The Portland daily press., 1881-11-18
GU1TEAU's TRIAL.
The District Attorney Opens for
the Government.
SECRETARY BLAINE's ACCOUNT OF
THE SHOOTING.

| Eh6 OhOOAAANo.
WASHINGTON Nov. 17.--This is the fourth
/ dav of the Guiteau trial. The court room was
| more crowded than yesterday. When the court
/ opeped Mr.. Scoville arose TO make personal
| explanation, in which he said that there had
| been no disagreement between him and Mr..
Robinson as would appear from certain publ.
| cations, and in conclusion said that Robinson
| would render all aid possible in the case, and
that they would work in harmony.
At this point Guiteau rose and objected to
Robinson taking part in the defence. He said
| he would manage his own case and would not
trust Robinson with anything, as he mad no
| brains. He wished the court to understand
| him on this point, and If counsel were forced
| upon him he would make noise ABOUT u 10
| the whole country. He represented the Deity
| in this case and wished the court to SO under
| stand it, Continuing he said that two or three
laundering lawyers would lose the case Tor
him. and he did not propose to submit TO any
| thing of the kind. The court informed the
prisoner that if he did not remain quiet he
| would be removed from the room.
| After few minutes the prisoner burst out
| afresh with the remark, There is not word
of truth in the Chicago despatch published IN
| the Post this morning. 1t is a lie from begin
| ming to end" (This is a dispatch regarding
| the arrest of a supposed accomplish of Gui-
| teau.) For some time after his last remark
| the prisoner conversed in an excited manner
| with bis COuDS6l ana DTOLn6T, at lultrFdlS US
| ing his clenched fist upon the desk
| before him in demonstrative manner.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS OPENING.
| A few minutes later the opening statement
was made by United States District Attorney
| Corkhill as follows:
NAV it please the court and gentleman of the
| jury:
| charged with the murder of James A. Gar
| field. Under any circumstances there rests a
grave and responsible obligation upon every
| man who is called upon in discharge OF his
| duty under the law to render q decision upon
| which depends the life of fellow creature,
| and while it is true that the offence charged in
| the present case is no greater in legal gravity
| and consequences to the prisoner than If by
/ his act he had taken the life of the humblest
| and most obscure citizen of the republic, still
| it is idle to overlook the fact that the eminent
| character of the man whose life was taken, his
| high official position and the startling effects
| of the commission of the crime render the
| case one of unusual and unparalleled impor-
| lance. It is the second time in our his
| tory that the citizen chosen by the people to
| discharge the high and responsible duties OF
| President b as fallen victim to a lawlesS assas-
sin during the period of his incumbeDcy OF
| office. But in the former case we were Just
| emerging from long and bloody war. The
country had been racked by connection and
| stirred by civil feuds throughout the length
| and breadth of the land. Nearly every house
hold mourned the loss of relatives or friends
| slain on the hotly contested battle fields
4 of the republic. 1t was a danger that thought
| full men had anticipated; it was calamity
4 that patriots had feared, and when it came
/ with all its dread consequences it was accepted
| as one of the results OF the then disordered and
1 discordant condition of public affairs
But we had passed from the arena OF the
/ war; The sword had been beaten into the
| ploughshare and spear into the pruning hook.
| The country was united, peace relgned at
| home and abroad, there were no local dissen-
sions. there were no intestine strifes. Seed
| time and havest had come and gone. The
battlefields, redeemed from the scars and havoc
| of their bloody contests, were poisoning with
| the fruits of peaceful labor.
| Suddenly the startling fact was proclaimed
i throughout the land and around the entire
world that the president had fallen victim
| to an assassin's bullet, in the capital OF the
1 nation. Murder under all circumstances and
upon all occasions is shocking The life OF
| which we know SO little and which we hold by
| SO fragile tenure, is dear to us all, and when
| it is brought to close not in the usual order
| and course of nature not prematurely by
| violence, no matter what may be the condition
l of the person, the human mind is appalled,
| with terror When a man holding position
| of eminence and power falls causeless
| victim to murderers stroke, we realize still
more fully the awfulness of the deed which
l produces this result.
