The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 18??-1882, 1882-01-27
THE TRIAL OF GUITEAU.

January 17.-Scoville interceding
for Guiteau, he was permitted this
morning to read an address appealing
to the court to charge the jury, that if
they believe that he believed, at the
time of the shooting, he was acting I'M
der sp cial divine authority, they must
acquit on the ground of temporary
mania. The court promised to take
the matter under consideration, and
Scoville resumed, attacking the coun-
sci for the prosecution, and the medi-
cal experts over again. He stigma
tized the course of the prosecution as
scandalous, and the reason for it was
that the prisoner was insane, and they
knew it, but did not want the evidence
to come before the jury. He knew
Guiteau was insane or he would have
put on his hat and left the court room,
rather than stand his insults. He
warned the jury against Porter's elo-
quence, aud to remember that back
of 1t all, there was big fee, for which
he prostituted his talents. Guiteau
had been insane since he was 19-was
honest in his belief that he is inspired,
and he pittied the human being who,
with the light of the 10Th century of
christianity. scoffed at inspiration.
The sensation of the third day of
ScOville's argument, Wednesday, was
his arraignment of the stalwarts, bold
ly charging Grant, Conkling and Ar
thur with moral responsibility for the
murder of Garfield, and now urging on
the prosecution of the insane man to
hide their infamy. He alleged that it
was their opposition to Garfield's ad-
ministratiOn that melted his "insane
client" to kill him. This was wholly
unexpected to his associate counsel, Mr..
Reed, who expresses his disapproval of
Scoville's course. Mr.. S. received a
dispatch from New York during recess,
informing him of decision in the N.
Y. court of appeals, which was con-
strued as favorable to his case. 1t was
to the effect that the prosecution, where
evidence of insanity is produced for the
defence, must prove sanity beyond a
reasonable doubt.
JANUARY 10.
Scoville spoke the whole of Thurs
day, but his remarks were wholly a
repetition of what had been said before
He referred to some of the testimony
and renewed his appeal to the jury. He
spoke of Guiteau's connection with the
Oneida community, and said that if he
had shot Noyes instead of Garfield, il
would have been all right. For some
reason, counsel is talking against time
either to hold the fort until a decision
of the New York court of appeals
which fixes the burden of proof in such
cases on the prosecution, to reach
Washington, or, because, if the tria
can be continued after Monday next
the case will 60 over to the court Ell
banc, and continue the case until mex
December. 1t is thought that judge
Cox will not allow this.
Scoville concluded his five days eff
fort on the 10th day of the trial. HI
reviewed the testimony of the experts
Hamilton and Kempster-said the.
were strongly prejudiced against Cult
eau, and that Kempster's cast Of tn
prisoners head and Hamilton's asser
ton that his head was symmetrical
were both wrong. He claimed tina
Hamilton's testimony established tn
theory of Guiteau's insanity.
After recess Mr.. ScOville said h
would not detain the jury much longer
and argued that they should apply tn
law maxim that it was better that min
guilty men should escape than that on
innocent man should suffer- Ii the
were not entirely convinced that Gui
teau was not guilty by reason of ur
sound mind they should give him tn
benefit of the doubt. Mr.. Scoville clos
ed his address at 2 p. m.