The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1882-01-20
WASHINGTON LETTER.
{ From Our Rsgalar oorsspandsns.l

Inc prosecuting httoTneyS III the Qul-
teau trial have been delivering their
during the past two days, and
it is confidently expected that the case
will 60 to the jury on.rhursday. Messrs.
Reed and Scoville will deliver their ar
gument on Monday and Tuesday, and
perhaps Guiteau will be permitted to in
ject few remarks somewhere. Mr.. Por>
ter will close on Wednesday. Judge Cox
has declared his opinion upon the law
points raised, the three most important
being the jurisdiction, the facts neces~
sary to sustain the plea of insanity and
upon whom rests the burden of proof to
sustain or overcome that plea. He de-
cides that the jurisdiction for the offense
Of murder is in his court, the infection
here of the fatal wound fixing it--and
SO sustains the prosecution. On the
other two points, the court leaves more
to the defense. He is of the opinion
that it is nots'suficient for the prisoner
to know that the act was criminal, pros
vided he was laboring under an insane
mental delusion that the law did not
apply to him. On the last point he res
fuses to say whether the burden rests
upon the Government to prove sanity
beyond a reasonable doubt, or upon the
defense to establish insanity by pre-
ponderance of evidence as in civil case,
but he associates the insanity with other
facts in the case and rules that the jury
must acquit if they have any reasonable
doubt of the guilt of the prisoner, taking
into consideration the presnmptions OF
sanity and innocence. Judge Cox real>
ICES that the permanent repute of the
American Judiciary is under test in this
remarkable trial. The horrible mockery
by which Mrs. Surratt was murdered
under the forms of law for the crime Of
keeping Washington clearinghouse
was enough in its way to last through
the whole history of the Republic.
The gay season has fairly begun now,
and no lady who pretends to keep up
her social duties at all thinks of spends
ing an afternoon otherwise than in maks
ing or receiving calls. The rush of eve>
ming parties has not yet begun, and | do
not believe there will be as many as
usual. The Cabineti is still SO unsettled
that only one lady OF the Cabinet families
received on Wednesday. This was Mrs.
Lincoln, the wife of the Secretary OF
War, who had numerous visitors. Two
of the families-that OF Secretary Hunt.
whose wife's father died last month, and
OF the new Postmaster General, Mr.. Howe,
whose wife died last summer-are IN such
deep mourning that they probably will
not receive or make calls this winter.
The expression "Cabinet ladies'" used
here as matter of convenience, has
often been censured as incorrect, but it
is substantially accurate now since the
ladies Of the families of President Arthur's
Cabinet are, in sense, members of bis
Cabinet too. While the gentlemen adj
wise and assist him in affairs of State, the
ladies no less are his councillors and as
sistants in social matters, by his request.
1t is really comical to hear Inatrons say
Of the President, "Poor man, he has no
lady to tell him what he ought to do at
I the White House.
The clerical force Of the White House
remains with but few exceptions I'M
changed. 8fr. Frank Phillipps, Presi-
dent Artllur's Private Secretary, is one
OF the new attaches. From what experts
ence | have had of him thus far he has
shown himself to be thorough business
man, early and late at his desk, attend-
ing to his work in methodical way. He
is able to satisfy many of those who call
thoroughly imbued with the idea that
they will have to see the President or
the country will certainly come to an
untimely end. Mr.. Phillips is an orna-
ment to his responsible office, and a
great improvement upon all his predes
cessors. Mr.. O. l.. Pruden still remains
at his old place and is ably assisting Mr..
Phillips in dealing with visitors and
looking over the mails, besides he en>
joys good joke when he sees it. Mr..
Crook keeps the accounts and pays off
everybody about the house. Two or
three additional clerks for special and
general work complete the clerical force
of the White House.
Dr. Bliss has returned from New York,
where he met other physicians of the
late President Garfield for consultation
relative to fees. The total of the various
sums agreed upon foots up $4,000. It
may surprise the country little to learn
that DR.. Bliss share, according to this
arrangement, is rather more than twice
as much as that of either Agnew or Hams
ilton. It is said that DR.. Bliss has taken
charge OF the claims oil all the physicians,
and will present them to the Congress
ional Committee. It is understood that
he will ask for himself $4,000, for Drs.
Agnew and Hamilton, $4,000; for DIR.
Reyburn, $1,000, and for DR.. Boynton
and Mrs. DR.. Edison, 81 900 each.
Intense sensation in certain circles Of
the Star Route kind was created the
other night by the wholesale arrest of
members Of the ring. The arrests were
made cautiously and quietly, and the
matter is profound secret. excepting
to few newspaper men. The warrants
were sworn out by Special Officers lids
ball and Shallcross of the Post Office
Department, Late in the afternoon, and
placed in the hands of the detectives
after dark. James Donohue, clerk IN
the Pensioh Office, John Minnix, a black.