The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-02-09
GUITEAU DOOMED.
Judge Cox OverruIes the Motion
for "a New Trial ana PASSES
Sentence.

WAsHINGToN, Feb. AFTER tn
II motion for new trial had bee
y overruled. Guiteau. who had bee
permitted TO resume his seat nj tn
N counsePs table, called out. of you
; honor please, | desire TO ask if Their
is any motion | ought TO make 4
, rescue my rights Scoville tried {,
q prevent his speaking. but but he re
: torted: "Well, don't want any adj
Y vantage taken of tine, want to know
how much time l shall have TO pre-
pare my appeal to the court Ell
n banc."
f Scoville-"Please keep quiet, we
have not reached that point yet.
Guiteau, exclaimed: 81 wont
f keep quiet. L am here, and | pro-
pose to do my own talking" Judge
Cox then informed Mr., Scoville OF
the rules OF practice applicable TO
filing his exceptions, and after this
matter had been arranged Colonel
Corkhill renewed his motion, say
ing:
at is now my duty to ask for the
sentence OF the court"
Judge Cox to prisoner" Stand
up. Have you anything TO say why
sentence should not now be passed
upon you"
| Guiteau, still sitting-"I ask your
honor TO postpone sentence as long
as possible"
Judge Cox" Stand up. Have
you anything to say why sentence
should notnow be pronounced upon
your
The prisoner then arose, pale, but
with lips compressed and apparently
desperate determination, he stamped
upon his features. In low and de-
liberate tone began, but soon his
manner became wild and violent
and pounding upon the table he de-
livered himself Of the following
harangue: 81 am not guilty of the
charges set forth in the indictment.
1t was Gods act, not NINE, and God
will take care of it and not let the
American people forget it. He will
take care OF il and every officer of
this government, from the executive
down to that marshal (taking in
every man in that jury and
every member this bench) will
pay for it and the American
nation will roll in blood if
my body goes into the ground and
l am hung. The Jews put the de-
sp;sed Gallilean into the grave. For
time they trIumphed. but at the
destruction of Jerusalem, forty
years afterwards, the Almighty got
even with them. | am not afraid of
death, | am here as Gods man.
Kill me tomorrow, if you want to.
L am Gods, and have been from the
start"
Judge Cox then proceeded TO pass
sentence, and, addressing the pris-
oner' said: "You have been convict
ed of a crime so terrible in its cir
| cumstances, and so far reach
ing, that it has drawn upon
you the horror of the whole world
and excavations Of your country
men; the excitement produced by
such an offence, made il no easy
task to secure for you fair and inn
partial trial, but you have had the
power of the United States treas
ury and government in your service
| to protect your person from vio-
lence, and to procure evidence from
all parts of the country; you have
had as fair and impartial jury as
ever assembled in a court of justice;
you have been defended by counsel
with zeal and devotion that
| merits the highest encomium of
all. | certainly have done my best
to secure fair presentation ofyour
defence. Notwithstanding all this,
you have been found guilty. 1t
would have been comfort to many
people if the verdict OF the jury had
established the fact that your act
was that of an irresponsible man.
1t would have left the people salts
fled with the belief that the crime
of political assassination was some
thing entirely foreign to the insti-
buttons OF our country, but the re-
suit has denied them that comfort.
The country will accept 1t as
fact, that crime cannot be
committed, and the court will have
to deal with him in the best penalty
known TO the criminal code, to serve
as an example to others. Your ca
reer has been so extraordinary that
people might have well, at times,
doubted your sanity, but one cam
not but believe that when the crime
was committed you thoroughly I'M
derstood the nature of the crime
aud its consequences [Guiteau-I
was acting as Gods mani and that
you had moral sense and conscience
enough to recognize the moral
iniquity of such an act.
That's matter of opinion:
your own testimony shows that
YOU recoiled with horror from
the idea; you say that you prayed
against it. This shows that your
conscience warned you against 1t
but by wretched sophistry of your
own mind worked yourself up
against the protest of your own
conscience. What motive could
have induced you TO this
act must be matter of
conjecture. Probably men will think
that some political fanaticism, or
some morbid desire for self-axalta-
ton, was the real inspiration for the
act. Your own testimony seemed
to controvert the theories of your
counsel. They have maintained,
and thought honestly, believe, that
you were driven against your will,
by an insane impulse, to commit the
act, but your own testimony showed
that you deliberately resolved to do
it, and that this was your deliberate
and misguided, as well as sole,
impulse. This may be insanity to
some persons, but the law looks up
on it as wilful CRIME; you will have
due opportunity of having any error
| may have committed, during the
trial, passed upon by the court in
banc, but meanwhile it is necessary
for me 10 pronounce the sentence of
the law, that you be taken hence to
the common Jail of the district, from
whence you came. and there be
kept in confinement, and on
Friday the thirtieth day of
June, 1882, you be taken
to the place of execution,
within the walls of said Jail, and
there, between the hours of twelve
m. and 2 p. m, you be hung by the
neck until you are dead and may
the Lord have mercy on your soul.'
During the reading Guiteau stood
apparently unmoved and with his
gaze riveted on the judge, but when
the final words were spoken he