The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-01-21
GUITEAu,S SPEECH.
The Speech which the Assassin Wanted ia
Mako To the Jury.


TO the New York Associated Press a COPY Of
his lengthy speech which he desired To make
% the jury, with request that il be sent
broadcast to the American people" 1t is
mainly a rehash OF former assert ions made hv
him since the assassiuat on and during HIS
trial. Those re deis who have a curiosity to
see this production can form a correct idea of
is prport from the following, telegraphcd To
the Western Associated Press:
UNITED STATES JAIL,
WAsHtNGTON, ID. c., Jan. u, tSS2
II the Court please, gentlemen of tn i,lrv.
am patriot to-day. suffer i'm bonds as n pn-
tr1ot. Washington was patriot; Grant was
putrlOt. NnShiugt n led thu armies If the Row
ulutoG through eight ycnr4 of bloody wor To
victory aud vlory; Grant led IN, armies IF the
Union To wet Try and glory, and today the Ma
uon IS prosperous AMI happy.
To-day-Christmas, 1851 suffer in bonds as
patriot because ] had the inspiration and
nerve to unite great Republican party, to the
cnd that the Nation might be- saved from an
other devastating war. To-day | suffer i'm
bonds as Il patriot. There is not the first clc-
ment of murder in this case. Tocoushtutc the
CRIME OF murder two elements must cO-rXist:
First, an actual homicide: secondly, malice i'm
law or malice in fact The law prcsumes
malice from the fact of homicide. There is no
homicide in this case; therefore. no malice in
law The Deity allowed the doctors to finish
my work gradually, because He wanted To pre-
pare the people for the change and also to
confirm my original inspiration. / am well
satshed with the Deity's conduct with this
case thus far. and / have no doubt He will
CuIllI'i' 10 INlner II 10 the end. Nothing
put the political situation last spring justified
the Presidents removal The break in the
Republican party then was widening, and [
fOrcsaw civil war. The Lord wanted to Drc-
vent repetition of this desOlation. and in
splred me to execute His will. Why did He
inspire me in preference to some one else?
Because had brains and nerve to do the
work. The Lord does not employ incOmpe-
tent persons to serve Him. He uses the best
material he can find. of all the world was
the only man who had authority from the
NitbDIf T,rfc
| never should have sought to remove the
resident This pressure destroyed my free
agency. The Deity compelled me to do the act,
Just as a highwaymun compels a man
TO give him money, after placing ps-
tol at his victims head. The irresistible
pressure to remove the Pros dent was on me
for thirty days and it never left me when
awake. 1t haunted me day and night. At
last an opportunity came. L shot him. AS
soon as | fired the shot the inspiration was
worked of, and felt immensely relieved. [
would not do it again for n million dollars.
only miracle saved me from being shot or
hung then and there. 1t was the most Elsane
ana foolhaldy act possible and no one but
mailman could have done it. There are more
man thirty,eight cases in the Bible where the
Deity has dire ctcd to kill for the good of the
peope-that is, to save them from some far
greater trouble. Had Jefferson Davis and n
dozen or two of his co-trators been shot dead
in January, 1861, no doubt our late rebellion
never would have been.
General Arthur as President is doing SPLEEN
didly; no man can do better. l am especially
pleased with his conCiliatory spirit and wis
dom toward the opposition. 1t is exactly what
wished him to dO-viz.: unite the factions of
the Republican party to an end that the Nation
may be happy and prosperous. In short,
everybody. politically, is happy, save a few
cranks, and they will probably be happy soon
have no doubt as to my spiritual destiny /
have always been Il lover of the Lord, and
whether live one year or thirty am His AS
a matter of fact, presume | shall live to be
President. Some people think am as good
man as the President. General Arthur is a good
man every way. l happen to know him we'll
! was with him constantly in New York during
the canvass. So with General Grant COnklinV
and the rest of these men. They have not
taken an active part in my defense, because it
would nat be proper.
The mob cructied the Savior of mankind
and Paul, His great Apostle, went to an igno-
minious death. All inspired men must do
their work and leave the result with the Deity
whatever becomes of them. The worst that
men can do is to kill you, but they cannot pre-
vent your name and work from going thun-
dering down the ages.
Had stuck to my law business there in New
York and in Chicago should have been rich
man to-day; bnt had other work to do NV
book, THE Truth" contains my theology. it
cost me trouble enough, and | have no doubt
but II is official. During the three years | was
on theology incurred some small debts which
have not yet been able To pay. A thousand
dollars would pay every debt owe. Some men
owe SlOOOOO, and are considered heightened.
The prosecution have made great noise
about my owing some board bills but that has
no bearing upon this issue. Mr.. Corkhill who
has taken it upon himself 10 digup my circum-
stances, owes a hundred times more than do
always pay when | have money. but there
was no money in theology, and knew il when
| went into it.
To-day l suffer in bonds because / had the
inspiration and nerve to remove the President
that the Nation might live. But | expect you,
gentlemen of the jury, will remove these
bonds. to the end that go forth n free and
Nindcatcd man. That is what Won are here
for, and ! ask you 10 libeute me. Tell the
American people that you find no evil in me-
IT is the opinion of some of the ablest mem
haR M lNa hatfs hat Ifp
ton to try this case. This point will be
pressed, if necessary, in arrest of judgment
But ! expect you, gentlemen of the jury, TO
yiustify the act. You are here to Vindicate nv
inspiration. But would have done it any
time after June l if mad known was to be
shot dead the next moment. had no power to
prevent ii. My free agency was entirely
destroyed. ] was under duress. In law,
any one under duress is not responsible
for his act; ON this ground ask you to nc
quit me. How do we know you were under
duressH My word for it, no one else can know
the fact but the Deity and me. | know It; the
Deity knows Il. had to do my duty to the
Deity and TO the American people, Regardless
of the consequences to myself. No one wants
TO shoot or hang me now save q few crank-,
who are SO ignorant they can hardly read or
write. Heightened people are saying: "Well,
If the Lord did it, let it go" The President did
not die before his time If the Lord had net
wanted him he would not have departed
Physical death is nothing. Ali men have died;
all men will die. The President might have
been taken by railroad accident, or slipped
on an orange-peel and broke his neck
The interview with Brooks consider n spe-
cial providence in my favor. | Ia ked with
hiIn freely about the Deity, my inspiration,
ami the political situation, which showed the
condition of my mind on July when | was
prrcpltatcd on to the President. A vast deal
of rubbish has got into this case on both sides.
The issue here is: Who fired that shOt-the
Deity or meF Had l fired it on my own per-
s0lml account, no punishment would be too
gu ok or too severe for me, and this is why |
protected myself by going to jail and having
the National troops orCered out
would humby suggest that the jury be
chilrgcd as follows: That if they believed that
] believed 1t was right for me to remove the
President because had special Divine authOri-
~ tor so doing, they VIII acquit on the ground
thot was overpowered by the Deity.