Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-01-05
Thursday, Jan. 9th, 1882.
GUITEAU'S TRIAL.

sure csiiscU me pflSOneIS QOCk Oh W co
neSday because he would not keep quiet
Here be sits in more elevated position
than before. aud where he can bette
see, AMI be seen by, the court room
crowd. At first he objected to th'
cll tnge, and declared that since he ap
peIred as his own counsel, he could no
be removed to the dock. After he 90
there he appeared to like it, and an
nounced his satisfaction to the Court
He did not keep quiet. District Attorney
C)rkhill asked that all the prisoners ex
ira guards be withdrawn. Guiteau ex
claimed that Corkhill, despairing of con
victing him, wanted to have him shot
The District Attorney said that hereaf
ter the responsibility of the prisoners
conduct must be upon the prisoner
alone. The prosecution were not re.
sponsible for what might happen to him
Mr.. Scoyille excitedly declared that this
speech of Corkhills was virtually an in
vitation to assassins to enter the court
: room and shoot the prisoner. Lawyer
Porter, in a dramatic style, defended
Mr.. Corkhill. saying that if Guiteau had
that bulldog pistol, with which he shot
the President, when Judge Cox pro-
Rouuced his decision, his practice at the
river would enable him to aim at the
Judges heart, and he would be in the
agonies of death.
Judge Cox explained that latitude had
be n given to the prisoner upon the
express desire of the District Attorney,
in order to furnish the doctors an Op-
portunity to diagnose his case. 1t ap-
peared, in fact, that the experts had
based their opinions largely upon their
observations of the prisoners conduct
in conrt. This object seemed now to
have been accomplished, and therefore
he granted the motion to send the pris-
oner to the dock, where, however, he
should not be exposed to any danger, but
should have full protection. He could
not be gagged or removed from The court
room without infringing his constitu-
tional rights. Having accepted counsel,
he had waived the right to appear as
such in person.
The only witnesses Thursday were
three doctors, one of whom, DR.. McDon-
aid, had occupied the attention of the
court all of the day before. His cross
examination was soon finished. DR..
Barksdale, Superintendent of the Gen.
tral Lunatic Asylum of Virginia, had
examined the prisoner, ,and observed him
in court, and thought him sane. He al
SO believed the prisoner was feigning.
DR.. Calendar. Superintendent of the
Tennessee Hospital for the Insane, re-
garded the prisoner as sane, but did not
think he was feigning insanity. Lawyer
Porter objected to a question put to this
witness as irreverent and blasphemous,
and in the discussion that arose insisted
upon the prisoner being put into the
dock. The Judge, after Guiteau's re-
moyal to the dock, admitted the queS-
tiol, which related to the assassin's
claim to divine assistance in establish
ing his proposed theOcratic newspaper.
Guitean, from his wooden seat in the
dock, WAS as active and as noisy in in
terrupting the proceedings Friday as
when be sat at the table with the law
yers. He complained that the usual
guard of police about the prison van had
been withdrawn, and there was danger
that some crank might shoot him as he
was going between the van and the
Court House. The lawyers were quar-
relsome, and the Judge had to interfere
to stop dispute between Col. Reed and
Lawyer Porter. District Attorney
Corkhill persisted in speaking contemp-
tuously of DR.. SpitZka, who some weeks
ago, when under cross-eXamination,
turned the laugh of the court room
againt him, as "horse doctor" The
counsel for the defense protested, and
Judge Cox told the District Attorney
that his words were not proper and not
admissible.
The witnesses were two doctors, the
examination of one of whom was begun
on Wednesday. Nj. Scoville introduced
a letter recently written to Don Came
ron by Guiteau, who in this letter SAYS
that he is Stalwalt of the StalwaIts,
that he likes Gen. Arthur, who was
made President by his inspiration, and
that he needs $500, which, if he cannot
repay it, is to be charged to the Stall
warts.
Mr. Scoville asked DR.. Calendar
whether the writing of such letter, un-
der the circumstances, wouldn't indicate
unsoundness of mind. The witness
thought not, and Guiteau agreed with
him. Guiteau abused Mr.. Scoville for
presenting the letter, and his brother
for not giving it to Senator Cameron, as
he had been told to do. The witness af-
terward said the writing of such letter
was not compatible with common sense,
and upon the hypothesis of the defense,
as set forth in Mr.. Scoville's hypothe5i-
cal question, he thought the prisoners
insanity was a self-evident proposition.
DIR. Kempster, of Wisconsin, believed
Guiteau was sane and was feigning in
sanity. The prisoner denied that he was
feigniDg.
The witness exhibited diagrams of
heads which he compared with the as
sassin's head. There was laughter when
he pointed out depression in the dia
gram of District Attorney Corkhill's
head very similar to that in Guiteau's
head. The witness was satisfied that
there was no shape of the head that in
sanity.
Guiteau told Mr.. Scoville on Friday,
that he would laugh his case out of
court if Mr. Scoville would keep quiet.
Upon reaching his place in the dock he
began by reading telegram, signed "a
Host of Admirers" which said all Bos-
ton sympathiZed with him, and he ought
to be President. He promised to refer
his nomination to the Republican Ma
tional Convention of 1884; didn't think
this jury was going into the hanging
business, and the American people
didn't want him hanged. The cross-ex-
animation of DR.. Kempster of Wiscon-
sin, who thought Guiteau was SINE,
was concluded, and DR.. Gray of
Utica was called as the last witness for
the prosecution. He also was of the
opinion that Guiteau was sane.
There was a tilt between counsel on
the question of Fastening the end of the
trial. Mr.. Sc0ville said he would prob
ably require all of next week to present
his testimony in surrebuttal. He also
wanted to introduce some new Witness
es, and would ask the court to allow him
To-, on the ground of newly discovered
evidence. The counsel for the prosecu-