The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-01-26
THE NEW S.
Guiteau Addresses the Jury in His Own
Behalf.


GHiteau = Addresses the Jury in His Own
Behalf.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 22.-Upon enter
ing the court room this morning Quit
eau took his seat in the witness box, re-
marking as he laid out his papers: Il
sit down because can speak better, not
that am afraid of being shot. This
shooting business is getting played
OUT
AT an intimation from Judge Cox the
| prisoner carefully arranged his glasses
and with flourish began TO read from
manuscript as follows:
The prosecution pretends that am
wicked man. Mr.. Scoville and the rest
think am lunatic, and presume yoa
! think | am. Certainly was a Iunatic
on July I'd when fired on the Presi-
dent and the American people general
ly think | was. Can you imagine any.
thing more insane than my going to that
depot and shooting the President of the
United States? You are here to say
whether | was sane or insane at the mo-
ment fired that shot. You have nothing
10 do with my connection before or
| since that shot was fired
You must say by your verdict
whether l was sane or insane al the mo-
ment that shot was fired. If you have
any doubt of my sanity at that moment,
you must give me the benefit OF that
doubt and acquit; that is, ii you have
any doubt whether fired that shot or
was the agent of the Deity. If firei it
an my own account | was sane. Ii /
fired il supposing myself the agent of
the Deity was insane and you must
acquit. This is the law as given in u
| recent decision of the New York court
| OF appeals. 1t Teyulutionizes the old
rules and is a grand step forward in the
| law of insanity. 1t is worthy of this age
of railroads, electricity and telephones,
and it well comes from the progressive
state of New York. / have no hesita-
ton in saying that it is special provi-
dence in my favor and | ask this court
and jury SO to consider it. Some eminent
people in America think me the great
est man of the age, and this feeling is
growing. They believe in my inspira-
ton and that Providence and l have
really saved the nation another war. MY
speech setting forth in detail my defense
was telegraphed to all the leading pa
pers and published Monday morning,
and now 1 am permitted by his honor
to deliver it to you.
Guiteau explained to the jury that his
speech opened with a quotation from
HIS az
can people and In using it for the OPEN
ing of his speech to the jury, he had
neglected to cut out the date, Christmas,
1881. After thanking his counsel and
paying very high compliment to The
zeal and ability which ScOville had dis
played, and whom he proposed soon TO
reward with a very liberal fee, he eX-
tended his grateful Acknowledgements to
the court, the jury, the officers and
bailiffs, and last, but not least, To the
American press. The latter were
power that generally crushed a man
when they got down on him. They had
been pretty heavy on the prisoner at
first, but when they knew his motives
they changed their views and now they
were treating him very fairly.
With this introduction the prisoner
took up a newspaper and proceeded TO
read to the jury his published speech.
His manner to the casual observer
seemed completely self-possessed, as us
uai, but behind this ostentations affecta-
tion of composure was intense feeling,
which was only held in control through
undoubted strength of will. His excite
ment was betrayed by a slight hectic
flush on his usually colorless face, and
by the unusual deliberation with which
he began, and for sometime continued
to speak. Whether this excitement was
from the merely superficial effect upon his
emotiOnsI naturally incident to the Occa
sion, or whether it proceeded from the
deeper and more over-powering in
fluence of the true realization of his po-
sition as almost convicted murderer
pleading for his life, it was difficult TO
divine. Whatever was the original
character of the feeling, it finally
gained an ascendancy over his
powers of controf and-a he reached this !
point in his speech-"I have alway
served the Lord and whether 1 live or
die"-he broke down completely. He
stopped and tried to choke down the
rising lump in his throat, but found it
impossible to keep back a genuine sob
and taking out his handkerchief he bnr-
led his face in it for few seconds. He
wiped his eyes and with a determined
effort started on again. He seemed to
recover his composure so quickly some
believed that the effort was manufactur-
ed. His sister, Mrs. Scoville, however,
apparently thought otherwise. She was
deeply affected aud wept and sObbed bit
terly for some minutes. After this incl
dent Guiteau continued to read, occa-
sionally adding brief comments upon
the text.
As he proceeded with the reading all
appearance of nervousness gradually
| wore off and with the utmost cOmposure
and an JUNCTION that bordefed upon the
ludicrous, the prisoner read on with an
attempt at every conceivable form of or
atorical and dramatic effect. His de-
scription of the taking-Off of the
effect At times he closed his eyes or
turned them heavenward, waved his
body back and forth, and sank his voice
to whisper or raised il to high treble.
at times the intensity of his ulterances
seemed to react upon himself, but the
effect was but transitory and with the
exception of one instance there was no
indication of breaking down. At FIRE
quent intervals he paused to empha-
size some sentence or sentiment
by repeating 1t or commenting
upon it. At one time pausing,
he leaned towards the jury and empha-
sizing with his head and his hands said
with an attempt at great solemnity of
utterance: Il tell you, gentlemen, just
as sure as there is a God in Heaven if
you harm hair of my head this nation
will go down in blood. You can put
my body in the grave but there will be
a day of reckoning"
| In the most natural manner imagiua-
BILE Guiteau explained again that the
reason he did not take Garfield away
| two weeks before he did was because he
had no authority to remove Mr. Garfield.
When the time came,'' he said in an
| airy tone. 81 removed him gently and
gracefully" "The jury may put my
body in the ground but my soul will go
marching on. The Shareholders put
John Browns body in the ground but
his soul goes marching on" Here he
chanted most wierdly one stanza of
"John Browns Body" closing with
"Glory, Glory Hallelujah," twice re-
peated
Guileau concluded his address at 1 %
and upon the announcement by Cork
hill that Judge Porter would be unable
to speak to-day court adjourned until