The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-01-19
Making 1t Warm for Guiteau-The Openins
Argument in fha CaSa

b W II. ~, - 1S--AS IJdt
ldge traced the process of reasoning b
q which the prisoner gradually reached
) the conviction that but one life interpos
. ed between himself and possibly grea
a Dement'S, G1iteau became restless for tn,
= hrst time since the opening of court. in
! Dictated by his nervous twisting about
the usual preliminary to a series of in
! terruptions, which in this instance
i tquickly followed.
; Not Often" said Dayidge, sin the
! record of henious crime, do we have
! such plain and pointed evidence as to
the first conception of the crime. In
this case the suggestion came to the
wretch IN the night as he was lying in
! his bed"
ut came to me when the Lord 90,
ready to have it," sne=led the prisoner.
II DavIdge continued: "rhis thought or
Suggestion came TO him on the 18th of
May. Still thinking that he might OBJ
tain the office he sought he kept his
hands clear. He made another effort on
the soth of May to induce the presi-
i Guiteau called out from the dock-"I
tTould not have taken the aforesaid mis-
Islon-after the LIST of June, if it had been
Iofered TO me-"
y Dayidge (apparently not needing him,
ron the28 of May"
Guiteau-'I was talking about the
LIST of June"
Davidge tpausing a momenp-"Jus,
listen to him." r..- o.. = ...-.
! Guiteau (sneeringly)-"They would
listen to you, but your talk is so weak il
is hardly worth listening to-"
For several minutes Guiteau con-
nnued TO interject his comments, with
the evident intention of ANNOYING
Davldge, but finding that he could not
affect this, he gradually subsidized into
complete silence.
"In the beginning" said Davidge, "it
was thought to show that the prisoner
was off his balance. Now the Court
tells GU to look for that degree of in
sanity that disables man from know.
ing that what he was doing was wrong.
rms IS the test you are to apply upon
the question of inspiration. | think |
will be able to show to your satisfaction
how little there is in this claim. The only
question, !" he said, twas that of insanity.'
He then argued that the prisoner had
that degree of intelligence, legal knowl-
edge and moral sense which rendered
him responsible for his act. In a telling
passage he showed that the prisoner
himself had the wit TO see the fatal weak.
ness of Scoville's line of defense and
repudiated it, arguing on his own be.
bali that he was not an imbecile, but a
sane man, whose intellect and will had
been dominated during a specified pc.
Rod of time, rendering HIM irresponsi.
BILE for this particular crime. He then
reviewed the circumstances of the crime
and victim and the, criminal His anal
ysis OF Guiteau's character was graphic
and effective. "Ifn he exclaimed, 81
had to analyze the qualities of this man,
should say that he had the daring of
vufture combined with heart of
wolf" ~
In speaking of Guiteau's plan, he re-
marked upon his greater fear of a mob
than OF the law, and exclaimed: 1--WE
must say, to our shame, that this esti-
mate had a foundation" at rested, )"
he added, with the jury to show to the |
world whether Guiteaus opinion was |
well founded. If he had feared the law |
as he feared the mob, our martyred Presi- |
dent and chief would be alive to-day.
When the court reassembled, Davidge |
took up, in regular order, the class of
each member of Guiteau's family, upon
whose mental condition evidence had
been offered by the defense, and recited /
in this connection the counter evidence
of the prosecution, assuming the force /
of this evidence with the remark-"but
the unansweTable testimony of the eX-
perts settles the question as 10 how
much effect this collateral insanity
could have upon the mental condition |
of the prisoner. 1t Is but merest mock
cry to discuss this question in view of |.
the undoubted ability of this man TO
distinguish between right and wong"
Guiteau interrupted once and shouted,
81 have always been christian man,
and for six years have been strictly vir-
tuOus, Don't forget that either"
DaVi1pt. R0nfinnPn. sa'Thara ic mt a Il
single factor, iot or title 10 thow that this |
prisoner was not perfectly responsible /
for his act on the 2d of July. The jury |
will find that the defense haYe carefully |
picked out and held up to view every |
thing in the entire career of this man /
which may be considered odd or pecus
liar, and it is foF you to consider how
much value oan be attached to this evil |
depce when you come to consider |
whether this man did not know on the |
I'd of July that it was wrong for him Ia /
kill the chief magistrate of the nation" |
Davidge then took up the Oneida COM |
munity, and spoke of Guiteau's wallow- /
ing there for six years. u9
Guiteau shouted; "And / say il is /
false. I-didnit Wsllow. / am just as |
pure Rs you are, DaVidge, and a good |
deal purer. ] went there to save my |
soul and not from lust. Put that down, |
Dayidge, and don't you forget it."
Davidge discussed the evidence of |
Chas. Reed, who conversed with the
prisoner on the Tuesday before the
shooting, and who thought he appeared |
SO little Oft his balance" "And this |
mark you" said Dayidge, sis the extent |
Of his evidence as to that day-he was |
never asked if he thought he was unable |
to distinguish between right AID wrong. |
1t IS so very strange, gentlemen, that |
this prisoner should have appeared in |
sane, when at that very time he was car,
rying in his breast this rlonatrOus
crime" - E lsss
Guiteau GRterFuptingl-"You had bet |
ter let Reed alone, Dayidge; he is bad
man for you TO tackle"
Davidge continued "This witness,
Reed, again Jaw the prisoner at jail, as
he said, at the instance of Scoville. His
evidence as to that occasion is manufac-
tured evidence"
Guiteau again interrupted, and shout
ed: "You had better lookout, Reed is
going to speak tomorrow. He may
tear you TO pieces. He has had lots Of
experience in Chicago handling such
fellows as you, and he has sent some of
them to the state prison
Continuing, Davidge explained that
in the use Of the terra he meant no re-
Election on Reed. but it was an easy
thing for the prisoner, after the act, TO
strike the wall and simulate insanity.
Guiteau-"I never feigned insanity.
never claimed to be insane. am as
sane as you are, DaVidge. and better
man, too"
Davidge-"Do you hear that, gentle
men that with what you have seen day
after day in this court roomg''
AS Davidge proceeded to disintegrate
the evidence and argue its worthless
ness, Guiteau occasionally interrupted.
Once he called out, saTcastically sYou
don't believe word of that. Davidge.
| You sre lust talking that stuff"
Convention OF Independent RepahlI-
cans In PennsylyaRia.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Jan. 12.-In re-
Spouse to call issned by Chairman j. b.
Keef, of the Independent Republican
State Committee. about 200 delegates,
representing almost every county 10
Pennsylvania met in Assembly Hall this
i fnr fbo nnrnnaa IF diaanacfna