The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-06-05
GulTEAu'S CURSE.
It Has Not Particularly Affected the
Men Who Tried Him.

January, 1882, the weather cloudy and
gloomy, that there filed into their box
in the old criminal courtroom of Wash
ington twelve jurymen who had listened
for months to the testimony and argu-
ments in the case of the trial of Guiteau
for the murder of President Garfield,
and announced their verdict, Guilty,
as indicted" Without, drizzling rain
and snow was falling, and the large
dingy old courtroom was lighted by
some half dozen candles placed on the
judges desk and on the tables of coun-
sci, giving but little light and adding to
the weird darkness of the room. Judge
Cox took his place on the bench.
At one table sat Judge John X. Por-
ter, Mr.. Davidge and District Attorney
Corkhill, representing the Government.
Mr.. Scoville, the prisoners brother-in-
law and his leading counsel the pris-
oner's brother, and his sister, Mrs.
Scoville, and some personal friends OF
Guiteau, sat with him at an adjoining
table. As the verdict was announced
the prisoner exclaimed in d loud and
defiant tone:
My blood be on the head of that
jury. Don't you forget it. That is my
answer" .
And when afterwards, on February
4, 1882, the court asked him if he had
any thing to say why sentence should
not be passed upon him, he replied:
every officer, judicial or otherwise,
from the President down, taking in
every man on that jury and every mem
Der of this bench, will pay for it. y
And when the sentence was pro-
nounced he repeated vehemently:
God Almighty will curse every man
who has had any thing to'do with this
case.
Various statements have from time
| to time during the last four years APP
peared in the press of the country call
| ing attention to the realization of
| "Guiteau's curse" and the fulfllment
of his prophecy,
A correspondent called on Colonel
Corkhill, the United States District At
| torney at the trial, for some of the
facts connected with the history Of
those engaged in it, and whom Guiteau
had specially anathemized. Colonel
Corkhiil was found at his law office in
this city, and he looked little if any
older than he did during the trial.
When his attention was called by your
correspondent to the subject, he said
Eyes, have seen these statements
often, and frequently receive letters
asking me if there is any truth in the
stories that are told. There seems to
be an anxiety on the part of large
number of people to seize upon any
thing that borders on the supersti-
tious, and it only needs the slightest
coincidence of a prophecy and core
| spending occurrence to enable them to
discover an inscrutable mystery in con-
nection with it.
''As to the Guiteau trial all the wit
nesses for the Government that were
called to prove the crime before the
| graDd jury, and whose names were in
dorsed on the back of the indictment,
| and who were examined in chief by the
Government, are alive and pursuing
| their ordinary business except Surgeon
| General Barnes, who died some time
ago. saw the foreman of the jury,
| John P. Famlin, of this city. a few
| days ego, anu ae informed me that all
| fbe inrv Wild tried and convicted
Guitesu are alive and engaged in the
business thew were before the trial
excent one. Michael Sbeenan who was
sick at .be time and has since died A
TO the LAWYERS. Judoe Porter was in
varv had bealtb during the trial and
tho !. hor toId mon him nby.;caily varv
mncb Mr. Dap;dgo ;s IpoR;ng as we'll
and WORKING as hard as ever .Iudge
COY. who presided at the trial ia still
| on tho bench vicorous and IN GOOD
| boaltb The san7e ;S t,ro Cb;af JrSt;oo
Cartier .JnStices MacIrtbur lanes
and Haoner Who decided tho case sus.
ta;,,;n - tbe vord;ot ~ tbe inv On on
,rnaI T,,st;o. Wit hos ra+;Iod ,,ndap,.
tLe nroy;s;ons Of The law on account If
ono and Ion,, sarr;no NJ I,et;oa
D. D. H. ~ s;ad ~" ,..;t 80 49,,
$500 l. st;i, ~, ~ honoh ~ +ho c.
,narta Govt nf tho ITni.od Stotas
Hth o "a a,,o.h ~ ~ nt;tiod :" ,.o
t;r. ~ he dos;ras Marshai H u
- ,;s;no cow nntatoos and rrhaat ~
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A'9 ,. 49, n c,,n I.h mho
| - ,4 t anV ~ ~ H. t,.;aL
es 80, "v .ao 'u @ 49, anu WV " ;o
10y rileI i;S J ~ .,;o Ut , ~
1890 ,|lis poi' o,,,,aa :. LII n"noes;r g.
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