The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-01-19
THE ASSASSIN'S TRIAL
The Tsatin"ny ali in-The law In tho Case
Arguments Of Counsel,

LUG sSSSshAAnuy MI 1Q-100 -" INC C8&o-
Arguments Of Council
MONDAY, JAN y.
Guitcau arrived at the court house abcnt
$50 and was taken to the waiting room. He
appeared rather nervous and his eOnntenance
iEdica Sed anxiety. When he had taken seat in
tho dock he glanced around steaIthlly over the
audience and Immediately began a harangue
evidently intended for the jury. He sa:d
Ireceived some 500 letters, great ma jor
ity of them from ladies. When I get time
shall attend to them | want 10 send nay greet
ings to the ladies' OF America and thank
theu4 for their sympathy. They don't Want me
to be hanged Public opinion is fast changing.
received, Saturday, chec: for 81 900 rom
stalwarts Of Brooklyn and another for $500
from slalwaIts Of New York l want this jury
TO understand how public opinion is on this
Case
A Da.lin tried to silence him, who turned
upon him in most vicions manner and snarled
out. lyon keep qniet and mind your bus,ness
Don't interfere witL me when am talking. Ii
you had any sense yon would understand your
place.
Mr.. Scoviilo then proceeded with his arsu
nants on the points presented on Saturday
His remarks were listened to with marked at
tention. He Laid Htrt 80 upon the proposition
that ineane men if they know The difference be
tween right and wrong, for that reason conceal
their plans; but the benefit Of doubt shonld
attach to the plea OF insanity when raised with
the same force az when urged II connection
with the commission OF crime
Mr. Dav;dge for the prosecution followed IL
discussion OF the points CT tao Defence point
ing out their sophistries and inconsistencies
He eaid:
The object OF tho prosecution is to obtain
from Your honor plain. clear and direct
ruling upon four distinct propositions. Inc
apparent object of the defense is to befcg ell
that may be clear in this case in the vain hope
that they may get to the jury With some
uncertainty in some way to the case upon
your honor. in the course Of thirty years prac
tee have never seen such prayer as this one
otfersd by the defense. It has no justification
It has no excuse. We don't want obscurity IL.
this matter. We want light. We don't mean
to let this prisoner escape III cioud, but We want
from your honor clear and perspicuous ruling,
so that the twelve average msn sitting upon the
jury cannot possibly &C sstray
Davidge severely handled the eleventh and
twelfth prayers Of the defense, and character
lied them as mean attempts TO cast aspersiohs
upon the experts who had testified for the
prosecution and upon counsel for the proseen
ton Themselves The prisoner followed the
argument with the closes! attention, and in.
lu!ged in frequent and noisy comments.
TUESDAY, JAN 10.
Judge Porter addressed the court On tho IL W
PUlutS. IL WA6 cf1utlL Luat IL Wax aiSo III.
tended for the jury. As Judge Porter reviewed.
the conduct Of the prisoner and the conduct On
the part OF his counsel Of HIS causa in this
court, the crime in all its hideous ugliness was
held up to the detestatiNn OF his hearers. The
silence became oppressive and the presence of
Evenging Justice in tho near future was sug
gfste1 with force OF conviction that swept
from the court room every vesIige of that levity
which has 20 long danced attendance upon
| every ntteranc6 OF the prisoner, and like veil
| obscured FROM the consciousness Ct the spects
| tors the horrors Of the crime and what should
lie the solemnity of the judicial a,onement
| For once, the insufferable in1pudence of the
| prisoner was completely overawed Neither
the noise nor his abuse could interrupt or FL
| lence ths avalanche OF condemnation that swept
from the lips OF the eloquent counsel. The
prisoner ia mistaken, your honor, said Judge
brawling he Can prevent my voice being heard
| by the jury. Ihe puppst cannot be moved in
! such good time az when he sat with his counsel,
! and by his 0utbursts now lie is fast tightenins:
| The hangman's moose about his neck With =
| nervous twitchng Of the mouth Guiteau NUT
| a1!Gacious and wholly unabaahed prisoner
seemed i'll At ease and at loss to understand
| why his would-he- sallies Of Wit Or impn6ence
wholly failed with Tie audience, while the more
severe Lecane the denunciation of
! the counsel, the more frequent aud marked
like wild beast brought 10 bay, Guiteau
! yelled out: II staked my life on the issne and
I'm willing to go TO the gslows tomorrow if
| it's the Lords will I'm sick OF this bosb
Judge Porter, ! wish yon would get your
rs, 900 and 60 home" Judge Porter con-
reading the now famous letter OF President
| Garfield to Judge Payne, in which he colnph
mented and thanked him for brushing away
| the net work OF sophistries with which it has
| OF lato years been customary to envelope the
| plea Of insanity when set up in excuse for
! crimes.
