The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-02-08
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.

MI. scoville concluded his address, which
occupied FIVE days in its delivery, on the if
tieth day Of the trial. He exhibited diagrams
to show that one Of the doctors who testified
for the prosecution lied when he told the jury
that a diagram representing Guiteau's head as
symmetrical was correct. He ayerred that the
list of homicidcs committed by lunatics which
was introduced by DR.. Gray bad been pre-
pared for this case, and he read from tho Off
cial tables Of the Utica asylum to show that
four cases, which had = direct bearing on the
case, had been omitted from DR..
Gray's tables. In conclusion, he argued
that the crime Of q lunatic must not be pun
ished in the came way as that Of a sane man
moralizing influence, and, in his opinion,
crimes would be diminished by its abolition.
As on the previous day there were several al
tercations between Scoville and Corkhill. There
was some applause in the court room when
Mr.. Scoville concluded his speech. Guiteau
tried to strike one Of the officers in charge
of him while leaving the courtroom at the re-
cess. He stopped to speak to Mr.. Scoville,
when the bailift attempted to push him along.
He grew angry, and when the pressure was re-
newed he drew back his hands, locked as they
were in handouts, and tried to
strike the officer. Another officer
Caught Ills uauuS duu 10 mdS tuou 9oICn.J
hustled out Judge Cox consented to let Gul-
teau deliver his speech to the jury, saying that
some of his brethren had very serious doubts
whether in q capital case the pris oner could be
denied the right to address the jury Gulteau
declared, when he gave out his speech for pub
LEGATION, that the refusal to let him deliver it in
court would not be approved by Judge Co1's
associates. He said he would deliver the same
speech that he had already given to the press,
but he wanted to wait until the next morning,
as his mind was not clear. The prosecution
Withdrew their objections to his speaking, AMI
Guiteau seemed Modified by what he called the
unexpected courtesy Of Corkhill.
A tremendous crowd was present TO hear
Guiteau speak in his own behalf OIL the fifty
first day OF the trial. Upon entering the room
Guiteau took a seat in the witness box, remark
ing, as he laid out his papers: 81 sit down
because I can speak better; not that l am
afraid of being shot. This shooting business
is getting played out" At an intimation from
Judge Cox the prisoner carefully arranged his
glasses, and, with a flourish, began to read
from manuscript as follows: 1.-THE prosecution
pretend that am q wicked man. MI. Scovllle
and Mr.. Reed think I am a lunatic. and ! pre-
sumo you think am. | certainly was q luna
tic on July 2, when I fired on the President
and the American people generally, and l pre-.
sumo you think / was. Can you imagine any
thing more insane than my going to that depot
and shooting the President OF the United States
You are here to say whether l WAS sane or
insane at the moment | fired that shot. You
have nothing to do with my condition before
or since that shot was fired. You must say by
your verdict sane or insane at the moment
tho shot was fired. If you have any doubt of
my sanity at the moment you must give me
the benefit Of that doubt and acquit me. That
is, if YOU have any doubt whether / fired that
shot or MS the agent of the Deity. II L fired 1t
on my own account I was sane. If l fred it
surprising myself the agent of the Deity 1 was
insane and you must acquit. This is the Law
az given in the recent decision Of the New
York court Of appeals. 1t revolutionizes the
old rules and is q grand step forward in the
law of insanity. 1t is worthy this age of rail-
roads, electricity and telephones, and it we'll
comes from the progressive State Of New York.
l have no hesitation in saying that it is q special
providence in my favor, and l ask this court
and Jury so to consider it. Some Of the best
people Of America think me tho greatest man
Of this age, and this feeling is growing. They
believe in my inspiration and that Providence
and I have really saved the nation another war.
