The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-01-26
TRIAL OF GUITEAU.

day Guteau arose, and frr- rretentious ora
torical manner read the following statement:
81 intend no disrespect TO this honorable
court. desire no controversy with this hon.
Grab court. In. general l am satisfied with
the law az proposed by your honor. But l
lave still broader view of the law, which /
ask your 'Lonor to follow, to wit that If the
jury believed that l believed that il was right
for me TO remove the President because 1 had
special Divine authority 90 to do, and was
forced to do it by the Deity, they will acquit
me on the ground of transltory mania. Sickles,
MacFarland aud Hiscock [meaning Cole] we're
acquitted on the ground OF transtory mania.
In my speech, publ shed yesterday in all the
leading newspapers of the country and which,
presume, your honor has read, gave my
reasons for asking your honor SO to charge.
Mr.. Reed made a brilliant and lawyerlke plea
for the defense. and Mr.. Scovile is making a
strong argument on his theory. But neither
Mr. Reed nor MIR. Scoville represents mo in
this Defense ! am here as my own counsel,
an3 have been from the beginning. No one
represents me to this jury. l know my feel
ings and inspirations i'll removing the Presi-
dent, and have set it forth in my speech yes
terday; aud l ask your honor in the name of
justice, in the name of the American judiciary,
in the name of the Amerc people, to allow
Inc to address that jury of my countrymen in
case where my life may be at stake. If a man
upon that jury has doubt as to his duty to
acquit me, my speech will probably settle IL In
tice, it is of the greatest Importance that
the jury should hear me in my de-
fense." Judge Cox said he would con-
slider Guiteau's request to address the jury.
Mr.. Scovile continued his speech for the
defense. He contrasted Guiteau's plea that
the act was right because it was inspired by
God with what he called the real defense,
namely, that Guiteau never had any inspiration
of any kind, and that it was a deusion all
through, and proof of the diseased condition
of the assassins mind. Mr.. Scovile contended
that the prosecution, in objecting to the intro
duction OF certain evidence by the defense, had
not shown spirit of fairness He sharply
criticised Lawyer Porter and District Attorney
Corkhill for the manner in which the case for
the prosecution had been conducted. Porter
he said, had prcstituted his mind Tor money to
hang an insane man. Guiteau suffered from.
chronic insanity, and during his lecturing
tours he was simply peripatetic mailman. He
had got tho idea that another civil war was
imminent from Senator Chandler cf Michigan
The way no was affected by that idea showed
that he was insane, and the steps by which his
mind was led from that to the conception Of
the assassination further proved his insanity
Guitoau occasionally interrupted his counsel,
among other things saying that he had received
several checks for large sums on New York
banks, and was in position to pay his board
bills.
When court opened on the torty-eighth day
crowd WAS present which filed every seat and
occupied all the available standing room. The
court having been cal He'd to order, Guiteau said
in quiet ne, different in every respect from
the one which he uses when he makes his usual
morning speech: " / hope your honor will allow
me to address the iury alter Mr. Scoville gets
through" Judge Cox replied that he wonld
consider the request of the prisoner after Mr..
Scovilo Lad finished his speech. Mr.. Scoville
then began the third day of his al lress to the
Jury. Ne arly the whole of his address for the
day consist d Of a discussion of the influence
OF the political situa ion upon the prisoners
mind before the assassination. He averred
that but for certain reasons back of this prose-
Cution Guiteau would never have been ar
raigned i'll court of law, but would have been
taken to an insane asylum after the assassina-
tiUn OF Garfield and kept there until he died.
Continuing he said vohemently: " Back OF
this prosecution s something which have had
TO contend against, AMI which you may now or
will feel the pressure of before you get through
with this case. 1t is not merely the efforts OF
this man Qointing to the district attorney.
Back OF him is the United States government !;
aud L arralSn before you, gentlemen, as those
who are crowding the prisoner to the gallows,
persons high i'll authority. l say, and say it
without fear, that the movers of this prosecu-
tion are those politicians who seek to hide their
own infamy by casting the blame on this insane
man. / say that such men as Conking and
Grant and Arthur those who made war with
out justification on that dead President whom
they have since auded TO the skies-iustituted
that state Of things and manufactured that de-
gree OF public excitement aud political feeling
that proved upon this insane man, until reason
left its throne, and he did that which he con-
sidered to be perfectly in accordance with their
counsel and tner conduct" Mr. Scovile went
into this subject at considerable length, re-
marking tha' he did not intend to cay all this
when he opened the case because he then eX-
pected fair and impartial trial, but now he
had concluded not to spare the men who TO-
mented this strife or permit them to make
scapegoat Of Guiteau He said this without
any feeling, unless of regret that men go high
in power should descend to the ignominous
scramble for office which was exhibited against
Garfield. He said that the men, who since his
death had been so protuse in their admiration
of him, were ready before the second of July
last TO tlample him in the dust, to soc him go
down in obscurlty and disgrace to the grave if
it could be done withOutthe aid of an assassn's
hand. Referring TO the statement that he de-
fenso lad injured their case by placing tho
prisoner upon the witness stand. Mr.. Scoville
called attention to the fact that frequently
the faculties of insane persons were
as sharp and shrewd as those OF
sane persons. That had been shown
by the testimony of the experts. He pictured
tine growth of the delusiOn on the prisoners
mind. 1t was ju,t as impossible to get rid of
the idea that he must kill the President as it
was for Paul when he cried GLOW shall
deliver me from the body of this death Z" He
believed that the prisoner had tried to shake
off the idea bua had failed, because he was
sick and weak. lLr. Scoville further reviewed
the evidence, and partic llarly commented ad-
versely upon that of DR.. Gray. The prisoner
made comparatively few Interruptions He
twice caIleI out that tho New York court of
appeals on the preceding Tuesday had rendered
decision that favored the theory of the de.
tense IN his case as to insanity.
The proceedings at the opening of court on
the forty-ninth day of the trial and fourth day
of Mr.. Scoviles address were opened by the
prisoner, who, i'll a declamatory tone, said:
The decision of the New York court of ap-
peals comes with so much force at the present
moment that desire to call attention to it. 1t
comes with great grace from the Empire State,
from that grand old State Of the republic, the
State that sends forth the brains, tho money
and the commerce of the nation. It is a great
step forward in the law of insanity. Hitherto
the law has been that the burden of proof WAS
on the defendant, but the court of appeals, with
grand magnanmity, says that the burden of
proof is on this prosecution, to prove that the
man not only committed the act, but also that
he was sane at the time he committed it. In
the name of justice, and in the name of the
American people, and in the name of the
American Judiciary, l desire to thank those
gentlemen of tue court of appeals of tho State
Of New York" Mr.. Scoville then resumed his
position opposite the jury box, and in his GUS
tomary conversational tone, and without any
apparent weariness from his efforts of the past
three days, again addressed the jury. He
quoted nom the testimony of Policeman Kear-
ney, who arrested the prisoner to show tho
incidents which followed the shooting of the
President-the arrest the removal TO police
headquarters and the search of tho prisoners
person for papers. Yhese Incidents Mr..
ScoVille claimed, showed that the prisoner