The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1882-01-26
THE ASSASSIN GUITEAU.


] l
his lengthy speech which he desired TO make
10 the jury, with a request that it be sent
broadcast TO the American peoplon It Sc
mainly o rehash Of former assertions made by
him since the assassination and during his
trial Those readers who have a curiosity to
see this production can form a correct idea OF
IFS purport from the following telegraphed TO
the Western Associated Press:
UNITED STATES JAIL. D
WASHINGTON, ID. O., Jan. 10, 1882.
II the Court please, gentlemen Of the jury, ]
am patriot to-day. suffer I'm bonds as pa
| triOt. Washington was patriot; Grant was a
patriot. Washington led the armies of the Rev-
olution through eight years Of bloody war TO
victory and glory; Grant led the armies of the
Union 10 victory and glory, and to-day the Ma
| ton is prosperous and happy.
To-day-Christmas ISL suffer I'm bonds as
a patriot because 1 had the inspiration and
nerve to unite a great Republican party, to the
| end that the Nation might be saved from an
| other devastating war. To-day I suffer in
bonds as a patriot. There is not the first ele-
ment Of murder I'm this case. To constitute the
crime Of murder two elements must oo-exist:
First an actual homicide; secondly, malice i'm
law or malice in fact. The law presumos
malice from the fact of homicide. There is no
homicide in this case; therefore, no malice in
my work gradually, because He wanted to pre-
| pare the people for the change, and also to
confirm my original inspiration. L am well
! satisfied with the Detys conduct with this
case thus far, and have no doubt He will
! continue TO father it 10 the end. Nothing
/ but the political situation last spring justified
! the Presidents removal The break in the
! Republican party then was widening, and
! fOresaW civil war The Lord wanted TO pre-
I A.
| spired me to execute His will. Why did He
! inspire me in preference to some one elso7
| Because 1 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
| Deity to do it. Without the Dety's pressure
I never should have sought to remove the
President. This pressure destroyed my free
/ agency. The Deity compelled me to do the act,
| just as a highwayman compes a man
to give him money, after placing a pis-
tol at his victims head. The irresistible
] pressure to remove the President was on me
for thirty days, and it never left me when
awake. It haunted me day and night AT
last an opportunity came. 1 shot him. As
soon as 1 fired the shot the inspiration was
worked Off, and felt immensely relieved.
would not do it again for million dollars:
"a
hung then and there. 1t was the most insane
and fOOlhtrly act possible, and no one but
pladman could have done it. There are more
than thirty-eight cases in the Bible where the
Deity has directed to kill for the good of the
peOple-that is, TO save them from some far
greater trouble. Had Jefferson Davis aud a
dozen or two of his cO-traitOrs been shot dead
in january, 1851 no doubt our late rebellion
never would have been.
General Arthur as President is doing splen-
dldly; no man can do better. i am especially
pleased with his conciliatOry spirit and wis
dom toward the opposition. It Is exactly what
L 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 70 my spiritual destiny. 1
have always been a 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 Arthurisa good
man every way. happen 10 know him well.
was with him constantly in New York during
the canvass. So with General Grant ConklnF
and the rest of these men. They have not
taken an active part in my defense, because it
would not be proper.
The prosecution have introduced certain
witnesses who have been guilty of rank per
jury, and il has excited my wrath, and 1 have
denounced them in plain language 1 hate
the mean, deceptive way of the prosecution.
The mob cucitied the Savior of mankind,
and Paul, His great Apostle, went to an ignO-
minlOus death. All inspired men must do
their work and leaYe the result with the Deity
whatever becOmesOf 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; but had other work to do. NV
book 'Ihe TRUTH contains my theology. it
cost me trouble enough, and have no doubt
but it is official. During the three years j 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
and nHEn gH#FN
The prosecution have made a great noise
about my owing some board bills, but that has
no bearing upon this issue. Mr.. COrkhll, who
has taken it upon himself to digup my circum-
stances, owes a hundred times more than do.
always pay when 1 have money but there
was no money in theology, and knew itwhen
To-day suffer in bonds because I 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 free and
yindicated man. That is what you are here
for, and 1 ask you to liberate me. Tell the
American people that YOU find no evil in me.
1t is the opinion Of some of the ablest mem
bers of the bar that this court has no iurisdic-
ttOn TO try this case. This point WIN be
pressed, if necessary in arrest of judgment
But expect you, gentlemen of the jury, to
lustlTy the act; You are here to yindicate my
inspiration. But would have done It any
time after June 1 If 1 mad known was to be
shot dead the next moment had no power to
prevent it. My free agency was entirely
any one under duress is not responsible
for his act. On this ground ask you to ac-
quit me. How do we know you were under
duressf Ny word for it; no one else can know
the fact but the Deity and me- / know it; the
Deity knows it. 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 a few cranks
who are so ignorant they can hardly read or
write. High-tOned people are saying: " Well
if the Lord did IT, let IL 60" The President did
lot die before his time. If the Lord had not
wanted him he would not have departed.
Physical death Is nothing. All 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 j consider .spe-
cial providence in my favor. i talked with
MIN freely about the Deity, my inspiration,
and the political situation, which showed the
precipitated 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 met Had i fired IL on my own per
sonal account, no punishment would be too
quick or too severe for me, and this is why /
protected myself by going 20 Jail and having
the Nai1onal troops ordered out.
IWOu humbly suggest that the jury be
charged as follows: That If they believed that
j believed it was right for me TO remove the
President because had special Divine authori-
~ for so doing, they viii acquit on the ground
that was oyerpOWered by the Deity.
After quoting Beecher, Talmage, and other
clergymen, and declaring that when he be-
came President In 1884 he would clean out
the Mormons right speedily, he closes thus to
the jury:
To hang man in my mental condition on
July 2. when fired on the President would
be lasting disgrace 70 the American people.
The mothers and daughters Of the Republic
are praying that you viii vindicate my inspira-
ton, / beg you do not get the Deity down on
you by meddling with this case. j beg for your