The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-01-14
BUTTE MONTANA: SATURDAY JANUARY H. 1882

As Davidge traced the proeess Of rel
sonfng BY which the prisoner graduall,
reached the connection that but ON
life tnterp0sed between himself and p0s
stbly great benefit" Guiteau becam
restless and for the first time since tn
opening Of the court indicated It by mel
v0us twisting about the usual prelimina
ries to Interruptions which In this in
stance quickly followed. Not often, sd.
Davidge, in the history Of heinou
crimes do We have such plain ant
pointed evidence ~ to the first cOncep
gesttOn came to the wretch in the nigh
- he was lying in 0ed."
1t came to me when the Lord gO
ready to have it." snorted the prisoner
Davi(lge continued: "This thought OF
suggestion came to him on the 18th O
May. Still thinking he might obtain thu
Office he kept his hands clean
He made another effort on the 2Sth O1
May to induce the President"
Guiteau called out from the dock: IL
would not have taken = foreign mission
after the LIST of June If it had been of:
fered to me-"
l,avidge, apparently not needing hin,
-''On the 18th Of May"
l:!,iteau-''I am talking about the 1st
Of June"
:, Davidge, ps''sing an instant -"Just
listen to him."
Gmiteau, sneeringly-"They will lis
ten to you, but your talk Is 81 weak 1t
is hardly worth listening to-"
For several minutes GuitCau cOntin-
uetl tO intcrjcct his comments with the
evident intention of annoying Davidge,
but finding that he could not effect this
he gradually suh~ided into complete
silence.
In the beginning, said Davi'lgc, it
was sought to show that the prisoner
was off hia balance. Now the Court
tells you to look for that degree of insan-
ity that disables q man from knowing
that what he was doing was wrong.
This is the test YOU are tn apply upon
the question of Inspiration. l think
will be able to show to your satisfaction
how little there Is in this claim. The
only question, he said, was that Of in
sanity. He then argued that the prison.
er had that degree Of intelligence, legal
knowledge and moral sense which
rendered hin, responsible for his
acts. In telling passage he showed
that the prisoner had wit to see the
fatal weakness. Of ScOvillc's line of de-
fehse and repll&liatesl it. Arguing in
his own l,ehalf that he was no in,beciie
but u sane man whose intellect and will
hail been dominated during IL specified
period of time rendering him irrespon-
sible for this particular crime. Hc then
reviewed the circumstances "f the
crime, tAe victim and the criminal.
His analysis of Guiteau's character was
graphic and effective. ''If," he ex-
claimed, II were to sum up the moral
and intellectual t,uulitif:. Gf this man
I should say that he had the daring Of II
v,,Iture combined with the heart of u
wOlf." In speaking Of Guiteaus plan
he remarked upon his greater fear Of y
mob than Of the law and exclaimed We
must say to our shame that this c>ti-
mate had u foundation. 1t rested he
S;,;G will, the jury t" show the world
(;uiteau'* opinion was we'll
founded.
Upon the re-,s%selnl'ling Of the Court
Davitige considered in order each men,
Der Of the (;uitealI family, whose men,
tal condition has been considered here,
but ul,answerable experts testimony,
he SAID, showed how much effect this
insanity coull have on the
mental condition Of the prisoner. - 1t Is
hollow mtnkcry tn discuss this" Eui'
teau once shouted, IL have always
been Christian man, and for six years
have been strictly virtn",~. Don't for
ct that, either"