The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1882-01-12
THE NEWS.
Compiled from Latest Dispatches,
The Guiteau Trial.

The Guiteau Trial.
THE Guiteau trial was resumed on the 3lst
ult at the usual hour. At the opening of the
Court Guiteau called out that Cunningham,
one of his guards, had received an eleven
pound baby rs a New Years present. DR.. Gray
resumed his narrative of the conversations had
With Guiteau in the jail. He aid not notice "a
single circumstance throughout them ell that
Indicated insanity. In answer to the by 81
thetical question of the prosecution TIE witnte .
said Guiteau was sane on the I'd of July Wit
noes then gave at great length what be had
seen OF the conduct and sayings of the prison.
s es IN nn SG% and said that they only
prisoner had been fegning and acting part
IN the courtroom, and he did not think thar he
GuiteaU really believed that he was inspired;
On the crOss-examination witness said he did
not know that he had, as an expert,
pronounced sane man insane, or
an insane man sane. He admitted. however,
THAT his views upon some types of insanity
mad changed since he began to study the sub
1ect. He had abandoned the theory of "moral
insanity" as far back as 1854. Witness had
come to testify in obedience to a Geographic
request from the District-Attorney. The con-
versation and conduct of a patient were only
incidents in determining the question of SAN
feigned insanity. He Thought the prisoner in
respect to his assertions was feigning. The
hour of adjournment having arrived Gniteau
called out: " Tomorrow will he New Years,
1852. shall receive tomorrow in jail, and
shall he happy to see all who can succeed in
getting in" The Court at this point adjourned
until the morning of the ID.
AS HE entered the courtroom on the morn
ing of the Sd Guiteau shouted: 81 had q very
happy New Years yesterday, and hope every
body else did, Ihad lots of visitors, high-toned.
middle-toned4nd low-toned. That takes them
all IN, l believe. They expressed their opin-
They all, without dissent, expressed the opinion
that shall be acquitted" The crosse xamina-
ton of DIR. Gray was resumed. Witness did
hSs 1st,eye
thieving; "dipsOmania,' drunkenness, and
"pysomania" incendiarism. These desig-
nations were only convenient terms which
mad been invented to cover certain crimes.
Mr.. ScOvtlle desired to put in evidence certain
tabulated statements from the annual reports
Of witness. From these 1t appeared that of
fifty-four cases of homicides by insane people,
seven were by persons acting under an insane
delusion of Divine authority for their acts. Al
the request Of the District-Attorney, witness
case was one of marked insanity, independent
of the homcidal act" At this point the prose-
cutiOn announced that they would call no
For the defense Dr.. Bowker, of Kansas
City, testified that Mrs. Dunmire told
him at Leadville that she had entertained
tea Of tS as 70 sb .ne Sr OF
and thought at the time she had better defer
the divorce proceedings, and await some fur
Their developments in the mental condition of
her husband. Clark Mills, the sculptor, iden-
titled the plaster cast of Guiteau's head. The
prosecution objected to any reOpening of the
question Of insanity In connection with the
cast. The Court sustained the objection, and
the witness was withdrawn. John w. Guiteau
was questioned In relation to the letter of the
prisoner to Don Cameron, but the prosecution
objected OBJ to any attempt to introduce what had
testimony. The Court, after argument ruled
out the question and the witness was with
drawn. AT this point the Court adjourned.
AT the opening of Court on the 4th Mr. SEQ
vile presented an affidavit which stated in sub
stance that since the 18th of December last, he
had learned of the existence and names of
material witnesses for the defendant upon the
issue of insanity, and that by them he could
or about the date of the killing of the Presi-
dent, ETC., and moved that the defense be al
lowed, Notwithstanding it had closed its evil
dence. to introduce the newly discovered tes-
tmOny. The motion was discussed at length
by Messrs. Reed and Scovlle for the defense.
and by Messrs. Davidge and Corkhill
for the prosecution, and the Court de-
of insanity could not be introduced. The
testimony, however, of those witnesses by
which the defense expected to prove that
the assassination and upon the day after was
motive for his act the Court held should be
admitted as evidence in subrebuttal. Mr..
S Sc offered in evidence letter written
5ne opinion that the prisoner was insane. DIR.
Beard, Of New York, was called, but objec-
ton was made to bis testimony, which the
Court sustained and Mr.. Scoville noted an
exception: ]. J.. Brooks, Chief of the Treas
ury Secret Service, testified to his visiting
the prisoner on the night of the shooting.
he arose in great anger and excitement"
said the witness. land wanted to know what
meant by disturbing his rest and quiet at
that hour of the night. said it i'll became
that he had disturbed the rest and Guiet of
the whole Nation. He came back ut me, that
ne was no murderer, but a Christian
and a .s genttlem mar that his mind was
as political neesss ty, and that it was for the
II told him was a Republican and Stalwart,
did It," The witness d tailed at some length
his conversation at that time. He THE witness)
said to the prisoner: "If you had tlEen tn,
d ne such an act" The prisoner replied he
had thought over the matt n and prayed
over 1t for six weeks and more; he be-
came convinced that the President must
20, and it was his duty to remove him
Mr.. Davidge said the prosecution had al
ready prepared their statement of the law
points upon which they would rely, and he
MT OF them. He then read as follows:
u: The legal test of responsibility, where in
sanity Is set up as the defense for alleged
crime, is whether the accused, at the time of
committing the act alleged, knew the differ
ence between right and wrong in respect to
such act; hence, in the present case, if the
accused, at the time of committing the act
charged, knew the difference between right
and wrong in respect to such act-that is, If he
knew what he was doing and that what he was
doing was contrary to the law of the land, he
"2. II the accused knew what he was do
ing, and that what he was doing was contrary
TO the law OF the land, it constitutes no de-
Tense, even IL it were true that when he com
United the act he really believed he was there.
by producing public benefit or carrying out
an inspiration of Divine origin or approval
would such excuse be afforded by the fact that
in the commission of the act he was impelled
by depraved moral sense-whether innate
OF ACQUIRED, or BY evil passion or Indifference
"3. Insanity would, however constitute
defense If by reason Of the disease the ac-
cused, at the time of committing the act
charged, did not know what he was doing: or.
If he did know 1t, that what he was doing
was contrary to law,
"5. The only evidence in the present case
tending to show an irresistible impulse to COM
nit the homicide is the claim of the accused
that his free agency was destroyed by his al
legged conviction that the death of the Presi-
dent was required for the good of the Amer
out such conviction, even if it really existed.
could not afford any excuse when the party
knew what he was doing, and that it was con-
Judgment, not even a fixed belief that what is
prohibited by law is commanded or
approved by Divine authority can
exempt the accused from his responsibility
for breaking the law. To have such effect the
commission of the act charged must have been
the result of insane delusion, which was the
product of disease and of such force as to de-
pr1ve the accused of the degree of reason nee
essary to distinguish between right and wrong,
in respect of the act, SO that at the time of
committing the act he either did not know
what he was doing, or, if he did, that the act
was wrong or contrary to the law of the land"
At Mr.. Scovilles suggestion the Court then
adjourned until the 7th.
,XLVTTth COnrross