Nv speech setting forth in detail my defense
was telegraphed Sunday to all the leading
papers and published Monday morning,
and now I an permitted by his honor
to deliver it to you. Only I here de-
sire to EXPRESS my Indebtedness to the Ameri
can press for the able and careful way they
have reported this case. The American press
is a vast engine. They generally bring down
their man when they open upon him. They
opened upon me with all their batteries last
July because they did not know my motive and
inspiration. Nyw that this trial has developed
nv motive and inspiration their bitterness has
gone. Some editors are double-headed. They
curse YOU to-day and bless you tomorrow, a.
they suppose that public opinion il for or
against YOU, which shows the low grade of their
humanity. I desire TO thank my brother and
sister and my counsel, Scoville and Reed, for
their valuable services. I intend to give my
counsel ample fees, especially Scoville. He is
q stanch man and a hero, and commend him
to the great Northwest as a fine lawyer and q
Christian gentleman. We hare differed as to
mine. l told him to work his theory as he
thought best, and he has done it in a splendid
way, and I commend him for it. Considering
his slight experience as IN advocate he showed
himself as q man Of marked resources. In
other words, you cannot tell what is in
q man until he has a chance. Some
men never have q chance, and 60 down in
obscurity. There are plenty of brains in this
world. Not every man has q chance to de-
velop his brain. 1t il brain and opportunity
under Providence that makes o great man. |
return thanks to the marshal and his aids, to
the superintendent Of police and his force, to
the warden of the jail and his keepers and to
General Ayres and his forces for services rem
dered me. I return thanks to this honorable
court and bright jury for their long and
patient attention to this case. I am not here
as 8 wicked man or q lunatic. I am here as q
patriot, and my speech is as followB: I read
from the New York Herald: The prisoner then
proceeded to read his speech as already pub
lished. In o ~declamatory manner he rolled
forth his sentences. holding the paper in one
hand and with tho other gesticulating and en-
phasizing his utterances. The words Orally
round tho lag, boys" he repeated in o sing
song tone, waving his arm in the air above his
head. "And for this I suffer in bonds as a
patriot" he quoted, in an oratorical manner,
and then repeating the sentence no allowed
his voice to tremble 30 that the words
were nearly inaudible. The trembling in
his voice continued till he spoke about his
mother and declared that he had always been
"a lover of the Lord" when he broke down
completely, and, applying his handkerchief to
his eyes, wiped away the tears which, naturally
or forced for the purpose of exciting sympa-
thy, coursed down his cheeks. However, he
Immediately recovered himself, and in lis
usual tone of voice proceeded with his address.
When he came to his description OF the at
tempts made upon his life by Mason and
Jones, he stood up for the purpose Of the more
wildly pointing out to the jury the narrow es-
capes which he had had. With something OF
pride he held up his arm and showed the rent
made in his coat by the bullet fred by Jones,
and made his old declaration that it was q
proof that the Lord was watching over him. A
laugh ran through the audience as the prisoner
read and reread his declaration that it would
be perfectly safe for him to walk the streets of
Washington or New York. Coming down to
the extracts from his mail he read them with
extreme junction, particularly the rhyming one
dated Philadelphia, New Years day, 1882,
caused a laugh among the audience. He evil
IDENTIFY enjoyed the structures upon the counsel
for the prosecution, and his pleased smile
was too much for the district attorney, who
joined in the laugh which followed the reading
of the extract. Reaching that portion Of the
speech where an abstract from his adj
dress to the American people is in
Serted, he folded up tho paper, took off
lis glasses aud squaring himself in his
chair proceeded to repeat the extract from
memory. In doing this he assumed his most
oratorical style, modulating the tones of his
voice, using both arms to aid him in empha-
sizing his dramatic utterances and az 70" as
possible acting the extract. Coming down to
his quotation IRON "John Browns Body" no
threw back his head and sang a verse from
that old song, much 10 the amusement OF the
spectators. He read from his speech: "Put
my body in the ground if you will; that il all
YOU can do. But thereafter comes q day OF
reckoning. The mills of the gods grind slow,
but they grind sure, and they will grind to
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