The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-01-28

second day by saying: ST spent Yesterday in
examining my mail-several hundred letters
| a good many of them from ladies, and several
| of them very tender. I desire to express nv
sympathy and thanks for those tender letters
| received from American ladies' One letter
suggests that President Arthur give me a
Cabinet appointment. I do not desire any
| Office from General Arthur. It would not be
proper, and if it would I don't desire it. /
| also wish to say to Judge Porter that he is to
have the final close on this case, and that il he
attempts to mislead that jury about the law or
about the facts my counsel and myself will
stop him. He came into this case last Octo-
Der at the instance of General Arthur under a
misapprehension, and Judge Porter doesn't
represent the American people or the
government Of the United States. In
this case he represents himself" Judge Por-
ter then began the closing address to the jury
in presence Of an audience that crowded the
courtroom to suffocation. In voice that was
rather weak-for he had been sick several DAYS
Mr.. Porter said: Z" deal only with the evil
dence and the facts and the law" During
most of Mr.. Porter's address Guiteau either
read newspaper or wrote autographs Mr..
Porter said he would say, in Justice to the
prisoner, that, OF the three arguments which
had been made for the defense, the one most
free from objection was that delivered bv the
prisoner himself. Aside from the impiousness
of his statements, it was free from the deliber-
ate misstatements and perversions Of testi-
Iiony that ran through the arguments OF his
associate counsel, especially of Mr.. Scoville.
Describing Guiteau's characteristics, Mr.. Porter
said: "This man showed his idea of mercy to
others when on one occasion he turned to Won
and said that that God, whose name he has
so often blasphemed, would interfere to strike
down one of your number before you should be
able to convict him. This is the man who in
vokes the tender and merciful consideration Of
his Casa man brutal in his instincts, in
ordinate in his love of notoriety, eaten up BY q
thirst for money which has gnawed at his soul
like cancer, beggar, hypocri e, a canter, a
swindler, lawyer, who with many years prac-
tice never won case. Would you know why ?
No court, no jury failed to see that he was dis
honest rogue, and such men cannot win
cases-a man who has left his trail in
various States man who has lived on other
peoples funds and appropriated them to his
own use IN breach Of every trust; man who is
capable of aping the manners of a gentleman;
a man who as lawyer had this notion of
morality, that when he had taken debts to collect
and collected them by dunning the debtor, held
them against his client, and chuckled over the
success of his scheme: q man who sold oroide
watches rpawned them to get money through
falsehood and misrepresentation" The pris-
oner-" That lie seems to stick in your throat
Porter.'O Mr.. Porter continued his denuncia-
ton of Guiteau, calling him coward and
fend. Then he highly eulogiZed President
Garfield. Mr.. Porter reviewed the history of
the case, the purchase of the pistol, the pris-
oner's practicing by the river side, and the va
rious occasions when he was deferred from the
murder. In regard to the incident of the prac-
ticing at the river side, he said "Who was it
that was practcing-the Deity or the prisoner
at the bar? Who fred at these osiers? Who
sent them swerving down as Garfield swerved
Who hit them? Who fired twenty times in
order to accustom himself to the noise OF the
report of the pistol, to the end that
it should not stun him when it MUIR
dered the President2" As to his
being restrained from the murder by the pres
ence of Mrs. Garfield on one occasion and that
of the two boys on another occasion, Mr.. Porter
remarked that there was no diabolism so COM
plete on this side of the Internal regions that it
has not some remaining twinges of conscience !;
and yet he firmly believed that this statement
of the prisoner was as false as anything else he
had said. He had been restrained by no thing
but cowardice ON all such occasions. Mr.. Por-
ter also referred to the vanity which made the
prisoner choose handled pistol rather
than black one, that it might bear his name
and fame Numbering down the ages, " and be
more conspicuous in the patent Office. He &C
cused Mr.. Scoville of making deliberate
nlisstatements and perverting the testimony.
Mr.. Scoville interrupted him at one point, say
ing he desired to correct the speaker on the
evidence. Mr.. Davidge objected to interrupt
tons, and Mr.. Scoville retorted that he had
been interrupted lat times. When MIR. Porter
touched upon the question OF public opinion
concerning Guiteau, Mr.. Scoville objected, and
took an exception to statements OF the speaker
denying what Guiteau himself had asserted as
to the tone of the press and the public. There
was livery tilt, in which Guiteau took part,
and JuuSe Cox said Mr.. Porter could deny
what Guiteau had said, but could not make
positive statements as to what Is contained In
newspapers or private letters Mr.. Porter Was
not well and was obliged to suspend his speech
early in the afternoon.
AS Mr.. Porter rose to resume his argument
on the ffty-third day Guiteau shouted from
the dock: Some crank signed my name to
letter in one of the papers this morning. re-
pudiate that kind of business. L also under
stand that two cranks were arrested this morn
ing, and that two of them. have been lying
around since Saturday. | give notice mat L
am in charge of officers of the court, and II
anybody attempts any violence against me ne
will be shot dead. Let the people understand
that" Judge Porter then continued his
address to the jury. He asserted that
the defense was founded on shams and
impostures; on brazen falsehood, which was
supposed to acquire force and strength by per
petual reiteratiOns 1.-THE disciples OF the
school of Guiteau," he said, have greae
confidence in a maxim of Aaron Burn, that
falsehoods are to be verified by perslstency
and reiteration." He said that Gulteau was
liar, swindler and murderer IN heart from
the beginning; that he had grown worse every
year that he had lived; that he was q olso-
bedlent child, lawless and ungratelul 70 DIS
father, and an unkind brother; that ne SUING
every man who was benefactor TO ms youth'
that he had inordinato desire for unholy noto-
rlety, and that he grew worse and worse unlh
his career eliminated in cold blooded assassin
alton. He became, not by disease, but by cul-
ture, a moral monsrosity-the most cold
blooded and savage murderer OF the last SIX
thousand years. Guiteau interrupted this tor
rent OF denunciation, remarking that it was all
bosh, and that Porter knew it. He continued
his interruptions all day, sometimes declaring
that the speaker was telling 1aise-
hoods, and at other times r1dlcullng
him. His assertion that MIR. Porter
was a wine bibber reminded the
speaker of a verse, which he repeated for the
jury Another interruption led Mr.. Porter to
say he was afraid the prisoner had not tne
latest intelligence from heaven. referring W
| Guitean's assertion that he made Ar'hur fres-
| ident, Mr. Porter said General arthur was
made President by the voice OF BIS country er g
men. the same voice that mace Uarneiu
President, and that Willard Fillmore was |uss
as truly elected by the people as the freslasne
! whom he succeeded. Guiteau deciareo tnae
| this was false, for Arthur and Fillmore were
! nominated for Vice President ana WouIu nos