Sacramento daily record-union., 1882-01-26
GUILTY, as CHARGED N THE IN
DICrMENT,

GUILTY, AS CHARGED IN TIE IN
DIcrMENT.
At last the long outrage of the trial
Of President Garfeld's murderer is ended,
and in the only way which could have sat-
isfed justice and the American people.
Never was the law.abiding disposition Of
the nation put to so severe and pro
tracted test as in this case. Day after
day, week after week, the assassin has
been allowed almost literally to control
the tribunal charged with his trial. His
harsh, strident voice has dominated the
arguments of the prosecution, the state
ments of witnesses, even the utterances of
the Court. His scurrilous iavectiye, his
insolent Interruptions. his brazen egotism,
his revolving cant Of religion, his audacious
appeals to the public, his bufoonery, and
his callous indifference to the consequences
of his act, have been forced during all this
long period upon the attention of people
who were wrought hourly to still greater
detestation of the miscreant, and to still
greater indignation at the latitude per-
mitted him. That he has not been riddled
with steel or lead as he sat in the dock or
at the counsel table that he was not torn
from the hands of the officers by an exas-
perated populace, weeks ago, and incon-
tinently hanged on the nearest lamp
post that all these cumulative wrongs
and insults have been patiently endured
at his villainous hands; proves that the
reverence for ordered administration of the
law is far stronger in the hearts of the
American people than the enemies OF the
democratic system have heretofore been
willing to admit.
Even though it was long since realized
that no punishment, no certainty Of con-
demnation. could compensate for the deep
disgrace of this amazing trial, it has been
suffered to go on to the end. And though
it is impossible not to experience mingled
feeling of relief and thankfulneas at the
character of the verdict that has been ren-
dered, it is equally impossible to forget
that if the memory of the victim had not
been suffered to grow dim in these latter
days, the same result would have been
reached without any surrender of the dig
nifty of the Court, without any wound to
the feelings of the people, and without any
abatement of the solemnity which in such
a case should have marshalled the swift and
unhampered progress of the assassin from
the prison to the dock, from the cock to
the condemned cell, and thence to the gal
lows. It may be accepted as Judge Cox's
theory that it was necessary to give the de.
fense such license as would preclude all
danger of an appeal from an adverse ver-
dict. That no doubt is the true explana.
tion of the Courts line of action. But
when every possible allowance has been
made for this hypothesis, we cannot but
believe that the concessions made were
alike needless and injudicious, and that in
the end the country has suffered more dis.
credit from the Courts policy than could
have been entailed by any temporary stay
of the sentence.
But with the conduct of the jury no
fault can be found. It has done its duty
most loyalty and uprightly. It was not
misled by the conflicting expert testimony.
It was not moved by the theory of sin
spiration." It kept steadfastlY before it
the crime and the criminal, and it has rem
dered verdict the justice of which the
civilized world will indorse. For once, but
not, let us hope, for the only time, the de.
tense of insanity has broken down. The
juggling plea which has sufficed to save so
many murderers from the gallows, has
failed this one. Guilty, as charged in
"the indictment" is the stern response to
all the impudence, and sophistry, and
cant and cunning of the prisoner. His own
keenness, his counsePs specious arguments,
their joint attempts to discredit the prose
cution, the sustained pretense of confidence
in the issue-all have come to this. The
twelve silent, attentive men who have oc-
cupied so passive position throughout the
noisy, sensational, spasmodic proceed
ings, have at last spoken one short SEN
tence, but it is enough. Before its potency
the whole scheme of the defense melts and
disappears. There is no more pretense of
insanity. There is no more pretense of
inspiration. There is only vile assassin,
stripped at last of all his disguises, adjudged
guilty as charged in the indictment, and
delivered over to the hangman.
1t has been grim and CHASTITY trial, but
it has not after all turned out a farce.
The despicable wretch who slew the
President to minister to his own gross and
enormous vanity, will have yet leisure
enough to realize that his hated name will
&c go laundering down the ages linked
only with the names of the criminals whom
mankind most loathes and execrates. In
the silence and seclusion of the condemned
cell he will be enabled to sum up his mis-.
spent life that miserable life which has
included no pure love, no unselfsh ambi-
ton, no honorable impulses, no manly ac
tions but which has been monotonous
record of sordid meannesses, petty chi.
canery, malicious mischief, preposterous
conceits, capped by one crime which is
only great on the side of the noble victim.
And let us hope that he will not be per.
mitted any superfuous loiterings upon the
stage. The work of the law has
been done. The executive arm should
be brought into requisition promptly. The
sentence of death should be followed by
execution as quickly as the prevailing rules
will allow. The country has no further
use for Guiteau, save to hang him. His
worthless, disreputable life is, alas, all too
poor sacrifice to the names of our departed
statesman-ruler, yetit is all that we can offer.
He has had his dav in CourE Ha oop1d