidly egutistical, with tendency
| to delusive opinions and morbid projects. For
| instance, the prisoner told him the American
| people would neN er zee him die disgraceful
| death; that lie would go to Europe for three
months and then return and lecture with great
success. Witness thought his act of shooting
| to be morbid project Guiteau was unusu-
| ally hOistGrous, and denounced the press and
district attorney with great violence Re
| agreed with the witness Spit5ka that he was In
| sane and should not be hung for his crime
| While being manacled during recess Guiteau
| broke out with: 81 lam not afraid to go to the
| gallows if the Lord Almighty wishes me to go
! there. / expect an act of God that will blow
this court and jury out of that window to protect
me, if necessary. want to thunder that in the
ears of the American people" AT tanother time
| after particularly bOisteTous look from Gui-
teau voice from the most crowded corner of
| the courtroom exclaimed, "Shoot him now ~
! The prisoner glanced around in frightened
manner whilo there was good deal Of sup
| pressed cummOtion among the spectators. The
! deputy marshal endcavored to discover the Of
| FENDER but was unsuccessful in his search.
On the twenty fourth day the examination of
| Dr. Spit2ka rs witness for tho defense was
! concluded, and the prosecution called several
| more witnesses in rebuttaL DR.. SpitZka said
| he didn't believe Guiteau was slamming in-
sanity. He told of a remarkable dream tho
| prisoner had relate to him, i'll which Guiteau
| dreamed he was holding big reception in the
White House. Tho prisoner interrupted the
vitness 70 give his own description Of the dream,
which occurred about a week previous Mr.
| Corkhill handed DR.. Spitzka a slip of paper
| on which was penciled an oDlong figure
which he claimed represented the shape OF
human head DR.. Spitzka drew diagram
| OF the contour of head, after explain
| ing that the iTegularity of Guteap's
| head was three times that of an ordinary por-
son. Being asked if he believed in God, DIR.
| Spiizka objected to answering ''un principle" I"
| as he termed il, Sin country where civil
and religious liberty are guaranteed" "And
! irreli .ious liberty" remarked Mr.. Davidge; but
| this elected no laughter from the audience
| GuiteaU, who first st ted that man had given
him a hat to measure his head, said in a seri-
| ous manners DO You believe in q God, Cork
hill? l have been digging up your record and
it stinks worse than an old mackerel. ana that
stinks worse than anything else" DR..
for the prosecution that there is no such
thing as hereditary insanity, but onl!
an hereditary tendency to insanity. He
did not believe in moral insanity; that was
simply Nicliedncss. Dr.. Barker said he had
| not made a personal examination of the prs-
oner, and lis testimony was directed to the
general features and indications OF insanity
with view of showing that Gaiteau's plea Oi
insanity is untOunded. Judge Cox took part II
the questioning OF this witness. Guiteau
asked hIm, "Where n man does an illegal aci
from an irresistible pressure is that sanity oI
nsanitv?" The witness reply that that fact
showed insanity pleased the prisoner, who re-
marked: That's my case, sir." Mrs. SEQ
Yille the prs ner's sister. asked per
mission to question DIR. Barker. She
wished to know whether person coulo
be born insane through malfOrmation Of the
brain. The witness replied that that would
produce idiocy or imbecility, not insanity
:" Can it develop into insaniy?" persisted Mrs
Scoville. The doctor replied that a person viii
a malormed brain might be more liable t.
insanity, and Mrs Scoville thanked him
Several witnt sscs who had known Guiteau tes
tilted ihat they never thought him insane. TIT
prisoner contradicted some of their assertions
and became angry over others.
The first witness called by the prosecution OF
the twenty-iiith day was the Rev. DR.. John A
MlthrOn, pastor of the Park Street COugrags
tlonai church, Boston. He knew the prisonc
in the years 1878 and 1879 in Boston IN
prisoner introduced himself to witness az
colaborer with Mr.. Moody and wanted to Ice III
in with ss church in answer to Colonel Rob
ert nsersoll; lie saw the prisoner frequcnt
at the prayer meetings and social gatherings O
the church, and marked him particularly; hi
opinion was that Guitcau was in no respect in
sane, but very shrewd or cute man. A jurC
' having been granted brief absence from I'll
room, tho prisoner entertained the aulienc
with declamatory remarks, saying that
was evident that the prosecution intendo
10 prove that he knew right from wrong who
he shot the President. He wished to say tia
it made no difference whether lie did or not q
his tree agency was destroyed. He rested hi