Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-01-25

ecAp9Eo4k &Qks tne1r <uHl& 014 Uot iu<end,
Sslasss G. ne re e s5s Ss sr sss ses seat,,o ,,
fluence q this (loS1F Fh1nsh1' u1e1 gainst me in
denying the smaIi cfE1nnos .fkEf I have asked
for . fair and impartial trial, and the small Ia
ciliues needed for proper defense, i
do not propose 10 keep quiet. 1 say
that such men as Grant aud Ccnklng and
Arthur are morally and intellectually RESPONSE
ble Tor this crime. Mr.. Conhbng shall not
escape, shall not shira the responsibility Of
the state of things that led to tins act, and lao
shall not escape the condemnation OF the
American people. il can help il, for his share
Is ScoSstl Sl.ls The e26si ~ ii = s;eet
nation, and led this poor insane man 70 COM
pass-what they would have hailed with satis-
faction, as woud, probably, hundreds Of other
politicians, II 1t could have occurred otter than
through assassinat ation--the removal of Garfield.
who stood III the way OF their unrighteons aud
disgrseeful struggle for Office. Neither shall
Grant escape that condemnation 10 which he Is
50 justly'subjCcted, when coming from Mexico,
and coming with undue haste to throw his own
name into this petty quarrel about small
Office in tho Republican party, he sought to
foment differences that had sprung up. i
am not gong to see the misdeeds OF these
men, high III power, visited upon the bead Of
TINS POOR insane man If can help it. This
clamor Tor his blood is not for the purpose OF
ayenging Garfield or Of satisfying justice. Their
theory is that II II can be shown that this
was the act OF a sane man. then these poliLi-
clans IN high places will say, '0f course We
are not responsible for the act OF sane man.
10 be sure, We had sorle differences, but then
II could never have led u saue man TO such au
act : but, on the contrary, gentlemen of the
jury, what ID the effect OF your verdi I If you
acquit him as an insane man 4 Why, people
VIII say, Some one is at fault ! they viii say,
We will fix the blame upon the heads aud
hearts OF those men who waged the war upon
n 4. a ~.
insane man, from reading daily in the papers
what Grant says, what ConklIpg says,
and from constantly thinking upon il,
to his insane act Of killing the President ; and
there are men in high places, the really culpa-
bic ones, who will go down to posterty with
the stigma upon their names and tho detesta-
ton OF their countrymen fastened upon their
memories"
Scoville's denunciation Of Conkling and
others created a profound sensation In the
courtroom.
The prisoner, who had been looking over the
New York paptrs, called out: E" sec the New
York Cont Of Appeals has just decided in fa-
yor of our theory on the insanity question.
thank you, Messrs. Judges"
Scovhe discussed the conduct and actions OF
Guitnau at the time and immediately after the
shooting, and contended that they were entire
ly ia keeping with the theory OF insanity that
his coolness, his quietly going to bed and peace
| fully sleeping the night after the murder were
| characteristic incidents OF crime such as would
| be expected from an insane man and insane
men.
| Scoville continued with his review OF the evi.
dence, and called attention to various inc dents
| IN Guiteau's life, arguing bis insanity as evi-
denced by the undoubtod lack OF something in
his mental composition possessed by other men
FORTY EIGHTH DAY.
Guiteau opened proceedings by thanking the
| NV York cUfSvm appcaIs sor irs tlu,ely ue-
cision on the law Of insanity. Hitherto
| said the assassin, "the law has been that the
| bnrder OF proof was on the defendant, but the
| Court Of Appeals, with grand msgnanimity, says
that the burden of proof is on this prosecution,
10 prove that the man not only committed the
| ACT, but also that he was sane at the time
he committed it," After the prisoner had
| delivered himself of this little speech,
Sco,ile resumed his argument. reading from
| the evidence of several witnesses who were at
! the depot ana saw the shooting and subsequent
arrest of Guiteau, his object being 10 show
| that the prisoner was perfectly calm and cool,
and in condition of nerves and intellect at
| variance with the hypothesis OF sanity under
| tilated by cutting of the signature and such
! portion as he thought might benefit tho pris-
| oner, /" thing" said Scoville. (which was
! never before permitted in q conrt Of justice,
not ever upon The trial OF civil suit"
| SOIklliil iudt your opinion
merely, hr. scoyilie. 1t amounts to nothing as
fact"
| As Scoyille proceeded. CorkLill made fire.
| quent and, as the speaker evidently thought,
| sighting comments, until, finally becoming ir-
| riated, he turned 10 the District Attorney and
! denounced in scsthing terms his unfair conduct,
| and inslanced his presentation as evidence in
this Of letter written by the prisoner, and
which he (CorkhilD had intercepted and mu-
Scoyiile-" Well. let IL be my opinion. 1
presume l am entitled to one, and so is the
| jury"
Guiteau with energy)-"It was friendly
allusion to President Arthur that he cut out
| tho mean. dirty whe,p."
! As Scoyille continued, counsel for the prose-
| cation frequently interrupted him, and run
| ming fire was kept up between counsel for some
| time. The speaker disclaimod az his main mo-
| tive the desire to shield the prisoner for the
honor Of the Guiteau family. His greatest de-
| sire was to save the American people and the
J American judiciary from the disgrace Of hur-
rying to the gibbet an insane man.
Conint ntng upon, IA he claims, the absence
Of motive on Guiteau's part, Scoville read
You cannot find care in history-you cannot
| suppose q case where q man 40 years OF age
/ who has never committed crime, who has never
| for an hour associated with criminals or bad
! people; who, on the contrary, has always
sought the society, not only of the better class
of people, but Of Christian people you cannot
crime withou. motive. Nothing but tho
theory Of insanity can possibly account for such
\ an act as Guiteau's."
| scoville then discussed the assumption that
Guiteau might have been actuated by desire for
revenge, and argued the improbability OF such
assumption, from the fact II any ground for
III will existed on Guiteau's part 1t was against
Secretary Blaine, and according to the inexor-
able laws Of mind il would have been executed
| against him. There cannot possibly be shown.
said Scoville, any ill-will on his part toward
/ President Garfield.
scoyilis next took up the hypothesis that the
crime was committed from an overpoacring
desire for notoriety, and claimed history failed
| to point out case where such . crime was
committed purely ard simply from such mo-
tive, and that II was Incompatible with reason
/ and impossible for the human mind TO conceive
such motive as sufficient to induce any sane
man to commit such crime.
FoRTY-yrSrH DAT.
scoville resumed his argument, and produced
diagram showing section Of the prisoners )
head Taking up the diagram OF the assas-
sins head, onercd in evidence by DR.. Hamilton,
scoyllle said; |" propose 10 show you thai
DR.. Kempster he'd when he told you that this
diagram was . correct representation Of the
shape Of Guiteaus head. He attempted to CON
vince you that Guiteau had an unusually s,met-
r'cal head, and propose to show You that his
evidence in this respect was absolutely false"
| Scoville contended that DIR. Cray's tables Of
homicidcs by insane persons were prepared for
this case and do not correspond with tables for
the same years in Gray's official reports In
reading the account OF one case of homicide
Scovillc said :. Had the District Attorney been
there he would have said, probably, put him on
trial for murder and hang him. THIS is case
OF devifish depravity."
Guiteau shouted exultingly, "Corkhill Is an
authority on tho devil. DR.. Gray il q man with
big mouth. That's tho way mark him."
! Scoyiile discussed at some length the demor-
ahzng influence Of the scafiold, and expressed
the opinion that crime would be dinlinished by
the abolition OF capital punishment He then
porceeded to anticipate the argument of Judge
Porter, and TO point out 10 the jury the fallacy