The argument OF Judge Porter WIS
characterized BY his usual depth Of
thought, breadth Of learning and grace Of
| style He reviewed the main faots in the story
OF tue assassination in q very telling manner,
and his rebukes OF Scoville ana Guiteau were
his ;place behind the counsel table. and that
TERRIBLE fore6nger was used in emphasis while
his iixed..gaze through his gilt trimmed specta-
cles at the inso!ont wretch in the dock
threw Mrs. ScovilIe into bit of passion which
threatened to bring abouta scene Fortunate
~ Scoville was enabled to restrain her. "He
is glaring right into my eyes," was her passion
ats exclamation as Judge Porter calmly sur
veyed the miserable wretch exasperated by his
cuttirB sentences. who eat behind her, and
that she would have stopped the "glaring"
forclbly if she had not !'e.n pre-
Judge Cox delivered an exhaustive, able and
yolum nous decision on the legal questions in
volyed, wherein everything in the text books,
in the decisions and in the statutes bearing on
tho question of Jurisdiction, or on the legal as
poets of the defense Of insanity, was reviewed.
principles Of the common law, that the crimln-
al court OF the district had Jurisdiction over
the present case; basing his decision Oh the
decision OF the English and the best American
courts, that the proper test Of tho sanity Of any
man was his ability to Distinguish between
tons in granting substantially the prayers Of
the prosecution deemed favorable to the de-
Tense One was that tho ability
Of tho accused 10 distinguish must be as to the
right or wrong involved in the act for whose
commission he was indicted; another, that it
On the whole body of facts presented (net simp~
ly on these in regard to the insanity Of the &C
cused, the Jury should have well founded,
reasonable doubt Of the prisoners guilt, they
must acquit.
called out 81 am perfectly Satisfied with that
exposition OF law" After consultation between
counsel the court adjourned until Thursday
morning, when DaYidga will make the opening
argument to the jury for the prosecution.
THURSDAY JAN IL
Counsellor Dsyidsa for tho prosecution be-
Bau Ills argument against dulleau DAVidSos
speech was masterly presentation OF the
principa! facts ia regard to lie criraa. The
victim and the assassin, together with par
tial review OF the testimony. All that he said
was said forcibiy and we'll and was listened t.
with marked attention.
He brought out all the salient points il the
case, tending to show that Guiteau was d rs
sponsible being. His argument on this point,
which was based on The instruction: granted by
the court respecting The test Of responsibility,
was logical and conclusive. Hts burning ser
tences were so many tortures to the tfdcyil in
the box" and he fairly writhed under them.
As Davidge traced the process OF reasoning
by which the prisoner gratln ally reached the
conviction that but ono life inter posed between
himself and possible great benefits. Gaiteau
became restless, and for tho first tims since
the opening Of the court indicated by his
nervous twisting about the usua! prelimnaries
to Interruptions, which in this instance quickly
followed 'tNot Often" said Davidse, Gin the
record of heinous crime do we have such PLAN,
pointed evidence at to the first conception of
the crime In this case the suggestion camo 10
the wretch in the night az he was lying in his
bed" "It came to me when the Lord got rtsady
to have it" snarled the prisoner. Davidgs con
tinued: This thought or suggestion came Ia