The Opelousas courier., 1882-02-11
Guiteau's Sentence
TO BE HANGED IN WASHINGTON, FRI
DAY, JUNE 80.

ruled, GnlEeau, VINO nau Oeen permlC
ted to resume his seat at counsel's table,
called out: If your honor please, |
desire to ask if there is any motion
that | ought to make to reserve my
rights" Mr.. Scovffle tried to prevent
his speaking, but he retorted Well
| don't want any advantage taken of
me /; | want to know how much time
I shall have to prepare my appeal to
the court I'm bGhc."
Mr.. Scoville-Please keep quiet; we
haven't reached that yet,
Guiteau with much excitement)-I
don't want to keep quiet !; l am here,
and l propose to do my own talking.
Judge Cox then informed Mr.. SEQ
vile of the rules of practice applicable
to the filing of his exceptions, and, af-
ter this matter had been arranged, Col.
Corkhill renewed his motion, saying:
e" 1t is now my duty to ask for the sen
tence of the court"
Judge Cox Ito prisoner)--''Stand up.
Have you anything to say why sem
tencs should not now he passed upon
You 2" ..
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
not now be pronounced upon you?
The prisoner then arese, pale, but
with lips compressed aud desperate
determinatio stamped upon his fea-
lures, and in a low and deliberate tone
he began, but soon his manner became
wild and violent, and pounding upon
the table he delivered himself of the
following harangue: II am not guilty
of the charge set forth in the .indict-
ment. It was Gods act, not mine, and
God will take care of it and don't let
the American peopls forget it. He
will take car of it, and every officer of
this government, from Executive down
to that marshal, taking in every mai
on that jury, and every member of this
bench, will pay for it, and the Ameri-
can nation will roll in blood if my body
goes into the ground, and | am hung.
The Jews put the despised Gallilean
into the grave; for a time they tri-
amphed, but at the destruction of
40 years a~fterward, the
Almighty got even with them. ! 1m
not afraid of. death. I am here as
man. Kill me tomorrow, if you
want / am Gods man, and 1 have
been from the start
Judge Cox then proceeded to pass
sentence, addressing the prisoner as
follows: j. L
You have been convicted of a crime
50 terrible in its circumstances, and so
fa~r-reachiBg, that it has drawn upon
you the horror of the whole world, and
the execratisDs' of your countrymen.
The excitement produced by such an
made it no easy task to secure
for you q fair and impartial trial, but
you have had the power of tire United
States treasury and government in your
to protect your person from vic.
lence, and to procure evidence from all
parts of the country. You have had as
fair and impartial a jury as ever Assem-
bled in a court of justice. You have
been defended by counsel with zeal
and devotion that merit the highest
eneomium of all. I.certainly have done
my best to- secureRa fair presentation
of your defense. { Notwithstanding all
you have been found guilty.
1t would have been a comfort to many
peoplei if the verdict of the jury had
established the fact that your act was
of an irresponsible man. Itwould
have left the people the satisfying be-
lief that the crime of political assassin
alton was something entirely foreign
to the institutions and civilization Of
Our country, but the result has denied
Them that comfort. The country will
it as a fact, that the crime can
be committed, and the court will have
20 deal with him the best penalty
to the criminal code, to serve
rs an example to others. Your career
has been SO extraordinary that the peo
pie might well, at times. have doubted
your sanity, but one cannot but believe
hat when the crime was committed
7ou thoroughly understood the nature
# the crime and its consequences,
Guiteau-I was acting as Gods man.,
ind that you had moral sense and con-
enough to recognize the moral
of such an act.
The prisoner-That's a matter of
Your " testimony shows that you
ecoiled with horror from the idea
lou say that you prayed against it;
'ou say tkat you thought it might be
prevented. This shows that your con
warned you against it, but by
he wretclied sophistry Of your own
mind you worked yourself up against
he protest of your own conscience.