The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-05-21
A GONE GUITEAU
His Term Of Life Drawing 60
q Close,

washington. 20.-Unanimous de-
clslon of the district supreme court
on the question raised by the defense
IN the Guiteau case will be an
nounced Monday. The Post, TO-
morrow will give the following as
the points of the decision: The Opin-
ion Of the court will broadly sustain
the position taken by the district
attorney, that the Jurisdiction is
complete where the fatal blow is
struck, without regard to the LEGALITY
Of the actual demise. The court
holds that the bullet fired at the
President by Guiteau, on the 22d of
July, in this city, was the cause of
his death, and that the trial could
only have been held in Washington :;
that the death of the President in
New Jersey, except as affected by
local statute, could not change the
jurisdiction. The assassin had not
been in New Jersey, had committed
no offense against New Jersey laws,
and the mere fact of the victim
being removed to Elbaron to pro-
long life or save it, if
possible, could not be made
to affect the character of the crime.
The court will hold, in addition,
that there are several grounds on
which Jurisdiction might be main
tanned, if it were necessary to decide
the case: First, that this is a United
States court, with all the powers of
any circuit court of the United
States; second. that this is judic-
ial district, and that uUder the pro-
visions Of the law when the crime
is begun in one and completed in
another district, the offence is COM
plete In ether; third, that the muir
der being an offense in this district
against the United States, and the
removal Of the President to New
jersey did not take him beyond the
jurisdiction of government against
which the offence was committed.
Considerable anxiety has been ex-
pressed as to the action of the Su-
preme Court of the United States, it
being announced that application
would be made to that body by the
defendants counsel for a writ of
hGbeGS corpus. The court having
adjourned for the term, Chief JUS
tice Waite and Justice Miller, the
best legal authorities, express
doubts whether such a writ could
be granted by a full court, in ses-
sion, and it is not believed that
any single judge will take
the responsibility on so i'm
pOrtant a question, when it is
recalled that the court was in
session for three months after the
sentence Of death was passed. 1t
may therefore reasonably be con-
cluded that Guiteau will hang, as
sentenced. and that there is no
earthly hope for him.
The Post adds: After the delivery
of the opinion the prisoner will be
taken at once to q solitary cell in
the jail where he is now confined
and placed under continual guard,
better known as the death watch.
Every action will be observed up to
the fatal movement and not a word
will be permitted to be spoken to
him except by his spiritual advisers,
or by persons specially authorized
by Warden General Croker, who
has entire charge OF and response
bility for the assassin from this time
on, until the dead body is ready to
be consigned to the doctors for post
norton examination. District At
torney CorkhilI has determined
upon an examination Of The brain
of the assassin by a board of the
most eminent medical experts in
the United States, to put
at rest as he believes, for
ever, the question of his sanity.
After the autopsy the bouy will be
delivered to the relatives Of the
doomed man, il any of them call
for it.