Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-15

Guiteau,s Essafe.

| PROCEEDINGS BEFORE THE PROBATE CoCRT-EMBAR-
RAssMENTs IN THE WAY OF A FINAL SETTLEMENT
| The administration Of the estate of Charles ].
Guiteau from present appearances will be at
| tended with considerable difficulty. Rev. Or.
HICKS, to whom the assassin bequeathed his
estate consisting OF his body and the copyright OF
| his book, "The Truth and the Removal" will
likely nnd his trust anything else than agreeable.
1t VIII be remembered that Mrs. Scoyile, ,Guteau's
| sister. last week published letter in which she
Claimed that her brother was insane, and advised
DR.. Hicks that she would contest his ri Sht TO ad-
minister on the estate. Now it apDearS that hut
| one of the witnesses to the papar made hy the
the deceased on June 10Th, (the day before the
ecutl9n), viii swear that he tGaiteau) was OF
sound and dlspoSing mind, capable OF making
valid deed or contract at the time. The paper in
question was flied by Rev. DR.. Hicks
VIII OF the deceased, ana in the Probate Court
Yesterday Judge Hagner's attention was called to
1t by Dr. Hicks, who produced Mr. James Wood
ward one OF the guards at the jail. as a witness
| Mr.. Woodward testified that he witnessed the
execution or the paper, and that the teStator
OF sound and dispoSng mind. Mr.. Reed, the other
witness, was not present, and il is stated that he
Is unwilling to swear that Guiteau was OF sound
mind citation Was issued for Mr.. Reed. Tn
less the VIII is proven Dr. Hicks right to dispose
| or the body Will be questioned.
WHAT Mr.. REED SAYS.
| STAR reporter saw MIR. Reed this morning, and
telling him Of the mention OF the proceedings in
| the Probate Court In Baltimore paper, Mr.. Reed
asked: "Dd DIR. Hicks present that paper as the
will? II is no will in any sense OF the word. did
not draw the paper such; ii was mere memo
randum and drew it to satisfy the caprice OF the
| poor lunatic.n
| The paper says" interected the reporter
monat is you 40 not think that he was capable OF
| mablng Will"
"Of course he could make no will.n said Mr.
Reed; "he was incapable OF making a valid deed
or contract l regarded this paper only as a
memorandum, and had l supposed that it would
| nave been prOpounded a viii would not have
| drawn it. would have left him first"
Vt Then" said the reporter, 'you think that he
Most assuredly," said MI Reed; 81 could not
| think otherwise"
| LETTER FROM MRS sCovnLE.
Mr. A. X. Browne has received a letter from Mrs.
Scoville dated Sheldon House, Chicago. July 11th,
in which she says: 81 desire good lawyer in
| Washington to take charge of the matter OF my
brothers estate. refer to the estate Of Charles
j. Guiteau, recently deceased, he being, as have
| always held, insane, his alleged viii making
illegal and void also claim that the paper
which signed under protest and by comDulSion
was illegal and void, both for this reason and be-
cause DIR. Hicks allowed his remains 10 be removed
and deSecrGted without my consent, when IL was
| expressly understood that his remains were 10 be
| left where we buried them until such time a5 we
tnUugne IL Sae 10 remove them 10 our family
| matter over with my brother John at the time OF
| signing the paper, and should not have signed
it had l not supposed my wishes would
! be regarded I'm the matter. / consented to DIR.
Hicks having temporary charge OF the body, as
| feared to trust the government officials, and
| thought, as was assured that DIR. Hicks was my
brothers friend, and being also the friend the
T. .esident, he could surely protect his poor dead
body from deSecratiOn. But when / hear OF the
dlSinterment and horrible use TO which his
beached and polished bones are being put; set up
| for a show in public museum before a week has
gone by feel free to say that the entire contract,
II there ever was legal one, has been broken by
the violating OF a part OF the same could never
see any prop1tety in Dr. Hicks having the copy
right OF his book, and protested against iU the
time OF signing 1t. The reason given was that he
lntendei writing and publishing my brothers life
and last hours, and needed the book to do this but
| why one copy would not answer as well as ereTV
book printed, copyright and all, was not made to
understand, and do not pretend to know. Perhaps
Bro. Hicks VIII rise to explain.
Now, If you or any good lawyer wish to take
| hold or this case and contest il on the grounds
| have stated will agree to furnish the witnesses
| to prove his insanity, by what they knew before
| his deceaSe, and also those who Will swear to it
from what they after his death at the autopsy.
L VIII give an equitable share OF whatever can be
got rom his estate or rather my Just portion oft,
1or services rendered in the matter. My brother
| John can take any course he desires In the matter
as to his share, but have fully decided upon my
own course as outlined in this letter. This is part
OF what meant in my letter to DIR. Hicks by say
ing: The Guiteau business has just commenced
There are ether things which need locking after,
as the correct narrative of his lie which viii at
| tend TO myself In uue time.'
| Mrs. Scoville is in the city today.
| (suiteau,s Cadaver.
WHAT HAS BEEN DONE WITH TT-BARRELED Up IN
THE BASEMENT OF THE MEDICAL MUSECM-wHAT
WILL BE DONE IN THE FUTURE.
What has been done and is being done with the
caiaver CT the late Charles j. Guiteau still re-
| mains matter OF some CHASTITY interest. On the
| 4th OF July, the day after the coffin was taken
| from the Jail to the army medical museum It was
| removed To the basement of the museum building
where the body was taken from tie coffin the
clothiag removed, and those portions OF the body
which had been detached at the autopsy were
taken away. The body was then placed in bar
rel. In which was 4 small portion OF alcohol the
| fumes of which (the barrel being headed) would
o.. a In
for several days, the work OF preparing the skele-
| ton having been delayed because of some degree
cadaver. 1t is now understood that Rev. DIR.
| Hicks has, so far as he has authority, turned
the body over to the United States.
THE PREPARATION OF THE SKELETON
| Nothing has been done further than to diyest
the bones of flesh and gristle. The additional
process necessary to the production OF perfectly
white and sound skeleton will not occupy more
than few days after the legal questions involved
are finally settled, but it may be several weeks
before this can be done. To arrange and
| properly mount the bones of the human skeleton
| after they are prepared for mounting will require
several weeks, and it is probable that the skeleton
will not be set up before October.
| IMPROBABILITy THAT 1T WILL BE EXHIBITED.
1t is extremely unlikely that visitors to the Mu-
scum will be able to crafty their curiosity by in
specting the skeleton OF Guteau, for the authori-
| ties have In mind the influx OF visitors that
followed the placing OF the spinal cord and bones
OF the neck OF Wilkes Booth on exhibition. Then
| the crowds were SO great that damage was
| done by the breaking OF glass However, II
GHiteauS will, which constitutes DR.. Hicks title
| to the bOiy, is not admitted 10 probate. Mrs.
| ScOville may endeavor to obtain possession OF
| the bones.
Congressional Nomination.
CAIRO, ILL July 15.-The republican convention,
after very exciting contest, nominated John X.
Thomas for representative In Congress from the
| Goth district The nomination was made unan-
| imous, and the meeting adjourned at midnight