The Portland daily press., 1882-01-31
THE ASSASSIN.
Arguments for q New Trial to be
Made Friday.
JURORS NAMES ON THE NEWSPAPER
PRONOUNCED FORGERIES.
Another Proposition for the Purchase
of Guiteau's Body.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30.-In the Criminal
Court this forenoon District Attorney CorkhIll
applied to the court to fix day Tor the nearing
Of the arguments upon motion for a new trial
in the case against G. j. Guiteau, stating that
he was willing that tomorrow should be as
signed.
Mr. Scoville called the attention OF the court
to the fact that one of the affidavits IN support
of the motion had annexed to it copy OF the
Evening Critic. The allegation was that dur
ing the progress of the trial the paper was read
nv or to the Jury. 1t bore on the margin what
purported to be the signatures of four jurors.
The jurors denied that they saw any newspa-
per or pat their names upon any newspaper
during the time they were empanelled. This
raised an issue of fact whichswas very impor-
tant to be determined. 1t was not matter
that the court could determine on eD parte
afidavits. The jury admitted that during the
time that they were impanelled they gave their
autographs to various persons, and he thought
it might be important that he should have an
opportunity to cross-examine the men in that
connection to determine whether the sigma
lures upon the newspaper were genuine. The
full names of two jurors were on the paper
The District AttorDey-And one OF them
spelled wrong.
Scoville-All of these things show the pro-
priety of something more than eg pdrte affida-
Wits in this matter L ask that the Jurors be
produced in court or that the court appoint a
commissioner to take dispositions, and that
be allowed to produce such further testimony
as think proper as to the genuineness of the
handwriting.
As to the argument for a new trial he
thought he could be ready by the latter part
of the week, as all the questions he cared
about taking up were as to this newspaper
and in respect to the newly discovered evil
dence.
The court therefore fixed Friday for the ar
guments.
The District Attorney said he did not intend
that the jury should be put on trial. This
newspaper was suspicious on its face The
gentleman who had filed the affidavit and who
had purloined the paper had already been
bound over for forgery in the district, He
(the District Attorney would show the court
that this was clever attempt at forgery. He
did not agree that the jury, who had done
their duty so faithfully, should be upon trial,
and the oath of such q man as that placed
against theirs.
The court stated that there was no such
practice as issuing commission on questions of
this kind, but that it was within the disere-
tion of the court to interrogate parties making
affidavits, and he thought that he would ex-
ercise that discretion.
Scoville said that he was perfectly willing
that the court should interrogate the affiants.
When the district attorney came here and
alleged forgery, it became serious matter
The court suggested to the district attorney
that it might be we'll to have the jury present
present.
John W. Guiteau makes the following state
ment relative to his connection with and
knowledge of the Snyder affidavit:
I first saw the Critic having the jurors'
names written on the margins on the day after
it was handed to Scoville, as he told me by a
Mr. Snyder. examined the paper at the
time but did not see it again till the day 1
made my affidavit. Last Saturday at Scoville's
request then compared it carefully with the
signatures which the jurors Bra ndenburg,
Sheehan, Bright and Heinline had written on
that and the day before, in my own and Mrs.
Scoville's autograph albums which contains
autographs OF persons connected with the
trial. l did not know that Brandenburg IS
signature on the paper was written in German
until he wrote his name in my album in Ger
man. In reply to Mr.. Hayden's question as
to how his name was spelled in German, Mr..
Brandenburg had written his name in Ger
man on slip of paper. L asked him to write
It in my album the same way, which he did.
This signature is an exact fac slmie OF the
one on the paper, as 1 think any ex pert viii
say on careful inspection.
He also claims similarity in Mr. Brighus
writing on the paper and in his album; also
Jackson's, Sheehan's and Heinline's. He
says comparison of the writing on the paper
with the signatures written in the albums
would warrant any one in making an affidavit
that they verify believed the writing on the
paper was by the jurors named. He says:
have no doubt of the integrity of the
jurors, and presume that the true explanation
OF this curious transaction may be found in
the probable fact that the names were written
by said jurors on paper at the same time when
they were signing the autograph albums in the
ballltfs' room and the matter had escaped their
recollection. This is much more plausible
than the claim made by Corkhill that the
newspaper signatures are forgeries. Branden-
burg says he rarely writes his name in Ger
man, and it is therefore improbable that any
one would have been able to forge his name so
completely as it is written on the paper. He
is without doubt a most upright man whom no
consideration or motive could induce to make
false statement or knowingly violate his oath
as juror. This may be said also of the other
jurors. The defendant is entitled to any bene-
fit arising under the law as to the legal ques-
tion, however. do not express any opinion
but as my brother is undoubtedly insane, be-
lieve in giving him the benefit of every legal
defence and advantage.
Scoville Appeals to the People.
Scoville furnishes for publication an address
to the American people, in which he appeals
for contributions of money to aid him in con-
tinuing the defence. He says at least $4,000
will be necessary to properly conduct an ap-
peal to the general term court; that he is una
able ilonger to work without compensation;
that he must engage counsel to assist him as
Reed cannot continue in the case unpaid and
that the conduct of the case has already cost
him $2300 only, $3.50 of which was contrib
uted by friends.