Mr. Corkhill delivered his opening state
| ment with considerable oratoIical power.
| Guiteau paid close attention to it and felt the
| sting of many of the accusations of the Dis
| triet Attorney. Once he burst out into cor
| rection and explanation. Judge Potter re-
| minded the court that the administration OF
| justice must not be interfered with by the
| clamor or contumacy OF the prisoner. lie
| must insist on order
| Judge Cox said it was within the power OF
| the Court to remove the prisoner and proceed
| in his absence. and he would adopt this course
if the accused did not keep STILL.
| This warning apparently cowed Guiteau, who
| said with a scared and propitiatory smile that
| he would try to command himself. you must
| excuse me-" he said, 81 feel very deeply in
| this CASE
| Mr.. Corkhill then proceeded and concluded
| his remarks with applause.
| Mrs. Scovile. the sister of the prisoner, cried
| bitterly during the delivery of the argument,
| and her little child could be heard appealing in
an anoCEfonaU6 mdnuer wrrr 1rssnzT1rss;
ma. what is the matter?"
Secretary Blaine was called to the stand as
the first witness, and, being sworn, was asked
to give a narrative account of the shooting,
which he furnished. He spoke slowly, calmly
and with much gravity of manner, and his
statement, clothed in graphic language, was
listened to in silence, which was oppressive in
its intensity. His testimony was as follows:
TESTIMONY OF SECRETARY BLAINE.
Q.-What is yoor name aud business.
Any name is James g. Blaine at present
Secretary of State for the United States.
Q.-You were acquaidted with jaime A. Gar
Al was acquainted with him from the
year 1868 until the hour of his death.
Q-Are you acquainted it'll the prisoner at
the bar? Have you ever seen him?
Al saw him occasionally during March,
April and May, rot so frequently in May.
Q.-Were you in company with the Presi-
dent at the time of the shooting?
Al was by his side.
OWN you narrate to the jury an account
of the proceedings in your own manner.
Witness.-I wish to take directions as to
what point to begin the narrative.
Q.-You met the President by appointment
on the morning of the assassination.
A.-Yes sir. On the night of July LIST, was
engaged with the President until near mid
night on public business. On parting he sug-
gested had better call and see him in the
morning before he left, because there might be
some ma tiers to which he desired to call my
attention. went to the White House in the
morning reaching there at O'Clock. L was de-
tainen some little time in conference with the
President in the cabinet room and library-a
very few minutes. l then started with him
for the depot in the carriage in which l went
to the White House, the State department
carriage following us out of tie White House
grounds. In his own carriage were his chill
dren under conduct of Col. Rockwell. We
rode down the avenue without any noticeable
incident and at moderate speed. On reaching
bQ6 Q0pOG OIL bu6 ID Sbf6cJ bu0 \tLo lduloS 0E-
rtance, commonly called) We sat a moment fin
ishing the subject on which we we're then con-
versing and the President turned round to say
good bye. mo-" said /, 81 will escort you"
1 thought it not proper the President should go
entirely unattended. 81 will escort you,"
said "and besides 1 wish to see the gentlemen
of the Cabinet who are going to leave with
you" With that he alighted He had got in
of course at the White House and that brought
him on the side next to the pavement at the
t.epot and as the carriage was small coupe
he got out first as a matter of convenience He
took my arm as we assembled the steps and
turned to the left Che was on my Left to. speak
to some one, 1 think police officer. the same
officer who had told US we had ten or twelve
minutes still remaining. When he turned to
speak to him our arms became disengaged ac-
cording to my impression and as we walked
through the ladies' waiting room we were not
arm in arm but side by side. lie had got two
thirds across the room when suddenly without
any promonition whatever there was very
loud report of a pistol discharge followed in a
brief interval by a second shot AT the in
slant first heard the report it occurred to me
it was some trouble between persons to whom
we were Gin no way related Fand |
touched the President as though to hurry on
as L thought there might be soma
danger to his person or my own. just as did
that the President kind of threw his hands up
ooid Hal ,,Io Sc %Ii 90 III I'D