National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-02-06


and the cXecrations of your countrymen. The ex-
element produced by such an oflense made 1t no
easy task for you TO secure fair and impartial
trial; but YOU have had the power of the United
States Treasury and the Government in your SER
vice TO protect your person from violence and to
You have had as fair and impartial jury as ever
assembled in court of justice. You have been
defended by counsel
WITH a ZEAL AND DEVOTION
that merits the highest encomium, and certainly
have done my best to secure fair presentation
of your defense. Notwithstanding all this you have
been found guilty 1t would have been comfort
tNblished the fact that your act was that of an
irresponsible man. II would have left the people
the satisfying belief that the crime of political as
sassinotion was something entirely foreign 10 the
institutions and civilization of our country but
the result has denied them that comfort The
country will accept IL as fact that that crime can
be committed and the court will have TO deal with
II with the highest penalty known to the criminal
code to serve as an example to others. Your
career hos been so extraordinary that people
might well Mt times have doubted your sanity.
But one cannot but believe that when the crime
was committed you thoroughly understood the
nature of the crime and its consequences.
Guieau-l was acting as Gods man.
And that you had moral sense and conscience
enough 10 recognize the moral iniquity ofsuch an
act.
The Prisoner-Thats matter of opinion.
Your own testimony shows thatyou reCOiled with
horror from the idea. You say that you prayed
against it. You say that you thought II might be
prevented. This shows that your conscience
istry of your own mind you worked yourself up
against the protest of your own conscience. What
a matter of conjecture. Probably men will think
that some political fanaticism or q morbid desire
for self-eXaltation was the real
INsPIRATToN RoR THE ACT.
Your own testimony seems to Controyert the
theories of your counsel. They have maintained
and thought honestly, / believe, that you were
driven against your win by on insane impulse to
commit the act but your testimony showed that
you deliberately resolved 10 do IT, and that Il de-
lberate and misguided will was the sole impulse.
This may seem insanity TO some persons, but the
law looks upon 1t n wllful crime. You will
have due opportunity of having any errors may
have committed during the course of the trial
passed upon by the Court i'll Banc; but in the
meantime il is necessary for me to pronounce the
sentence of the law, that you be taken hence TO
the common jail of the District, from whence you
came, and there be kept in confinement, and ON
Friday, the Goth day of June 1882, you be taken to
the place of execution within the walls of said
jail, aud there, between the hours, Of twelve m.
and two p. m. you shall be hanged by the neck
until you are dead, and may the Lord have mercy
on your soul
The assassin stood apparently unmoved during
the reading of the sentence. He made but two
Interruptions and appeared to be waiting for the
final words Of the Judge When they had fallen
from his lips Guiteau struck the table violently
with his fist and said:
IL AM NOT AFRAID To DIE"
And may the Lord have mercy on your soul
I'd rather stand where do than where that jury
to die. stand here as Gods man, and God
Almighty will curse every man who has had
part in procuring this unrighteous verdict Moth
ing but good has come nom Garleld's removal,
and that will be the verdict Of posteriy on my in.
SEPARATION. don't care snap Tor the verdict Of
this corrupt generation. l would rather thou.
sand times be in MY position than that Of those
who have bounded me to death. l shall have a
glorious flight to glory, but that miserable scoun-
below, where tho devil is preparing for him.
After this harangue he sat down and commenced
to converse with his brother. This he continued
until the time arrived for him to leave the court.
THE PRELIMINARY PROCEEDINGS
The prisoner was on hand and took his place in
the dock on Saturday morning evidently not ex-
pecting what was in store for him. After Judge
Cox had opened the court, which was not crowded,
in consequence of the weather, Mr.. SCovillc at
tempted to postpone the consideration of Judge
Coxs decision on the motion for n new trial.
Colonel Corkhil objected, and the Judge COM
menced by reading from various authorities bear
ing oil the case. He discussed ut some length the
circumstances attending the finding of the news
paper in the room of one of the baifs of the Jury
III the case First as to the handwriting: There
are several circumstances that make IL improbable
that at least two the names upon the margin OF
the paper were written by the gentlemen them
selves. The letter ]" in Mr.. Brights name was
written in two distinct ways, and the name OF
Hineline was spelled two ways, and both were
wrong Second, that it, as suggested, this paper
was lying on the table in the bailins room and
gentlemen of the jury in writing in albums first
tried their pens upon the margin it would amount
to nothing in the
FACE OF THE SWORN AFFIDAvITs
ofeyery member of the jury that they did not see
or read paper at any time during the trial. No
one could swear to the fact that the Jurors did
write upon the paper, while they all swear that
they did not and then there is no reason to doubt
their verncity So faras the discovery of new evil
| denCe is concerned. the evidence to be introduced
is rs to the prisoners manner and appearance prior
to the assassination. If there had been no evil
dence introduced upon this subject there might
be some force in the request, but dozen or more
witnesses testified on the trial as TO
| his MANNER AND APPEARANCE
| covering the period Of time from March until the
| commission of the act The evidence now sought
| to be introduced would be merely cumulative and
| would not affect the verdict. As to the expert
| witness, whose admissions after the trial arc
alleged to have been different from his evidence
given upon trial, Judge Cox said unsworn admis-
slons of this character could never be considered
as n ground for overturnIng verdict that may
have been obtained through the evidence of the
very witness who from corrupt motive might
seek to reverse verdict. From all the papers
presented Judge Cox summed up: al am unable
| to find any reason to grant the motion, which is
| therefore, oyerrued."
| MR.. scovILLBs MOTION.
Mr.. Scoville then filed his motion In arrest o.
| judgment, based on the following reasons which
| the court entered as oyerruled
| Uncertainty in the verdict Of the Jury, in tina
| tn C jury merely found the defendant guilty as in
| dictcd, whereas the indictment consists Of differ
ent counts, variant from and inconsistent with eacl
! other in matters of substance. That the verde
| does not specify which count or counts of the in
diolment i was found upon, and several of the
| counts being substantially different from the
Others the defendant Is not advised by the form O
substance MS 10 the binding of the jury upon III,
material facts ofthc death or place ofthe death o
| the deceased, That tho trial was not completed a
| the same term in which II was commenced. Tina
| this court has no jurisdiction, by reason of tn,
death having taken place outside Of the District o
| Columbia.
Guileau who had been permitted to resume hi
seat at the counsel table, called out; "If You
| Honor please desire TO ask if there is any mo
ton that ought to make TO rescue my rights"
| Mr. Scoville tried to prevent his speaking bu
he retorted; "Well, don't want any advantag
taken Of me. want to know how much time
shall have to prepare my appeal to the Court Il
Banc."
MIR. scoville-Please keep quieti we haven
reached that yet.
| Guiteau with much excitemenu--I won't kee
! quiet. I'm here and propose to do my own talk
| ing.
Judge Cox then informed Mr., Scoyille Of III
rules OF practice applicable to the fling of his eX
| ceptous, aud after this matter had been arrange
Colonel Corkhill renewed his motion, saying; 81
isnow my duty ask for the sentence oflhe Court,
| The Judge then pronounced the sentence rs above
AT THE JAIL.
When the prisoner len the court he was take
to the room upstairs for the last time prior to hi
removal TO the jail, He seemed but little exciteC
and was evidently put out that the Judge had do
| iyefed the snnianCo so UNEXPECTEDLY, lie wa