Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-01-24
THE LAST SPEECH.
Judge Porter Begins His Closing Argu-
meBt for the Prosecution-A
Mastery Effort.
The Assassin Shown Up in His True
COlOrs-Graphie Picturing-The
beginning Of the End.

WASHINGTON, January 23.-For every seat
in the courtroom this morning there were at
least ten clsmoriug applicants, besieging
every avenue of approach. Members OF the
press, counsel and court officers found the
greatest difficulty in forcing their way through
the immense throngs that blocked up every
passage way. Even the holders of special
tickets were in many instances unable to get
near enough to the policemen and bailiffs TO
show them. When the doors closed one
thousand people were left outside.
As soon as court opened Guiteau made the
following announcement: II spent yesterday
in examining my mail. / had several hun
dred letters, many of them from ladies, and
some were very tender. desire to express
my thanks to the ladies for these kind and
tender letters. One letter suggests that Cen
Now, want to say i would not take any
Office from President Arthur, and under the
circumstances l do not think it would be
proper that / should accept one. Now, in
regard 20 Judge Porter, want to say. as he
is TO have the closing of the case, that If he
attempts to mislead the court or jury, and
my counsel will stop him. He came into
this case under Misrepresentation on the
part of General Arthur, otherwise he would
not be in the case. He don't3properly rep
resent the government; he only represents
himself"
Judge Porter entered the courtroom
shortly before the prisoner had delivered
himself of this warning. After moments
delay he stepped to the open space before the
jury, and in a tone which clearly betrayed
his weakened condition began his closing ar
gament. Said Judge Porter: eff it please
your Honor and gentlemen OF the jury, in
my own infirmity, for / share your fatigue,
1 will proceed as best / can to discharge my
duty. The nature of this duty is such that
should feel that / were almost accessory
after the fact if | should fail to speak such
words as l can to aid you in reaching
proper conclusion. Thus far this case has
been practically conducted by the prisoner
ard Mr.. ScovIlle. Everyone has been de-
ncunced at their will, and even now 1 am in
formed 1 will be interrupted by them both"
Judge Porter then briefly recited the
scenes of disorder the abuse and Islander to
which every one upon the case had for two
months been subjected, "and yet" he said,
"of the three speeches which have teen made
by the defense, will do the prisoner the JUS
tice to say that his was the least objectiona-
bIe"
After sketching the circumstances leading
I'D to the crime, and painting with fervid
language the damniag wickedness of its exc
oution Judge Porter turned his attention TO
the prisoner and proceeded to depict his
character in the following terms: ga beggar,
a hypocrite, robber and swindler, law
yer who never won cause. No court, no
jury, failed to see in him the dishonest rogue,
and such men cannot win causes. He has left
his trail of infamy in hundred directions.
The 10 an who, a lawyer, had such notions
of morality that when he had taken debts to
collect, and collected them by DIGGING the
debtor he held them against his client; a
man who was capable of blasting the name
of the woman with whom he had slept
for years, and still recognized as his
wife; a man who, when he tired OF this wo-
man, pretending to be Christian and be-
lever of the Bible, looked IN the book and
read: Thou shalt not commit adultery
and then went out and committed adultery
with street-walker; a man who pushed
himself into the fellowship of Christian asso
sociations as follower of the Savior, when
fresh from six years of foul fornication in
the Oneida Community"
Guiteau-That lie ought to choke you.
As Judge Porter proceeded with resistless
torrents of jenunciation and invective, the
prisoner occasionally called out: "Thats a
iien That's absolutely falsew or "That
amt SOP
Judge Porter continued: "Public justice
demanded that the prisoner should never
leave the dock save in the shackles of a SEN
fenced felon. He who spared no one should
not be spared. He spared not the good Gar
field. He spared not the loving wife who
had once saved her husbands life; he spared
not the little mother, upon whose lips had
rested, on the 4th of March last, the kissing
lips which hal just before rested on the Book
of God. This vile wretch, had he been free
and unshackled; had he thought the insanity
plea would save him; had he had a
bulldog in his hand, would have shot bull
let through Judge Cox when he refused to
permit him to speak; would have put bull
let through Davidge when he was denounc-
ing him as murderer. He wanted to know
whether on the day that Juror Hobbs lost
his beloved wife, when his home was dark
ened by the shadow of death, he would not,
had it served his purpose, have shot Hobbs
then and there-not from ill-will 10 him but
from good will to himself. Had he not on
one occasion threatened one of the jury with
removal by that God whom he claimed as
partner?"
Passing in review the principal events in
the prisoners life, judge Porter showed up
in all its hideous deformity the infamous
bent of his nature. Abiding to his dispute
with his brother, John w. Guiteau, in Bos-
ton, when he struck the latter in the face,
Judge Porter said this was the first and last
time this coward ever struck any blow in the
face; his coward hand always struck from
behind.
After showing who and what was the MUIR
derer, Judge Porter next described his VIC
tim, paying glowing tribute TO the charac
Ter aud services of the lamented president,
and pronouucing most touching eulogy, as
it were, upon his memory. The claims of
the prisoner 10 be praying man were con-
;idered, and the hollow mockery of the
claim shown.
Guiteau ansrily shouted: 81 pray every
night and morning, and before every meal
II you did the same you would be better
N an; you wouldn't be here looking for blood
money"
"The prisoner says he prayed six weeks.
Why, if he had made up his mind unaltera-
ane,' said Judge Porter, did he still con-
inue to pray down to the very act of the
nurder?"
Guiteau-I prayed TO see if the Lord would !
ct me off from killing him.
"What was he praying for?" continued |
Judge Porter. "The man who claimed to !
rave received divine inspiration himself pre- |
aces his defense in inspiration for an act TO |
10 which he was divinely inspired. The be- |
lever in inspiration, he would himself alter |
he inspired book and substitute for it book |
# his own. That he did not shoot the Pres
dent on the first occasion" said Judge Por- |
er, was due to his coward heart. Had he |
lone it on that occasion he would have been !
orn to pieces, aud he knew it. On this &C.
aston the president was surrounded by his I
abinet and his friends. His son. not yet |
trong, bat who would have been urged at |
UGH time, with God-given strength, 20 de-
end his father was also by his eide, and the l
ssassin's craven heart failed him. and he I
aid not yet; some other time"
With graphic picturing Judge Porter re- /
ated the logging of the presidents footsteps !
o the little church; the incidents or ,
ccidents on each occasion which
'affi-d him, President Garfield's visit |
o Secretary Blaine's house logged |
" the assassin was wildly portrayed. ut |
vas night" said the speaker, "dark as that |
light when the devil first whispered this crime |
n the assassin's ear, that he laid in hiding |
n the alley, where with the inspired COM
nand of God resting upon him to kill the |
resident, and with a pressure that would !
rave made him do it if he died the next 1
minute at any time after. June LIST. Why |
i'd he not kill him? Because, he says, ii |
vas too hot, and he thought he would do it |
ONE other time; because this politician |
bought he could become the ideal of the |
talwarts of the Republican party; because |
lie thought he had go carefully laid the |
oundation for his defense against crime and |
or his protection from mob violence, that he |
night safely commit the act in the light of |
lay. This careful man-careful of his own |
every provision, even to his !