Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-01-25

mean the undoubted insane, who are inmates
Of lunatic asylums, are to learn from the ver-
dict in this case, if the theory of the defense
shall be sustained, that each Of them is at
liberty to murder The keeper who restraints
him; that they are all at liberty to confeder-
| ate, to open the gates of the asylums and to
60 out with knife and torch in hand and
! spread ruin and coniagration in every direc-
| ton, and although the law forbids it, an
American jury can be found that win sanction
the act"
The Prisoner-"That is very fine but it is all
bosh"
Mr.. Porter--'More than that, any man who
has insanity in any degree, shall be at liberty
to murder any other insane man. Ibelieve if
jury could be empannelled in lanatlc asy-
lum in this country, they would say of this
man not only that they would be endangered
by his presence, but that he is perfectly sane.
Was the man insane on the second Of July2 If
he was not you have but one duty, and that is
to convict him. He was not insane. aver
what the proof indisputably establishes. He
never was insane, and certainly not on the
second Of July. On that point the principal
claim by the prisoner and his counsel, is the
atrocity of this particular act. / do not deny
his claim of being the most cold-blooded and
savage murderer of the last 5000 years. But
he is not alone as he will find
when he comes to those realms
where murderers are consigned. Murder has
existed in all ages. Four thousand years ago
there was Inscribed on tables of stone CON-
mand to all people, Thou shalt not kill But
Guiteau says that life is of small considera-
ton. He says in one of his letters of conso.
lation to the widow, Life is but fleeting
dream his death might have happened at
any time But the Lawgiver of the Universe
entertained different views of the value OF
h:1r ifo NH ho o;J ~. llaxl
mans blood by man shall his blood be shed"
The prisoner-"That was three or four
thousand years ago. We have made law since
then"
Mr.. Porter-"And that man in the dock
tells you the same God that placed that value
on human life placed no value on the life of
James A. Garfield and that life at best was
but Of small value. 1t was leeting dream
We have had the gospel Of Guiteaa, and he
Christ speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees
said: 'Ye who claim to be of the
seed OF Abraham prove it by
doing the acts of Abraham; but ye
are the children of your father, the devil, who
was murderer from the beginning
The Prisoner--"That takes you in, Porter"
Mr.. Porter--"That is the insanity which
this man has inherited. The man is liar as
well as an assassin, and he was instigated not
y Z
The Prisoner, abiding to Porter's habit of
lowering his voice at the end of a sentence
1.-The point is SO fine that cannot hear it over
here, you had better do it again Judge"
Mr.. Porter went on to review the prisoner
and his life of crime, IN which he included
adultery.
The Prisoner" How many times have you
been guilty of that? Look up your record old
man. guess you are about as bad as Cork
hill.''
Mr.. Porter went on to refer to the prisoners
life in Washington, and asked: "Was this
temporary mania, Abrahamic mania, or dis
ease of the brain, which resulted in murder
for the benefit of the stalwarts of the Republ-
can party?"
The Prisoner-"For the benefit of the
American people. A removal, not murder.
They are very well satisfied with it, too.''
Mr.. POrter-"Gentlemen, il / went no
further, do you believe that the Fans brain
was diseased, and did the disease come and go
according to whether President Garfield went
at one time with his wife, or went out with
his children, or went to the Soldiers Home,
or went to the railroad depot? Do you be-
lieve that the right remedy for disease of the
brain, is to make six weeks preparation for
the assassination, and that shooting another
man through the spine is cure for disease?
That is the case as the prisoner makes it out.
The Prisoner-"f 1 were president of the
United States and had ruined the Republican
party, as Garfield had, l ought to be shot.
That is my opinion about that, and it is the
opinion of great many people, too"
In the course of his further argument, Por.
ter referred to the prisoners divorced wife as
the woman who loved him.
The prisoner-"I did not love her. 1t was
a one-sided affair."
Mr.. Porter - "The woman who married
him''-
The prisoner--"That was swindle'
Mr.. Porter-"The woman who slept with
him.
The prisoner--"Sometimes she did and
sometimes she did not.''--
Mr.. Porter-"The woman who borrowed
for him and who gave the earnings of her in
dustry to furnish him money which he spent
on street prostitute''-
The prisoner-"That's lie, and big
one, y
MIR. Porter-"The woman whose divorce
was secured by his procurement, by all sorts
of deceit, meanness and ignominy.''
The prisoner-'T had no business to marry
her at all.''
MIR. Porter-"He and his prostitute were
witnesses to aid them IN removing his wife"
The PrisOner-All that happened ten years
ago and has nothing to do with the case.
Mr.. Porter went on to argue against the
claim of the prisoners insanity. and while he
was looking for an extract of the testimony,
the prisoner took advantage of the pause and
said: "This gives me time to say that am In
receipt of a letter from New York, in which
the writer says he has conversed with $50 in
telelligent people about my case, and that all
of them are of apinion that the Almighty ill.,
spired my act. have also o letter from
prominent lawyer, in Maryland, who says I
will go into history by the side of Grant and
Washington. That is their opinion on this
matter"
Mr.. Porter, referring to the testimony of
Mrs. Scoville, paid her the compliment of
sincere woman, and said "she had never seen
insanity in the prisoner until the time when
he raised an axe upon her when he was IS
years of age"
The prlsoner-That never occurred.
Mr.. Porter Your sister swore it, and she
is woman of truth, while you have commit
ted perjury"
The prisoner-"Tha is matter of opinion"
MIR. POrter-"She came into court with
unbloodied hands. and she went out of it as
she entered it, an honest woman, believing
what she asserted"
II lifted no axe against this sister," said
the prisoner.
Mr.. Porter-"He did. There is his own
sister, the only one who has stuck by him
faithfully and honestly. She tells you hon.
estly, that the first time she thought you
insane was when you were IS years of age.
She says: I had no thought before that he
was not in his right mind.'"
The prisoner-"The letters I get show the
American are solid for me; don't forget that,