New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-01-15
TIE PLEA OF INSANITY.

I,+,ce Cox Yesterday annnunceu lh' "
NOT IN hermit the assassin to aa"ies' Nv en,t
Cuitoau was greatly enraged, ana loa - r,,t
t;,e iusulted the Justice. VII. he'u' " 80,
addressed the Jury for the de'eh'o' az La
,,or,d G niteau's case to those OF L'"'o NV
an,d and Oxford. and even to tha' % N"'i'o
~,..,a,. whom he pronounced insane anu
o,,t;op. he said, was lasting JUS
,Lo French Nation. He strove TO APP
s''N' ;noad of Guiteau's insanity. as
P ,,a+ tba conviction of this man 10 the
-u.,.s - no said. land his execution, would DC
~ ;nf,mv beyond descriphOn-ap ndelipie
coin an American jurisprudence and American
:,,ros :, The assassin said "Reed is good
follow. but would not give cent ouSiei
for his rubbish. If could only have n tax
with that jury | would give them the righV
theory
THE ASSASSIN NOT TO ADDRESS THE JUhi'
10y TELEGRAPH TO Tux rRIbuNE.i
,,-..,,>crou Ian 14-Justice Cox announced
10, a decision that was received by the counsel
f,r The Government with n satisfaction whlch VIII
,.rtainly he echoed by the country. Mr. scoVle'
ot the opening of court, raised the question Oh
Gmteau's right to speak, saying that If he was to
on,,k he must do so before Mr. Reed and himself.
Justice Cox responded that he would be 10th IN
c,pital case to refuse the prisoner
the privilege of making an argument
TO the jury, but he was persuaded
that the speech would be a mere rehash of Guieau's
testimony and statements not proper To 20 10 the
iury now He said he should not make the expert
mont ~ # was impossible to govern the prisoner by
the ruIes of decorum. Anything that was proper III
the manuscript could he presented by his counsel.
Guiteau's vanity never received, probably. so hard
abloN. He had labOred for weeks OH THIS speech
kerpIng its contents a secret, his brother says
and not allowing even him to see hue
of IT, He told everybody. III court
and ont that it read like one of Cicero's oratons
And now when he told that he should not be
allowed 20 deliver ii, he giared at the judge with
anger For the first time since the trial began TWO
months ago. he viliiied the Judge For it is an in
structive fact that not once IN the whole course OF
This trial until today has this man. who is 50 ire
enopsibe say his defenders that he could not refrain
from murder once nsulted the judge or the jury.
Guiteau called out: /" / represent myself here
and note an exception. Let the record show that
appear as my own counsel and that | except to
your rulings" His voice was growing Intense with
anger "Ir's an outrage on American iurispru-
deucen he cried his face flushed and hot. Then
looking at Justice Cox and growing still anCrier
"I've got an eucOmIum your Honor in my speech
III Withdraw it, and yOn will go down to poSterIty
with black spot on your ndue. Al'th % HtI'o
more rantiug of this sort he became quiet, ana MI
Reed began his argument to the jury.
Mr. Reed is "a sodicriy looking man, with broad.
wcl-knIt frame aud has "A long, sweeping nnStache
md qoatee lie has marked skill as a jury lawyer
acoulrcd in a long practise prosecuting attorney
In Chica o. and he made n more elective argument
for Gueau to-day than it would have been supposed
the complete breakdown Of the testimony for the
defence would leave him the chance To
make Mr.. Reed has lately been visit
Ing Guteau at the jail, and having
private talks with him. and asserts that he has
never before been so thoroughly convinced that the
man is insane. His earnestness of manner aud
seeming sincerity gave the speech today much of
such strength as il had.
lie began with an Invocation to the jury not to
stain the American name by hanging lunatic lie
reviewed the cases of Lawrence. Hadheld and Ok
ford aud clasSed Charlotte Corday
insane, apparently on the authority of a
picture in tine Corcoran Art Gallery. He
compared IadfeId's denial that he had attempted
tho life of his little child with Guiteau's denial that
he had raised an axe at his sister, claiming that in
both cases disease had destroyed the memory. He
compared Oxford's deihcrateness of PREPARATION
purchase of pistols practising. etc, with GuIrcaus
declaring the parallel TO be remarkable. In read
ing some facts respecting Lawreuces behavior in
court he told the jury that probably the people
throughout the country did not know chat
much like Guiteau's had been before.
Dat it is fact that Guiteau knew
about it and talked about TO
the experts.l The reading of The testimony showed
that Lawrcuce's talk very Wild and that be
manifested palpably insane superiority aud III
difference to the court and ms trial
hen Mr.. Reed reviewed IN a rapid way some fea-
turr- of the testimony. IN which he made tho sur
pr,sing claim that Gulteau had lived
rn.Stnd nj the close of his speech though
the testimony shows otherwise and Guiteau
expelled from Dr. MacArIhurs church when he
was about thirty two. lie described hum as quiet,
lnoilensive boy, born of sick mother. and sent at
the age Oi lghtecn by his father -" into the Yest-
buie OF hell - the Oneida Community. The principal
part oi Mr.. Reeds argument, however. was based
upon Gutcau's own letters aud statements, Mr.
heed cllImInI that the ideas and phraseOiOgy
were Enthusiastically those OF an INSANE man lie
laid puucipal stress upon the ietier 0l withdrawal
from the OIclua Community, the letter TO GuItcaus
father announcing tho withdrawal and the talk
with General Reynolds at the jail ut which Guitcau
first learned that the Stalwarts were dcnOulCln-
him. He showed that the word "InspiratOn' oc-
CURED Ia the letter to Uutcau father sixteen years
ago IN connection with the scheme Of Il theocIauc
paper. and declared III speaking OF the claim,
Ind II the defence OF insanity mad been
fabricated that this WAS " the pIoouudrst ease of
prophetic deception ever KNOWN. lie sought To
show many sluilarties between Gultegu's tank at
TIA. time and now dweit upon.ihe JACK Oh motive
ia the cIuuo, and IN concluding, argued that his
iumOrllItlcs the out grow Tia of his insanity,
But Gulteau's conduct was lar mole instructive
than the al gument OF his counsel. Yesterday and
the day before. when he knew that Mr..
Ddv1dge talking his HE away, hc
kept ND an Almost u.bToheu stream
of mtorjcotiOns. To-day, when he knew chat 5Ir.
Reed was trying TO save MIN, he quiet rs
"a lamb. Most OF the few interruptions lac ala make
were corrections cunning ones, from his point
OF vIew--Of remarks By Mr. Reed that might be
construed against him. lie has been apparently
Possessed by The idea from the first that il would
be wei 70 convince the jury that public Sc tinent
has changed in his favor SO when Mr..
Reed urged the jury to act upon