The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-01-22
DR.
The Assassin Puts His Plea Before
the Jury,
With a Dramatic Setting and Rheto-
rical Effect.


Il ltdu IOOk " HtaC In ina w1tnRaQ hnr ra-
marking as he laid out his papers. az
sit down because L can speak better NOT
that | am afraid of bejno sbot Tbis
shooting business Is getting nlaved
out.u
At an intimation from Judoe Cor
the prisoner carefully arranged his
glasses and with a flourish began In
read as follows:
ssThe prosecution pretepd that T am
a wicked man. Mr.. Scoyille and the
rest think L am a lunatic and T nre-
sumo vol think I am. ee~rtainIv was
a lunatic on July End when I fired on
the president; and the American peopIe
generally, and 1 presume Won think T
was. Can you imagiue ANYTHING more
insane than my going to the depot and
shooting the president OF the United
States? You ara here tn saw vvbetber r
was insane or Sane when I fired that
shot. You have nothing To do with
my condition since or before / fired that
shot. You must saw by your verdict
sane or insane at the m the shot
was fred. IL YOU have any doubt Of
my insanity at the YOU must
give me the benefit of the doubt and &C.
quit, that is il YOU have any doubt
whether 1 fred that shot or as agent Of
the Deity. II I fired it on INV own ar
| count L was sane. IL 1 fired s~upposinp
L was the agent of the Deity I was in
sane and you must acauit. This is the
| record of law given in a recent decision
| of the New York court of -appeals. II
| reyolutionizes the old rules and ia n
grand step forward in the law of in
| sanity. 1t Is worthy of this age of rail-
| roads, electricity and telephones. and it
| well comes from the progressive state nj
| New York. I have no hesitation in
| saying that It is a e ial proyidence in
| my favor. and l ask this court and iprv
| so to consider it. Some of the eminent
| people of America think me the great
| est man of this age. and this feeling ia
growing. They believe in nv inspira-
| ton and that Providence and I have
| really saved the nation another war
| Ny speech. setting forth I'm detail nv
| defense. was t~elegrapbed tn all the
| leading papers and published Monday
| and now I am permitted nv b,s honor
| to deliver IT, TO vouu
Then he explained To the iurv that
| his speech opened with a ~ouotation
| from his Christmas CREATING tn the
| American people and in usinu Il for
| the opening of His sneecb tn the iprv ba
| had neglected to cut ont the dnte
| Christmas. 1881. After thanking hi,
counsel. and navino a vary biob comn,;-
| ment to the zeal and abiIitv which SEQ
| vile had disnlaved whom bs nronosed
| soon to reward with a very Iiberal fee
| he extended his grateful acknovle do
| ment to the court. the iurv, officers and
bailiffs, and last. but not least. to the
American press. The latter were a
power that generally critisized n man
when they got down on him They had
been pretty heavy on the ~prisoner at
first, but when they knew his motives
they changed their views and were now
treating him yery fairly. With this ir-
PRODUCTION the prisoner took nm n news-
paper and proceeded to read to the iury
his published speech. His manner to
the casual observer seemed completely
self possessed, as usual, but behind this
os~tentatious affection of composure. in
tense feelings which were only held in
control through undoubted strength of
will. His excitement wa, BETRAYED by
a slight hectic spot on each cheek of his
usually colorless face, and by his un-
usual elaboration with which he began
and for some time continued TO
speak. Whether this excitement was
from merely superficial effect upon his
emotions, naturally incident to the oc-
~casion, or whether 1t proceeded from a
deeper and more overpowering influence.
of the true realization of his position as
an almost convicted murderer pleading
for his life, it were difficult to divine,
Whatever the original character of the
feeling it finally gained ascendency oyer
his powers of control, aud as he
reached that point in his speech, 81
have always served the Lord, and
whether 1 live or die" &c., he broke
down completely, stopped, tried to
choke down the rising lump in his
a. ~ 49,