The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1882-02-22
GUITEAU SENTENCED.
To be Hanged on the Thlrtioth of June.

uQlCklt ulo WIN - |~ek Nv sAo stAAA SN~A~s
Judge Cox refused the application for q new
trial, saying in effect that no significance WAS
attached to the finding of the newspaper in
the room occupied bv the jury, as any friend
of the prisoner could have put it there; that
the affidavit of John W. Guiteau as to the auto
graphs OF Jurors found on the newspaper was
of doubtful competency, inasmuch as his
knowledge of ther wiring must have been
acquired specially for tho purpose OF qualify
lug him as an ailiant; that even wfre 1t ad-
mit,ed that the paper had been found LII the
jury.room with writing on it actually done by
Jurors, tho only effect Of that would DO to
raise a suspicion or q probable Inference that
the contents of the paper were brought to the
notice ofthe jury, but that was q suspicion and
an inference that might BIO repealed; that new
evidence would be merely cumulative and
would not affect the verdict. In conclusion,
Judge Cox said: From all the papers pre-
sented I am unable to find any reason to grant
the motion, which is therefore overruled."
Mr.. ScoviIle-I would like to note an e1cep-
ton to the ruling Of the court.
Colonel Corkhill- Your honor, it now be-
comes my duty =,
Mr.. Scovinc--One moment, please; would
like to flo in due form tho motion which l re-
fcrred to yesterday.
Guitcau called out: sIf your honor please, !
upSlIe u dsh IL uEAC IL Guy W sAes >SeSA
to make to reserve my rights"
Mr.. Scoville tried to prevent his speaking,
but Gniteau was violent and uncontrollab:e. II
nm going to talk, too" he shouted. II am
here, and l don't propose to leave this matterto
YOU. 1 have my opinion Of you az o lawyer
You have been doing well, but your theory ls
wrong. Your theory is too small. You con-
yicted me with your jackass theories and cou'
summated nonsense. I don't propose to have
your theory prevail. ITO the bailiffs, who
were endcsvoring to suppress him)--l willn o
be still for You nor for anybody else"
While Judge Cox was informing Mr.. Scovll!o
as to tho rul,s of practice applicable to the
filing of his exceptions, Guiteau broke ont in
Wild abuse. "You keep your mouth STILL" he
screamed. 81 am doing this matter myself
You convicted me by your wild theory and con-
summate asinine character all through"
Colonel Corkllill-It is now my duty to ask
for the sentence of the court.
Judge Cox Ito the prisoner)-Stand up.
Have YOU ANYTHING to say why sentence should
not now be passed. upon you?
Guitcau (stiIl sitting)-1 ash: your honor to
postpone the sentence as long as possible.
Judge Cox-Stand up. Havo you anything
to say why sentence should not now be pro-
bounced upon you?
The prisoner then arose, pale, but with lips
compressed, and desperate resolution in bis
expression. In q low and deliberate tone be
began, but soon his manner became wild and
violent, and pounding upon the table, he de-
liyerod himself of the following harangue:
81 an not guilty Of the charge set forth in the
indictment. It was Gods act, not mine, and
God will take care of it, and don't let the Ameri.
can people forgeti it. He will take care Oft, and
every officer OF this government from the e1.
~ecutive down to tuat 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 hood il my body goes into the
ground and I I'M hung.
The Jews put the despised Galilean into the
grave. For the time they triumphed, but at
lie destruction Of Jerusalem, forty years after
wari, the Almighty got oven with them. am
Kill mo tomorrow II you want. l am Gods
man, and I have been from the start"
Judge Cox then proceeded TO pass sentence,
addressing the prisoner as follows:
"You have been convicted of q crime so terri
bio in its circumstances and 30 fur-reaching in
its results that it has drawn upon you the Eor.
ror Of the whole world and the excavations OF
your countrymen.
' s"The excitement produced by such an offense
made it no easy task to secure for you o 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 a jury as ever assembled IN q
court uf Justice. You have been defended by
counsel with 4 zeal and devotion that merits
the highest encomium, and l certainly have
doae my best to secure a fair presentation OF
your defouse. Notwithstanding all this you
have been found guilty. 1t would have been q
comfort to many people il the verdict of the
Jury had established the fact that your act was
that of an irresponsible man. 1t would have
left the people tho satisfying belief that the
crime of political assassination was something
entirely foreign to the institutions and cl7lllza-
ton of our country; but the result has denied
them that comfort. The country will accept it
as a fact that that crime can BIO committed, and
the court will have to deal with it with the
highest penalty known to the criminal code, to
serve as All example to others. Your career has
been so extraordinary that people might we'll
at times havo doubted your sanity. But one
cannot but believe that when the crime was
committed you thoroughly understood tho ma
ture Of the crime and its consequences (Guiteau
II was acting as God'smanl and that you had
moral sense and conscience. enough to recog-
nize the moral iuiquity of such an act"
Prisoner-That's a mater 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
conscience warned You against 1t 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 DO o matter of conjecture. Probably
men will think that some fanaticism or .
morbid desire for self-exaltation was the real
inspir ton for tho act.
'Your own testimony seems to controvert tho
theories of your counsel. They have main
tanned and thought honestly, l believe, that
you we're driven against your will by an insane
impulse to commit tho act, but your testimony
showed that you deliberately resolved to do it,
and that q deliberate and misguided will was
the sole impul.e. This may seem insanity to
some persons, but the law looks upon it as q
willful crime.
"You will have due opportunity Of having any
errors T NAV have committed during the course
of the trial passed upon by the court in banc;
but meanwhile it is necessary for me to pro-
nounce the sentence Of the law, that you BIO
taken hence to the common jail Of the District
from whence you came. and there be kept in
confinement, 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 N. and 2
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, but when the final words were spoken he
struck the table violently and shouted:
'.And may the Lord have mercy on your soul.
I'd rather stand where I do than where that
Jury does. I'm not afrail to die. I stand here
as Gods man, and God Almighty will curse
every man who has had q part in procuring this
unrighteoug verdict. Nothing but good has
come from Garfield's removal, and that will be
the verdict of posterity OH my inspiration. !
don't care a snap for the verdict of this genera.
ton. I would rather q thousand times DO in
ny position than that of those who have
bounded me to death. I shall have a glorious
flight to glory, but that miserable scoundrel
Corkhill will have q permanent jobdown below,
where the devil is preparing for him."
The prisoner for some moments continued to
shout his anatLemas upon the court and coun-
sci for tho prosecution. In order to silence
him Deputy Marshal Williams clapped his
hand over luis mouth, m action which the lat
ter would have resented with a blow had not
the police officers grabbed his hands and
clasped tho handouts upon his wrists.
The prisoner then turned to his brother, anu
without the slightest trace OF excitement con-
versed for some minutes before being taken
from the courtroom.
The van in which Guiteau was taken from
the courthouse to the Jail reached its destina-
ton without accident or incident. The prisoner
remarked, rs he stepped out: "rhis is a reg.
ulsr Western snow storm it reminds mo OF
Chicago"
He was taken at once to his cell, and q guard
was placed over him. This prccautioa is
always observed in the case of prisoners under
sentence of death, aud will DO rigidly adhered
to in Guiteau's case, both by night and day.
HUMOR or THE DAY.
A ooo1 nrophet-One hundred net