Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-01-26
THE GUITEAU TRIAL.

On Monday of last week Mr.. Scoville
began the closing appeal to thea jury in
behalf of Guiteau. Although the pris-
oner has repeatedly denounced the line
Of defence followed by Mr.. ScoviIlc, and
has declared that his own conception of
the defence was the only true one, and
ne would not trust the best man in
America to close his case for him, yet he
listened to the speech without Interrupt
tion, except to approve or emphasize
some of the points made by the speaker.
He did not forget his own speech, how
ever, and requested Judge Cox to read it
in the newspapers because he wanted to
talk to him about it.
Mr.. ScoviIle OH the first day devoted
his attention principally to correcting
what he said were mis-statements of
law and of fact in Mr.. Dayidge's opening
address for the prosecution. He said he
had framed in his own mind an indict-
ment for conspiracy to hang the pris-
oner. The conspiracy he had in mind
were the District Attorney, Lawyers
Porter and Davidge, and five of the ex-
pert witnesses for the Government
There were twenty counts in this men
tai indictment, the first of which was
that they had perverted the law in this
case. On this point he spoke of Lawyer
Porter's introduction of what udge Da-
Wis said about insanity in his decision in
the Coleman case in New York city.
This quotation from Judge Davis, he
claimed, had no place there, and he
averred that Judge Davis had gone out
side of the case before him and atempt-
ed to influence this case.
Mr.. Scoyille also pointed out what he
claimed were deviations from or misrep-
resentations of the testimony by the
prosecution. He did not specify the re-
naming counts in his suppositious in
dictment. He argued that if Guiteau's
mind was overpowered by the conscious
ness that the Deity commanded his act,
and if it was the result of mental dis
ease, then the act from Guiteau's own
point of view was right, and he was not
responsible.
On Tuesday Guiteau repeated bis re-
quest to Judge Cox of the day Previous
to be permitted to address the Jury in
his own behalf. Neither Mr.. Scoville nor
Col. Reed, he said, represent his defence.
He was his own counsel, and he thought
it of the utmost importance that the
jury should hear his speech, because if
any of them had doubt as to their
duty to acquit him, that speech would
probably settle it in his favor. He also
asked the Judge to charge that if the
jury believed that he believed it was
right for him to remove the President
because he had special Divine authority,
and was forced to do it by the Deity,
they should acquit him on the ground of
transitory mania. Judge Cox promised
to consider the prisoners request to ad-
dress the jury.
Mr.. Scoville continued his speech for
the defence. He contrasted Guiteau's
plea that the act was right because it
was inspired by God with what he call
ed the real defence, namely, that Guiteau
never had any inspiration of any kind,
and that it was delusion all through,
and proof of the diseased condition of
the assassin's mind. Mr.. Scoville con-
tended that the prosecution, in objsctng
to the introduction of certain evidence
by the defence, had not shown spirit
of fairness. He sharply criticised Law
yer Porter and District Attorney Cork
hill for the manner in which the case
for the prosecution had been conducted.
Porter, he said, had prostituted his mind
fer money to hang an insane man. Gui-
teau suffered from chronic insanity, and
during his lecturing tours he was SIM
ply a peripatetic madman. He had got
the idea that another civil war was i'm
minent from Senator Chandler of Mich
igau. The way he was affected by that
idea showed that he was insane, and the
steps by which his mind was led from
that to the conception of the assassina-
5ion further proved his insanity.
Mr.. Scoville began the third day of |
his address by branching out into dis
,ussion of the influence of the political |
situation upon the prisoners mind be-
fore the assassination. He averred that |
but for certain reasons back of this pros |
scution Guiteau would never have been |
lrraigned in a court of law, but would |
nave been taken to an insane asylum |
,fter the assassination and kept there |
until he died. He went on to explain |
hat what he meant was that the movers |
If the prosecution were politicians who
we're seeking to hide their own infamy
)y casting the blame on this lunatie.
such men as COnkling and Grant and
Arthur. who made war without justii-
,ation on Garfield. brought about that
tate of public excitement and political
ceiling which preyed upon Guitea1 until
lis reason left its throne and he did that
which he considered to be perfectly in
accordance with their counsel and con-
luct. He went into this subject at con-
iderable length, remarking that he did
lot intend to say all this when he open l.