The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-02-02
STANTON, VIRGINIA, FEBRUARY 2, 1882

light of his talk about Guiteau's rhomboceI
halle head.
When he came to refer to Mr.. Reeds stor
about Charlotte Corday, Judge Porter stirreC
the audience deeply by turning the same stor
to account against the prisoner. Guiteau wa
furious. As the prosecuting attorney walked
UP and down before the jury, tel ling the dra
matte story of Charlotte Cordays selfsacri
fee, her patriotic devotion to crime whic
saved the lives of her countymen while it II
suited in her own death, Gulteau was clamol
Gus, winding up with the declaration "Pu
my body in the grave if you dare. God A
mighty will follow it, And later he said
"rhis Nation will roll in blood if hair of m
head is harmed"
The prisoner writhed and scolded when MI
Porter compared him with Wilkes Booth anc
asserted that, beside Guteau, the murdere
ofLincoln showed as man entitled to com
msseration A strong point was made b.
holding up the determination of the prisone
to win notoriety at any cost.
AT 1890 o'clock Judge Porter asked for
TtCPSS anu 3tlS ucbtl " X
on after recess and to finish his speech Gui
teau was led out as usual by the guard
the audience watching his passage through
the room with unabated curiosity. Part of th'
audience then withdrew, but nearly all the
women brought out their lunches and KEEP
their place while they were eating and discuss
ing the events of the morning. At O'Clock
Marshal Henry had found seats for many
new-c corners, and when the court re-convened
the room was again packed more densely, i
possible, than before Mr.. Scoville made an
announcement of his determination to inter
rupt Judge Porter in respectful manner
whenever the interests of his client seemed to
call for an interruption. This loosened Gui
that at last Judge Cox, who has seldom MOTTO
ed him, sternly commanded silence, and added
severely: sfYou must keep silence" Mr.. Reed
then went to Guiteau and whispered to him
to urge his obedience to the Judges command
while Judge Porter resumed his argument by
Analysing the prisoners pretended delusion,
which he characterized as devish delusion
Guiteau was restless as the passages of Othello,
when lago suggests to Roder1go the "remo-
val' of Othello, were quoted as illustrating
Guiteaus meaning of the word removal"
They were read with impressive dramatic ef-
feet Looking at the jury and pointing to the
prisoner, the prosecutor slowly declared
There is one man between you and the grave
of the murdered President, and it is tor you to
say whether his plea of transltory mania is a
genuine defense or not"
| Guiteau kept up constant Ere of retorts as
much to the amusement of his brother as that
OF the spectators who came to be amused A
newspaper is handed to him; he holds it be-
| fore him an instant, and then folds and refolds
it, and while Judge Porter analyses his pre-
tensions he continues his abusive replies,
shifting the newspaper neryously from one
hand to the other, evidently sufferinga as Judge
Porter describes the fall of Garfield in the de-
pot and the simultaneous disappearance of the
assassin's pretended mania.
1t was about 3 o'clock when Judge Porter
raising his voice, asked the question IN a tone
and with emphasis that was startling:
"Who shot Garfield Was it the Deity or
was it the assassin q"
Guiteau started up. Both" he replied
"Then," said Judge Porter, dropping his
voice, eve had better deal with the one we
have here on trial.
Guiteau was terribly excited as the speech
drew to close, and his tongue wagged with
out restraint as he leaned his face against his
hand and supported his elbow upon the rail of
the dock
There was much craning of necks to get a
glimpse of the assassins face while Judge
Porter was delivering his Grafton, and when,
at 3:15, he closed and took his seat, after an
Brewster's eloquent apostropke to the memo
ry of Garfield, the prisoner was watched close
ly to see how he was affected. He was posi-
bly, a trife paler, but still defiant
AS was expected the defense desired delay
before Judge Cox should change the jury.
Col CorkhiIl and Mr.. Davidge protested, and
as Judge Cox intimated that he was prepared
to go on and the jurymen all expressed the de-
sire to have the charge presented, the prison
er's counsel were constrained to submit. As
Judge Cox was arranging the sheets on which
his charge was written some confusion arose
and again the court officers repeated their me-
chanical shouts of "Silence!" the gray headed
crier even shouting "Slencer' after the audi
ence had become so quiet that one might have
heard pin drop.
In6Un oa1 II h OH, Iro ri
to the end ofthe bench, resting his arms on the
rail before him. His voice was loud enough
| and his words distinct enough to be heard by
every one. Guiteau only once or twice pre-
| sumed to interrupt him, and when he did his
voice had not the old, defiant ring. His man
ner, too, was more subdued. For once he
seemed impressed by sense of danger He
wrote no more cards and did not look smiling
! ly about for marks ofapproval.
| While Judge Cox was reading, the light was
growing gray in the courtroom. As the
charge proceeded and the clear and impartia
statements as to the law and facts were made
faint whispers passed between the spectators
| Those who had feared that the Judge had beer
impressed by belief that the prisoner was in
sane took courage, deciding that under his
construction of the law verdict of guilty wa,
almost inevitable.
An hour was consumed in the reading 0
the charge The time did not seem long, how
ever, and no one appeared wearied but the
prisoner when the Judge had finished
By this time it had become so dark that a
lamp was brought in for the use of the Judge
and the official reporters. The prisoner was al
most in the dark, his guards standing up abou
him and covering him with deep shadows. TIL
jury, obedient to the instructions of the Judg,
arose to go to their rooms up stairs. Confu
sion followed the Marshals making futile de
mands for silence Everybody stoed up, ant
chairs were knocked over on the back tiers q
seats in the scramble forward Guteau wa
manacled, as, in the gloom, he might hav
made a break for q window
AT 5l0 O'Clock the jury went out. Guitear
nervous and uneasy in his place, with tn
crowd surging about him and peering at hin
stared at the jurymen as they passed into tn
hall, and then rose and asked the Judge to a
low him to go to the Marshal's room. His IT
quest was granted, and the policemen led hil
through the crowd to the eastern window an
then by narrow stairway to the little ROOF
up stairs, where he has spent the recess heul