Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-12-08
to borrow it from some of my friends" and
he told how he borrowed money.

chase OF the pistol and became very lndlSnallC
at Judge Porter's use Of the word murder"
and shouted fercely: ''You seem to delight
in the use of the words ''kill' and murder"
There's no use of your whining in that way.
The mere outward fact of how removed the
President has nothing whatever to do with
this case.''
The prisoner, with flushed cheeks and the
air of a tiger at bay, hurled his replies at
Judge Porter for two hours, continually inter
rupting, however, the course of question and
reply to insist upon his position in relation to
the Deity being thoroughly understood. His
shrewdness in detecting and anticipating any
doint which might be made against him was
a.marked feature of the investigation. Judge
Porter pressed him very closely to fix the day
when he received his alleged inspiration to re-
move the President, and Guiteau finally Shrek
ed out, 'To remove all this loose talk, want
you to know that l would have removed the
President at any time between the middle OF
June and the second of July, if had found
an opportunity. l would have done it for the
good of the American people" At Il O'Clock
a recess was taken for one hour
After the recess when the prisoner was
brought into the box he carried bundle of
newspapers, which he spread out Oh the rail-
ing of the box before him. Judge Porter was
several minutes late, and before his arrival
quiet reigned in the courtroom, not word
being spoken. The prisoner sat with his
hands clasped before him, watching the faces
of the spectators with considerable interest
When Judge Porter arrived he sat down at
once, and, without preliminaries, asked, "Did
you mean to support Mr.. Blaine for the next
President % 81 had no thought on that sub
ject, sir" answered the prisoner. He admit
ted writing to President Garfield OH the 9Th
of April, expressing sympathy with him on
account Of pressure, II sympathize, he said,
sswith any President that has this enormous
horde of ofice-seekers at his throat"
Mr.. Porter pursued his inquiries about these
letters, when the prisoner said angrily, Gun
derstand this, Judge, want you to make
broad distinction between my position before
the first of May and after the first of May"
Mr. Porter persisted in the same inquiries,
when the prisoner said, "You don't want to
twist these letters against me that were writ
ten at time when / had no conception OF re-
moving the President. You are trying to do
it, but you won't do it," After being ques-
toned about his feeling against Blaine the
prisoner suddenly caught an idea and said
81 want to say this just here-your idea is that
this office seeking business is at the bottom
of it, If that theory was correct, Blaine was
the man for me to shoot and not the President.
That shows how absurd your theory is."
Q. Were you ever inspired with the idea
that President Garfield ought to be reelected?
A. I never claimed any such inspiration !;
that was al idea of my own.
The prisoner accused the counsel of unfair
ness in trying to twist his letters written prior
to. the ''dsruption'' of the Republican party
against him now. ut isn't fair or manly"
he said. President Garfield was so Lound up
in Blaine that he hadn't sense enough to ap-
preciate the suggestions in his (prisoners)
| hpin
the same subject repeated two or three times,
II don't care to discuss that question any
more.n lie declaimcd at length on what ap-
peared to him as President Garfield's folly.
Do you think he committed suicide asked
Mr.. Porter.
"Political suicide?" asked the prisoner.
"Personal suicide" said the lawyer.
"No, sir" (emphatically,) political sui
eide"
death2''
II decline to discuss that matter any fur
ther," said the prisoner in peremptory tone.
Speaking of the feeling against him the pris-
oner said ''The Deity seems to be on my
side, though every one else is against me.
There is great deal better feeling in respect
to me now than formerly. There has been a
wonderful toning down in feeling, especially
in these cranky newspapers. l want to say
this to the jury, because they don't see the
papers nOw-a-days.""
Porter wanted to know what he meant by
''cranky'' in this connection.
| "What the newspapers want, said the prls-
oner, ''is change of heart. They want con-
version before they will get over this horrible
thirst for blood. If / was shot or hanged
they would not be satisfied" The prisoner
declaimed at some length, like stump orator,
saying he shot the President us Il soldier in
the war shot down rebel
'Did you ever shoot rebel ?" asked Porter.
No, sir, 1 was not engaged in the shooting
during the war.
| Where were you ?
was in the Oneida Community.
Coming back to the question of inspiration,
the prisoner declared: II suppose there was
thousand men in the Republican party who
would have done it if they had the chance and
inspiration. was the only man who had the
inspiration and the nerve and the brain to do
it,"
Mr.. Porter: You were the only man the
Deity could trust to do it {?
s'He did trust me-" replied the prisoner.
On being questioned further the prisoner
declined to answer, saying, "t am unwilling
to crafty your extraordinary impudence.
That's what think of you, Judge Porter"
The prisoner having declined to answer
questions several times, Mr.. Porter referred
| to the Court and the Court always ruled
against the prisoner. Referring to the pris-
oner's statement that he had not shot the Presi-
dent on the 18th Of June on account of Mrs.
Garfelds presence, the prisoner said if he had
shot then the shock might have killed Mrs.
Garfield, and he had no authority to remove
any other but the President.
The cross-eXamination of the prisoner was
| resumed on Friday nv ,Judpe Porter with the
question, ''Was one of your purposes in remoy-
| ing the President to create demand for your
book %
A. Eyes, sir, with the modification that it
was to preach the Gospel" The witness said
that he regarded the book as collateral Cos
pei; in other words, the Gospel brought down
| to the present time Witness soon became
excited and gesticulating wildly, insisted upon
his inspiration and that the Lord had selected
him to do the work. lie was no fool The
Lord never selected fools to do His work. lie
had inspired him to remove Garfield and left
him (witness) to use his own Judgment In Sc
lecting the means.
Several letters written by Guiteau were
read, and witness interrupted the reading sew
eral times to make explanations. The cross
examination was resumed, and IN answer :, G'S TO
the question: "Are you insane at all ~ Gul-
teau replied, "r AIN not al expert Let these
experts and the jury decide that" Being
pressed for his opinion witness declined to
answer, and he was then subjected to a rapid
series of questions and began to exhibit great
imitability and anger. On being asked it he
laid in wait for the President III all alley by
night, he said, "Now you are on that LII give
little news. I'll tell you what occurred that
evening, July 1st.' He then detailed his
movements up to the time ne saw the PreSl-