Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-06-23

The people who are in this city actively interest
ing themselves in endeavoring to procure respite
| for Guiteau, expressed desire to appear before
| the Attorney General, to whom the papers and pc
| tttons laid before the President yesterday were
| reierred, and make a further argument in the
| case. The Attorney General has refused TO re-
ceive them for this purpose, but indicated that II
| they had any additional arguments to submit they
could put them In writing, and he would consider
Such papers with the Others. DR.. Beard Is prepar-
| ing paper which he will send to the Attorney
| General to-day.
WHAT Mr.. REED INTENDS TO DO
Mr.. Charles II. Reed, Guteau's counsel. told
STAR reporter this morning that he proposed to
see both the President and the Attorney General
| and urge upon them the Importance OF extending
the respite until he could be heard by the Supreme
Court in October next He thought that resDte
| propose TO ask them for pardon but simply re-
| spite My God" he continued, "the people of the
| United states don't want to see crazy man hung!"
ME- Reed said that there was q chance to get the
| case before the Supreme Court. There were eight
Judges. and 1t was an ordinary everyday occur
fons tbat hof .e TO dier IN decisions upon qus
| application for writ OF habeas corpus? Mr.
| heei VIII endeavor to have personal interviews
tomorrow.
DR. BEARD TOLD A STAR REPORTER
thls morning that he was going to prepare an ad-
ditional argument for reference to the Attorney
General to-day. 81 was just going to consult with
these gentlemen about the form and character OF
! this effort" he said, pointing to Mr.. Reed and
Rev. Mr. Hicks. who were talking together In the
Riggs reading room.
The three shortly after retired for consultation
upon the next move in the case which is the prep
aration OF the argument to be referred to the At
| tOrney General
| THE ARGUMENT FILED WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
| TO-DAY.
By the request OF the President and the Attorney
| nr
pared supplementary statement Of the reasons
why they ask respite for Gulteau. In this
| statement special reference is made to
1ne manner omr, In which VII the defense was
ence is also made to the expert testimony, and the
facts in DR.: Boards personal experience. 1t goes
on to say that II DIR. Boards advice had been fol-
| lowed by Mr.. Scoville one solid month OF ex-
pert testimony could have been procured
Al Allusion Is also made to the change ia
throughout the country. The paper then goes on
to urge short respite I'm order to enable a med
lGai board to examine into Guiteau's mental con-
| ditlOn. In this connection reference is made to
the action OF the English government In the
case OF Lamson, when the respite was
| The point IS then made that the commission is
asked purely in the name OF science and not
! through any sentimentaity or sympathy with
| that maudlin philanthrophy that cannot bear to
see a responsible person hanged. Guiteau does not
need the stay or execution His mental condition is
such that he Will conduct himself at the scafrold
| precisely as he did during the trial. The senti-
| nent or the past and present time is entirely
against the hanging OF an insane person, and that
this appeal Is made not alone for this country and
| for this time, but for all countries and all
| times.
| The paper was presented at 2 O'Clock to the At
torney General by DrS- Beard and Godding.
GUITEAU Is IN COOP SPIRITS TO-DAY.
| having now some hopes that the experts VIII
| secure for him reprieve, and finally his release
| from jail to get to an insane asylum.
MIR. AND MRS. scovnLE.
letter received to-day from Mr. scovlle stated
that Mrs. Scoville seemed to have no further in
| tention of coming to Washington, and did not now
seem to think much about her brother. She still
persists IN her Efforts to get divorce from him.
ana has visited many lawyers After the hanging
OF Gulteau, Mr. Scoville says, he and his friends
propose to take steps to have her placed in in
sane .a asylum, as those witnesses who are 10th
to testify now for fear their action will be inter-
preted as done In favor OF the prisoner will come
forward.
MR.. REED AND REV. DR. HICKS AT THE WHITE
HOUSE.
Mr.. Charles II. Reed, accompanied by Rev. Dr.
Hicks, called at the White House this morning for
the purpose OF 1inding when the President would
grant a half hours interview. They did not see
the President but Mr. Phillips, private secretary,
assured them that he would see the President later
in the day and arrange for an interview.
The Question Of a Commission for
Guieeau.
DIR. G0DDING'S ARGUMENT
The morning papers publish in their notice OF
| the hearing before President Arthur on the quas-
tion of commission OF lunacy for Guiteau the
substance of letter written by Dr. Godding, OF the
government hospital Tor the insane, some time
since, to person asking his views OF Guiteau, and
convey the idea that it was his argument before
the President Ia justice to the doctor, the argu-
ment which he did present is given below:
To justify executive interference in this case,
though it be merely to the extent OF directing a
medical exam mnauon to be made prior to the Both
OF june 1882 1T must appear, either that the facts
which tend to establish the insanity OF Guiteau
were not fairly brought out at lis trial. that the
conduct OF the prisoner since the trial has been
such as to justify reasonable doubt OF his sanity
at this time. What are tie facts?
AT the trial, the statements Gu!teau to Officers
McEfreSh and RathhoIe on the 2d day OF July,
1881, and to the sten3grapher short time after,
portant evidence OF the condition or Gu!teau's
mind very near the time OF the shooting; and the
mOnStrate to the jury that the claim Inspiration
was an after thought In LIS mind first promul-
6 S on fbe Sb S re as aet ne
tiOD, as was stated il the daily papers OF thetme
point by no means trivial
Again, the only expert witness who had any
personal knowledge OF the father OfGuiteau having
been insane arriving AFTER the defense had closed,
failure to testify did not alter the fact of the
fathers insanity, though it did prevent the de-
tense from thereby proving to the jury the exist
very important point on the question OF hereditary
disease. But far more important than all this the
ulCuiCoA CApCitS Uy lilc ueleuSe, WIN DuJ
single exception, were not permitted at the trial
to State their individual opinions drawn from their
study and observation OF the mental condition OF
Guiteau. The hypothetical question for the de-
tense, which they did answer, was truIsm, and
as such It's answer could carry but little weight
These experts, all OF whom had examI,ed Gu-
teau, had positive convictions OF their own re-
Spectlng the condition OF his mind. This is prored
by the fact that six OF the experts who were
permitted only to answer the hypothetical ques-
ton for the Defense have since stated over their
Individual signatures, that they believed in the
insanity OF Guiteau. Two, who ling called later
were not permitted to answer even the hy2otneti-
cal question, were prepared 10 state then, and
nave since Unequtvocally stated their belief in
the insanity OF the man. These experts are intel
lectuay, as well as In their observation OF the In
sane, the peers OF those who testified for the pros
ecution and affirmed the sanity Of Guiteau
The weakness OF the defense made by the prfs-
oner's counsel, while 1t may have justified the
verdict OF the jury, cannot be held to excuse the
judicial crime involved in the execution OF q
lunat1c. The statement OF those medical experts
came too late for the trial. they are not too late to
enable the Executive TO exert the power which he
holds to call commission, ana possibly avert
such lasting disgrace from the nation. as would
result should the sentence be carried out and sub
sequent facts be found to establish the insanity OF
the man. 1t y commission to save the govern
ment rather tnan Guiteau
Upon the argument In regard to the present