The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-02-09
NAMING THE FATAL DAY.
Guiteau Sentenced by udae Cox--Rcceiving
His Sentence with Curses.

A comparatively small crowd was present II
the Washington criminal court to hear Judg
Oox's decision in the application of Guiteau'
quietly and took his sent at tho trial table
Judge Cox refused the application for a new
trial, saying in effect that no significance wa!
attached to the finding of the newspaper il
the room occupied bv the jury, as any frient
of the prisoner could have put 1t there; thai
the affidavit of John W. Guiteau as to the auto
graphs OF jurors found on the newspaper wa.
or doubtful competency, inasmuch as his
knowledge of their writing must have beer
acquired specially for the purpose Of qualify.
ing him as an affiant; that even were it ad.
mitted that the paper had been found in the
lury-room with writing on it actually done by
jurors, the only effect Of that would be tc
raise suspicion or probable inference thai
the contents of the paper were brought to the
notice ofthe jury, but that was suspicion and
an inference that might be repelled; that new
evidence would be merely cumulative and
would not affect the verdict. In conclusion,
Judge Cox said: "From all the papers pre-
sented am unable to find any reason to grant
MIR. Scoville-I would like to note an excep.
ton to the ruling of the court.
Colonel Corkhill- Your honor, it now be.
comes my duty
Mr.. Scoville--One moment, please; would
like to file in due form the motion which re.
ferred to yesterday.
Guiteau called out: 'If your honor please ]
desire to ask If there is any motion that ought
to make to reserve my rights"
Mr. Scoville tried to prevent his speaking,
but Guiteau was violent and uncomfortable 81
am going to talk, too" he shouted. 81 am
here, and don't propose to leave this matter to
you. l have my. opinion of you as a lawyer.
You have been doing well, but your theory is
wrong. Your theory is too small You con-
vlcted me with your jackass theories and con-
summated nonsense. 1 don't propose to have
your theory prevail. To the bailifrs who
were endeavoring to suppress him)--l willnot
be still for you nor for anybody else"
While Judge Cox was informing Mr.. Scoville
as to the rules Of practice applicable TO the
filing of his exceptions, Guiteau broke out in
wild abuse. You keep your mouth STILL" he
screamed. am doing this matter myself
You convicted me by your wild theory and con-
summate asinine character all through"
Colonel Corkhill-It is now my duty to ask
for the sentence of the court
Judge Cox Ito tho prisoner)-Stand ur.
Have you anything to say why sentence should
not now be passed upon you?
Guiteau (stili sitting)-I ask your honor to
postpone the kentence as long as possible.
Judge. Cox-Stand up. Have you anything
to say why sentence should not now be pro-
nounced upon you?
The prisoner then arose, pale, but with lips
compressed, and desperate resolution in his
expression. In low and deliberate tone he
began, but soon his manner became wild and
violent, and pounding upon the table, he de-
livered himself of the following harangue:
~ am not guilty of the charge set forth in the
indictment. 1t was Gods act, not mine, and
God will take care of it, and don't let the Amerf
can people forget it. He will take care It, and
every officer of this government from the ex-
ecutive down to that marshal taking in every
man on that jury and every member OF this
bench, will pay for it; and the American nation
will roll in blood il my body goes into the
ground and am hung.
"The Jews put the despised Galilean into the
grave. For the time they triumphed but al
hte destruction Of Jerusal lem, forty years after
ward, tho Almighty got even with them. 1 am
not afraid OF death. am here as Gods man
Kill me tomorrow If you want. l am Gods
man, and l have been from the start"
Judge Cox then proceeded 10 pass sentence
addressing the prisoner as follows:
You have been convicted of crime so terri
BILE in its circumstances and go far-reaching in
its results that it has drawn upon you the hor-
ror of the whole world and the execrations of
your countrymen.
'"The excitement produced by such an ofTense
made 1t no easy task to secure for you a fair
and impartial trial, but you have had the
power OF the United States treasury and of the
government in your service to protect your per-
son from Violence and to procure evidence from
all parts of the country. You have had as fair
and impartial jury as ever assembled in
court of Justice. You have been defended by
counsel with zeal and devotion that merits
the highest eucomium, and 1 certainly have
done my best to secure fair presentation of
your defense. Notwithstanding all this YOU
have been found guilty. 1t would have been
comfort to many people il tho verdict of the
jury had established the fact that your act was
that of an irresponsible man. 1t would hayo
left tha ppo1ola tho ooticfvipo, tlo4
crimo of political assassination was something
entirely foreign to the institutions and civiliza-
tlon of our country; but the result has denied
them that comfort. The country will accept it
as fact that that crime can be committed, and
the court will have to deal with it with the
highest penalty known to the criminal code, to
serve as an example to others. Your career has
been so extraordinary that people might vel,
at times have doubted your sanity. But one
cannot but believe that when tho crime WAS
committed you thoroughly understood the ma
ture of the crime and its consequences (Guiteau
Il was acting as God'sman], and that you had
moral sense and conscience enough to recog-
nize the moral iuiquity of such an act"
Prisoner-Thats matter of opinion
"Your own testimony shows that you recoiled
with horror from the idea. You say that YOU
prayed against it, You say that you thought
it might be prevented. This shows that your
warned You against it but by the
wretched sophistry of your own mind You
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 fanaticism or a
morbid desire for self-exaltation was the real
inspiration for tho act.
"Your own testimony seems to controyert the
theories of your counsel. They have main.
tanned and thought honestly, believe, that
you were driven against your will by an insane
impulse to commit the act, but your testimony
showed that you deliberately resolved to do it,
and that deliberate and misguided will was
the sole impul.e. This may seem insanity to
some persons, but the law looks upon it as
willful crime.
lyon Twill have due opportunity Of having any
errors may have committed during the course
of the trial passed upon by the court in bane;
but meanwhile 1t is necessary for me to pro-
nounce the stntence of the law, that you be
taken hence to the common Jail of the District
from whence you came. and there be kept in
and on Friday, the 30th day OF
June, 1882, you be taken to the place prepared
for the execution within the walls of said Jail,
and there, between the hours of IL NJ. and
P. NJ, you be hanged by the neck until you are
dead, and may tho Lord have mercy on your
SOUL"
During the reading Guiteau stood apparently
unmoved, and with his gaze riveted upon the
Judge Dut Wien the hnal words were spoken he
struck the table violently and shouted:
'And may the Lord have mercy ON your soul.
I'd rather stand where do than where that
jury does Pm not afraid to die. / stand hero
as Gods man, and God Almighty will curse
every man who has had part in procuring this
unrighteous verdict. Nothing but good has
come from Garfeld's removal, and that will be
the verdict of posterity on my inspiration. l
don't care snap for the verdict of this genera
tion. would rather thousand times be in
my position than that of those who have