Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1882-01-25


are a farce, and have in n1ypractice freqneiit-
1y heard il said that the jury system ought TO
be aboltshed, because junes make mistake,
Lecause they are influenced BY the cloquence
OF advocates, because they are influenced, not
dress. But, gentlemen, thank God that there
was time when my English ancestors stood
up against wrong and injustice. and wrested
from despot the right Of trial by Jury, and I
have never yet seen the time when would
wish to see that right abolisLed. feel
more secure and more safe I'm this mode
of administering Justice than i'm any other. So
long as juries are honest 1t does not require
that you should have read Kent on Blackstone.
Il requires that ron shouid havu honest hearth
e sss sss ssss: ss sssi; I; % spd lesss q @ " ss
what may come, regaroiess OF whether your fel-
iow-men may approve it or not. This y what l
shall exl ect OF you, gentlemen, and / believe
you vii do IT, i leave the case with you gem
tlemen t banking You for your kind attention"
As Guiteau was being taken out II The court
room he stopped 10 speak to Scovi le, when
Biiliif Tall attempted to move him along.
Guiteau turned angrily, and said to Tall;
" Behave yourself"
.' Come, come" )" said Tall, impatiently, trying
! 10 push the prisoner
''Let me alone p shouted Guiteau. "Mind
yonr owl business"
Tall having applied some "pressure" to Gui-
tosu, the latter, with his manacled Lands,
struck the officer in the breast, when he was al
once aei:od by the officers and turned out Of
Ihe courtroom.
.EFrIErH DAY.
The assassin was given the fiftietb day Of his
uial to address the jury. He said:
81 The prosecution pretend that am wicked
man MIR. ScovIllc and the rest think | am
lunat!c and | presume you think am. l
certainly was lunatic July 2, when fired on
the President ana the American people general
IL, and presume you think was Can you imag-
ine snything more insane than my going to that
depot and shoe ilg the President OF the United
StaieSY You are here TO say whether l was
sane or insane Of the moment fired that shot.
fou have nothing 10 do with my condition be-
fore or since that shot was fired. You must say
10y your verdict sane or insane At the moment
the shot was fred. IL you have any doubt OF
my sanity at tho moment you must 6 We me the
| benefit OF the doubt and acquit--that Ii, IL you
| have any doubt whether hred that shot as the
agent OF the Deity. IL fired it on my own
account was sane /; il I-tired il, sup2osing my
| SELF 10 be the agent OF the Deity, was insane.
| aad you must 8cqpi."
| With this introduction the prisoner took up
/ newspaper and proceeded TO read 10 the jury
! his Published speech. HIS manner TO the casual
! observer seemed completely self-possessed as
/ usual but behind the ostentatious afiectation
/ OF composure was intense feeling, which was
| only held in control through his undoubted
| strength OF will. His excitement was betrayed
by "A slight hectic spot, high upon
| each cheek, Of his usually coloress iace
! and by the unusual deliberation with
which he began and for some time continued
| to speak. Whether this excitement was from
merely superficial effect upon his emotions.
naturally incident to the occasion, or whether
I il proceeded from deeper and more overpower-
| ng influence, the true realization OF lIs posi-
uon, an nslmort-convicted murderer peading for
his Ife 1t we're difficult 10 divine. Whatever the
| original character OF feeling, II finally game !
the ascendency over his powers of control, and
I W ne reachcn uiaf poifF fnBis speech --~f have
always served the Lord, and whether live or
die he broke down completely, stopped,
ircd 10 choke down the rising iu'up III ms
tlroat, but found It impossible 10 keep back
| genuine sob. Taking out his handkerchief.
he buried his face in II for q few seconds,
wiped his eyes, and with determined effort
started on again. he seemed TO recover his
composure so quickly that some believed the
Whole Effort was manufactured. His sister,
Mrs. Scoville, however. apparently thought otn.
erwIse. She was deeply affected, and wept and
sobbed bitterly Tor some minutes. After this
! incident Guiteau continued TO read, OCCASION
! ally adding brief comments upon the text. As
| lie proceeded with his reading oil appearance
OF nervousness gradually wore OF, and. with
| the utmost composure aud an JUNCTION that bor-
dered upon the iudicrous, the prisoner read on
with an attempt at every conceivable form OF
oratorcal and dramatic effect. His description
OF the taking of Of the President was given
with striking effect. At this time he closed his
eyes or turned them heayenward, waved his
body back and forth, sank his voice 70 whis-
per or raised 1t TO high treble. AT times the
| intensity OF his utterances seemed to react
upon himself, but the effect was but transitory,
aud with the exception OF one instance there
was no indication OF breaking down
AT frequent intervals he pauSec 10
emphasize some sentence or senti-
ment by ropo9mg 1t or commenting
upon II. At one tlme pauslng, he leaned
toward the jury and. emphasizing with his
head and hands, said, with an attempt at great
I solemnty OF utterance:
~ tell you, gentlemen, just as sure as there
u God in heaven, II you harm a hair OF my
head this nation will go down in blood. You
can put my body in the grave, but there win
lie day OF reckoning"
"The jury may put my body In the ground,
but my soul will go marchiug on. The slave
holders put John Browns body in the ground,
but his soul goes marching on"
Here no chanted most weirdly one stanza OF
John Brown's Body" closing with "Glory,
Glory, Hallelujah