Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-01-14
GUITEAU.
His Personal Appearance-SOme
Comments on the Trial.

Courior-Journal
WASHINGTON, January 10.-The
Guiteau trial is still the leading SEN
satiOn here. 1t dwarfs Congress and
the new President. The morbid curl
osity to see him is amazing Since s
o'clock this morniug-two hours be
fore court convened-the porticos,
corridors and lobbies of the City Hall
have been crowded with wet, shiVer
ing men and women, vainly hoping
that by some hook or crook they may
gain admittance to the court room.
They know the room is packed, but
still they linger, and will wait on until
court adjourns for the doubtful chance
Of glimpse of the animal as he en-
tiers the van. And what is most sur
prising about one fifth of the crowd
are women.
In common with many, had quite
an erroneous impression of Guiteau 8
personal appearance, From the wood
cuts Of him in the newspapers, l sup
posed he had dark eyes, hair and board,
and a somewhat commanding
physique. When ushered into the
court room |, therefore, expected to
see a rather good looking fellow, fash
ionably dressed; but instead, l beheld
a sallow, dirt complicated, i'll visaged,
repulsive looking wratch, whose coun-
terpart maybe seen in any Of the
rogues' galleries. | can readily un-
derstand how such a looking creature
might be dead beat or common
thief; but how he summoned courage
to do so tragic deed is beyond my
comprehension. The act Of Wilkes
Booth was a tragedy in keeping with
the man; the act of Guiteau was that
Of the sneak thief in the role Of Bru-
tus. If he is not an arrant coward his
looks belle him. His bravado will
forsake him when he comes to UNDER
90 the neck stretching operation. He is,
| should say, Ave feet eight inches tall,
forty years old, weighing about one
hundred and thirty pounds, very spare
and thin; his trousers and sack coat Of
black stuff hanging loosely about him
as upon skeleton. His head is of
fair size and shape, except quite fiat
on top, indicating an absence of the
moral qualities. His features are an
gular and his nose is straight ana
rather long. He is clean shaveD, ex-
cept an apology for a mustache, and
his hair is OF a muddy light color,
rather coarse, close cropped, impaired,
coming straight down over his fore.
head and cut square across it in the
style which the ladies describe by
the word banged" He has re-
markably deep line down the center Of
his forehead, from scalp to nose, shows
ing him to be oil Ter than he at first
appears. His eyes are light and ex-
pressionless, his eyelids red, and
he has a red scrofulous bump
or two upon his forehead,
His hands are long and
bony, and look clammy, after the order
of "Uriah Heep's." In a word, the
tout ensemble is repulsive and snaky.
You feel as though you wouldn't like
to touch him. He seems to be
wretch, wholly malevolent, without
remorse for his crime, and without
any love in his heart for a single
human being. His egotism is immense,
and he revels in his notoriety. He is
the smartest fellow connected with
the trial-terse, pointed ,epigrammatic,
understanding his case thoroughly.
He is playing part for his life, and
lie evidently realizes the gravity of the
situation. The papers call it "The
Great State Trial." 1t is merely a
police court trial, and hardly first