Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-02-01

by the case upon which they were soon
to be called upon to pass Judge Porter
said
The first of the questions for you to
consider is. was the prisoner insane on
the I'd of Jnly? If he was not the
case is at an emo, and your sworn du.
ty is ended.
Second, if you reach that. If he
was insane on that day. was he insane
to that degree that on the I'd of July
Ee did not know that murder was NOR.
ally and legally wrong? IL he was
not insane to that degree, you are
bound under your own oaths to con.
Wet him.
Third. If in utter disregard of bis
confessions under oath, you shall find
that he actually and honestly believed
that God had commanded him to kill
President Garfield, and that he was
under delusion, unless you find the
further fact that such delusion disabled
him from knowing such act was moral
ly and legally wrong, you are bound
under your oath to convict him.
Fourth. If you find such delusion
did not exist, that God commanded
him to do the act, and that such delu-
sion was the sole product of insanity,
then, and then only, you can acquit him,
when you find he was unable to con-
troll his own will, and you must re-
member that under oath he has sworn
he was able to control it, for he said,
Had Mrs. Garfield been with him at
the depot on the I'd of July would
not have shot him.
Fifth. If You fad that even though
he was partially insane, it resulted
from his malignity, his own depravity,
Yet still you are bound, under the in
struction of the court, to convict him.
Sixth. If upon the whole case you
have no reasonable doubt whether he
was partially or wholly insane, if you
believe that he knew his act was legal
ly and morally wrong, you are under
your oaths, bound to convict him.
The law said Judge Porter, is
founded upon reason, and it must not
he said that an American jury shall
override the law and establish a priI-
ciplc which will let murder and rape
aud arson run riot through the land
THE LICENSE OF INSANITY.
Mr.. Porter then went on to discuss
the points of law as laid down by Judge
Cox in this case After he had dis
posed of that question be took up again
the question of the responsibility of the
prisoner.
What household he said, would
be safe, what church would protect its
worshippers if this man were to escape
on the plea of responsibility Is it
true that any man who has had an in
sane cousin, an insane uncle, an insane
aunt, an insane ancestor, and who is
not, himself, insane, but knows per-
fectly murder is legally and morally
wrong, is to escape punishment May
he stab, or shoot, or waylay, or murder
in any form by day or by night, and
then cluim, in his vindication, not that
he is insane himself, but that somebody
else was? If so, what is human life
worth? Nay more, if it were true that
every insane man, no matter in what
degree, no matter whether from melan-
cholia, or from any Of those casual or
occasional alterations of mind, is at
liberty to commit burglary, to fire your
dwelling house, to set the city OF. Wash
ington on fire, when frost shall stiffen
water and when fire is destruction, to
ravish your daughter, what security is
there ? That is the license for which
this brother-in-law of Guitoau contends,
namely, that the law is intended only
for rational men and that all of those
crimes may be committed by license,
not from law, but rom one of the twelve
emperors or kings in defiance of law
and of instructions from the court.
Nay, more, the insane of this country
U mean the undoubted insane, who
are inmates of the lunatic asylums,
are to learn from the verdict in this
case (if the theory of the defense shall
be sustained) that each of them is al
liberty to murder the keeper who re-
strains him; that they are all at liber-
ty to confederate to open the gates OF
the asylums and 20 out, knife and torch
in hand, and spread ruin and conaagra-
tion in every direction, and although
the law forbids it, an American jury
eau be found that will sanction the act. F"
The prisoner-that is very fine, bu.
it is all bosh.
Judge Porter-More than that, any
man who has insanity in any degree
shall be at liberty to murder any other
insane man. | believe if jury could
be impanelled in lunatic asylum in
this country they would say of this
man, not only that they would be en-
dangered by his presence, but that he
is perfectly sane.
WAS GUITEAU INSANE!
Was this man insane on the Cd of
July? If he was not, you have but
one duty, end that is to convict him.
He was not insane. 1 aver (what
this proof indisputably establishes)
he never was insane and certainly not
on the I'd of July On that point the
principal claim by the prisoner and his
counsel is the atrocity of this particular
act. | do not deny his claim of being
the most cold-blooded and savage MUIR
derer of the last six thousand years
But he is not alone, as he will find
when be comes to those realms where
murderers are consigned. Murder has
existed in all ages. Four thousand
yeas ago there was inscribed on tables
of stone command to all people,
Thou shalt not kill But Guiteau
saws that life is of small consideration.
He says in one of his letters of conso-
latlon to the widow, Life is but feet
ing dream. His death might have hap
pened at any time But the lawgiver
of the universe entertained different
views on the value of human life when