Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-11-22
THE GUITEAU TRIAL.

Insanity to be the Chief Line Of Defense
WAsIIINGTOS, Nov. 22.-Guiteau ar
rived at court without nIthap this morn
ing. ard expressed his satisfaction at the
Increase of his guards to six. The court
ioom was crowded. Several medical ex'
pertS. summoned by the defense, are in
attendance, among them DR.. Rice, of Wis.
corsin who it is said advised Guitcau S
commitment to an insane asylum four
years ago.
Mr.. Scoville resumed his argument and
called the jury's attention to the plea of
insanity set up by the defense, and dis
cussed at great length the growth and
changes of public opinion upon the sub.
.ject OF insanity and its treatment by courts
wheD set Us defense in criminal cases.
During the progress of Mr.. Scoville' S
argument Guiteau leaned back in his chair.
stroked his beard, and apparently followed
him closely. Occasionally he would make
some notes and engage III a briet whiSp-
cred col!oquy with his brother. At one
point Mr.. Scoviiie, in detailing the more
enlightened treatment of the insane now
in vogue at the asylumS, said " In other
words. those liz charge of the asylums act
with Il little more reason than do the in
matcs.'' This sally seemed to amusc
Guiteau immensely, and broad smile
broke over his features, which rcappearcd
two or three times as if his mind recurrcd
to it. Mr.. Scovilie alluded to the praju-
dice which undoubtedly cited against
the plea of insanity generally, and espe
caily i'll the case Of tho prisoner. He said
the newspapers had intimatetl than Guiteau
WAS only feiSnin, insanity, and such seem
ell to be the general theory of the public.
Guiteau turned uneasily in his chair, and
with quick, nervous articulation said
6 never feiyn, | act myself, sane or i'll
sane"
Without noticing the interruption, Mr..
Scoville alluded to the arrest of q man at
the time of Hayes's Inauguration whc
WAS sent to the insane asylum. This
man. he said, had as carefully
made all bis arrangements to kill Hayes
as did Guiteau to kill President Garfield,
and but for his arrest might have sue
ceeded. There was just as much ground
to indicate Guiteau's insanity. "Why,"
said Mir. Scoville, "even President Gar
field said, why did this man do it, he
must be insanc?, Mr.. Blaine must have
believed Guiteau Col. Corkhill here
arose and with much emphasis said g If
you will allow me, Mr.. Scovillc, the presi-
dent never said he thought lie was insane.
He thought him sane all the time. Mr..
Blaine never Thought him insane. lie has
said under oath that he believes him to be
sane
Mr.. Scovil!e explained that he spoke
from Information derived from the news
papers and would not take issue on the
statement He then took up the history
Of the Guteau family, who were of Huguc-
not extraction, and who had, he said, re-
tained to the present day as marked
the sturdy adherence
to religious convictions, which
caused the cxpatriation of the
Huguenots. He asserted that in
sanity was hereditary in the family and
to some degree affected Guiteau's father.
Guieau intcrjected Scovillc's speech
with frequent remarks of his own, alter
nately appearing pleased or displeasetl
with the line of his counsers argument.
He was greatly amused at Scoville's re-
ferenc,s 10 some OF the freaks of his boy
hood.