The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-06-25
TELEGRAPHIC
GUITEAU's REPRIEvE.
The Anxiety and COnjeetures
The Cabinet Will Not Inter.
fere.
The Law Must Take its Course

cred the matter of the application for
respite for GuiteRu, and this evening hac
a special session upon the subject. A
the evening meeting Attorney Genera
Brewster submitted his opinion on the
petition for reprieve. After q conference
lasting an hour and quarter decision
was reached, and the attorney general
was instructed to reduce the same tC
writing. preparatory to its public an.
neuncement. It was decided not to
make public the purport Of the decision
in advance sof q formal announcement
through the sttorney-general. Every
mem Der of the cabinet was visited this
evening, but all declined to intimate
what the decision will be; all sorts OF
rumors we're current, some TO the effect
that the cabinet had unanimously ed.
vised against any exercise Of executive
clemeney; another Fumor was attributed
to Judge Gray, Of the Supreme Court
that he was CT the opinio that
Guiteau was insane, which opinion
had Influenced the cabinet to ad.
wise q reprieve, and still smother
which was accepted by many, was to the
effect that the sttorney-gen had sub
mitted an opinion adverse to Guiteau,
but that the cabinet had decided against
it and advised q repTieVe for two weeks
TO allow time for a com mission of disin-
terested experts to pass upon the mental
| condition Of GuiteRu. Whatever deci-
sion was arrived at by the cabinet, no one
outside the President and his advisers
seem to know.
Guiteau's counsel used every endeSVor
to learn the decree, but without success,
at midnight he stated that the only grain
Of comfort he bad received was from q
member of the cabinet, who said to him,
Il cannot tell you whether the decision
is for yoa or against you. l can only
say while there is life there is hope"
The President was deeply moved, and
expressed great anxiety to 90 what is
right in the matter. The fact that he
left the city this evening upon pleasure
trip, and his cheerful demeanor just prior
to departure lead to the belief that in his
decision, whatever it may be, he will
have received the unqualified support Of
bis cabinet advisers. Although it is ina.
possible to forward other than conjec-
lures, it ia generally believed that short
reprieve will be granted Guiteau TO al
low time for q commission of disinter-
ested experts to pass upon his mental
condition.
At a late hour tonight Guiteau's coun-
sci telegrsphed President Arthur in the
name of justice and humanity, if your
decision is adverse to my client do not
permit it to be promulgated until l can
have hearing before the cabinet.
Attorney General Brewster informed
correspondent that no decision had
been reached by the cabinet, but that all
the papers we're In his hands, and he
would render a final decision, possibly,
st another cabinet meeting tomorrow.
What is the personal opinion of the at
torney general ss regards the application |
for respite, he would not say, bat the |
impression is very strong that after |
delay Of two or three days the petition |
ers will be informed that the execution |
must take place on the day fixed by the |
court. It seems q trihe strange that |
medical gentlemen who are now so pro.
foundly convinced Of Guitssu's insanity,
did not take steps to secure authority to
make scientific examination of the as
ssssin before the week fixed for his execu-
ton arrived. Many Of the doctors who
agure on the petition asking for stayl of
execution of the sentence testified for the
defense during the trial. After months
spent in patient listening to the testimony
bearing on the question OF the prisoners
mental condition, the jury decided that
when he fred the fatal shot he knew he
vas doing an act contrary 10 the law,
md If his mind was weak or unbalanced,
t was no! to q degree that made him in
sne and irresponsible. The medical
franks attempted to make an argument
before the attorney general, bat they
a. RI cT7h v1orN |
easons for asking respite for the assas-
in.
Chsr,es Reed, Guiteau's counsel, saw
he President to-day, and urged that the
.sssssin be resPited until November .
Iext, when he could ASK full bench of s
he Supreme Court to grant a writ of !
1abeGs corpus. Two efthe justices have {
.lresdy denied Reeds application on !
veil defined principles Of criminal juris- {
but he Is lighting Gsmely and
esrlessly 10 the end.
New York, 24,-TInSeS editorial: 1t /
s hardly doubtful that the Presidents |
epiy to the petitloC for a respite of
3iteau's sentence will be unfavOrsbie, :
hough the opinion in Washington sp- t
ears to BE about equally divided on the /
object. We believe that the opinion Of S
he attorney-general, by which the Pres :
dent and cabinet have been guided, :
hows the correctness Of our correspon- l
.ent's information. This Is TO the eff ]
ect that the prayer of the so-called e1- {
erts will be denied, that there will be DO {
1rther inquiry into the sanity of Guiteau, {
nd that the legal penalty OF the crime 6
Till be enacted on the 30th of June. t
here can be no question that whatever Y
ctusl decision was reached at the cabi- {
ct meeting, it has been the one which (
UT correspondent reports, and is what is /
expected By q great msjority of the t
ational people in this country. It will
e time enough to criticise any Uther
exclusion when it is announced. Mean
lille there is some satisfaction in reflect
lg that to-day will, in all probability, q
9e the last of the attempts to save the !
fe of Garfeld's assassin
Washington, 24.-The cabinet decided
OF to interfere with the senteuce of Z
fuitesu; and the encouragement this
lorning instructed the marshal OF the 3
district and the warden ofthe jail to keep q
he prisoner in strict confinement and al
W no one to see him except his spiritual
1visers, his physician and officers ofthe c
Ill. U
The attorney-g general to whom all ap- y
Gals and petitions presented to the v
resident bearing on the Guiteau case q
I'd been referred, submitted an elaborate c
port to the cabinet last evening, re- 81
ewing all the points presented in favor ri
e., a 4