The Evening critic., 1882-07-17
WHAT MR.. HICKS HAS TO SAY.
Answer of Guiteau's Spiritual Adj
wiser to the Dissenting Physi-

Rev. Mr.. Hicks, spiritual advisor Of Guiteau,
has published the following reply to the re-.
port Of Drs. Sewers and Hartigan:
"wAsHINdToN, D. c., July 10, 1882.
d., Warrington, ID. o.;
"GENTLEMEN: pamphlet purportlng to
animation OF Charles ]. Guiteau,' and signed
by you, reached me yesterday through tho
mail. ! had previously seen the report in the
morning Post newspaper-indeed, q copy OF 1t
was in my possession ut o'clock on the night
OF Thursday. At that time noted number
OF exceptions to and went 30 far as to
statements, and offered them for publication
In the same poper with tho report; but tho
editors Of the paper felt bound to refuse my
criticisms admission. regretted this, without
being able TO find fault with the editors do.
cision, because the parts referred to by me as
they stand destroy any usefulness and value
that should attach to so voluminous a report;
albeit, to many II might be thought strange
that so much space should be takon up to
question and besmirch the very authority
TO which the report was addressed, and
because OF which 1t was possible. You must
know, gentlemen, that l cannot receive your
labored essay us the ofllcial report OF the au.
topsy upon the body of Guteau, and yet do.
sire TO thank you for any information your re.
port may contain beyond what appeared In
the official report OF DR.. Lamb, and 1 will do
80 formally as soon rs can discover. such
Information. My reasons chiefly for declin-
Ing TO receive your report as official aro IN
briei these:
''First-You were never vested by me with
authority to make report, Official or other.
wise. II Colonel Corkhill assumed to do so,
you must know that he was rs barren OF power
as yourselves, although he assumed to have
authority by virtue of being District Attorney,
deduction which distinctly denied when no
made 1t. II your authority emanated from
him, you should have addressed yourselves to
"second--whlle you assume to mako official
ta tl,.n a,
aiming at the establishment OF Guiteau's san.
ity rather than to give the facts Of an autopsy
The general tendency OF your paper, the spirit
OF Its conception, its frequent approach to In.
reference, together with your labored attempt
at self.defense, show conclusively that the real
object In view Is to declare, as far as YOU
little very mucn.needed lustre TO tho name and
spirit OF your conferree, Mr.. Corkhill. In any
other than an oiIlcial report all this might be
commendable,sin 1t is TO be assumed that our
government, supported by 50O0OO00 of IN
tolligent, free people, would not dare know
ingly TO execute n man for crime whose sanity
was moro than doubtful; and since that doubt
was raised In many quarters, 1t might appear
commendable In personal friends OF tho pros
ecuting oflcer, In q personal report OF an au-
topsy, to give their verdict OF deduction In
plain words from the facts hidden from the
popular comprehension under the massive
nomenclature of the profession. But such de-
duction would be utterly out OF place In the
official report OF the postmortem examina-
ton.
Inrd-Ine report already given TO tho
world by Dr. d. $. Lamb, surgeon United
States Army, through the Medical NecS, u
Journal or high repute In the profession, and
afterward by the daily press, is the official re.
port, aliko impartial and Just, without infer.
encc or deduction OF any sort, and placing the
facts of tho autopsy before the world In the
ea9isr So Us reoSer G ina
services are properly mentioned In that re.
port, and tho honors are divided without
ostentation, assumption or arrogance. That
QcCantal m n ~
physician who was present Is entitled to make
such additional report to his own world as his
knS%lsdge Or Lack OIL or u may mi suggest e him.
your, report gentlemen, as unworthy or You
and beneath notice from me. may say this
only to your assistant, the pathological oculist,
the greatness OF whose service at tho autopsy
Ia only equaled by its broyity, but the length
OF whose letter in your report would indicate
my contemplating turning Dr.. Lambs assist.
ant was no Joke at all, but most
earnest, earnest matter Of fact, which, If the
hope, no dlscredit upon my tutors in the pro.
fession at homo and abroad. At any rate |
should have reached the brain Without thrust
Ing my skull saw through tho dura mater and
into the brain itself, In tho very simple but
delicate operation OF dividing tho skull. Tho
dissecting-room ofian exporimentlst's school
is the place for tournoymen surgeons, and not
Mt the head OF n postmortom examination In
which the whole world is concerned.
"tlrh-ln conclusion, gentlemen, bog to re-.
peat 10 you the words OF Maudsley; 'One OF
the nrst symptoms of lnsanity-One which dc.
olnros Itself before thoro Is any intellectual
arrangement before tho PERSONS friends sus.
pect even that ho i5 becoming inaaue-ls n
deadening or complete poryerSlon Of tho moral
sense. In extreme cases II is observed that
the modest man becomes presumptuous and
exacting, tho chaste man lewd and obscene,
The honest man thief and tho truthful man
an unblushlng llar.'
~ beg most respectfully 20 commend these
words to your closest personal and profos.
sional attention. Perhaps, gentlemen, you
will prove to DO moro skillful In ante-mortem
applications than In post.mortem inferences
and deductions. shall always hold myself
ready assist you with what poor ability,
professional or otherwise, may possess,
"Your most obedlent servant,
w NJ