The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-02-13
NEURoTIC CRIMINALS.
An Examination into the Peculiaritfes or
Guiteau, Garfietd's Assassin.

Guiteau, Garfietd's Assassin.
Indiana Medical Journal. February.
In his Medical Jurisprudence" notice OF
which sppears in our book columns, Dr. Allan
McLane Hamilton refers Gniteau to the crim-
inal class who have hereditary tendency and
early neglect as to the root of their troubles.
He regards Guiteau neurotic criminal, who,
under proper environment. might have been a
harmless member of society. if not useful one
The evidence showed the prisoner was brought
uD badly, lived parasite upon society, used all
methods of shrewdness and deception to gain
shelter and food until his path in life became
more and more difficult to follow. and then he
resorted to more desperate methods With the
murdsress in Macbeth be might have said:
Whom the vile blows and Bullets of the world
Have so incensed, that am reckless what
/ do to spite the world
would set my life on any chance
To mend it or to be rid OF it.
His browning crime was the elimination of
uncontrolled wickedness, and his conviction and
sentence the natural result of the failure of his
last desperate scheme
'sGuiteau was shrewd scamp, who swindled
his boarding house keepers with the plausibility
of an Alfred Jingle; he had the visionary enthu-
siasm of Micawber Colonel Sellers; the can't
and hypocrisy of Aminadab Sleek Uriah
Heep; the ami tion of EroStratuS. and the MUIR
derous manners of FELTON,. who assassinated the
Duke of Buckingham, of whose crime the killing
of Garfield almost exact counterpart"
There are thousands of men at large to-day,
who display all the eccentricity of Guiteau. but
their actions as impusively good. or at
least their intentions are as we'll meant. as his
were bad, and yet they are not regarded as in
sane. In some cases these persons are reform
ers, with projects in every way as absurd as
any of Guiteaus. What can be said of the edu-
Gated individual, for example, who advocates
the abolition of vaccination!
DIR. HamitonS analysis of this case is euf-
icient answer to the English criticism that
''Guiteau is type of American civilization"
The author recognizes the fact. however, that
in a country where religious and political opin-
ions are universal as with US, and the belief
that one man is as good as another is so blatant
~ though falsely announced, eccentric individ-
uals readily develop the Guiteau typo of char
acter. He says: sin many sections OF the
country there religious sects and commune
ties whose teachings immoral and unsta-
BILE as that of the establishment at Oneida. from
which the assassin IS graduated" The Second
Adventists who approved of the crime of Free
man sacrificing his child in Massachusetts,, are
typical of whole sects and colonies of ignorant
and fanatical people scattered throughout this
country. The only way to bring such people to
their senses is to hold them legally and morally
way to insure the safety of society and is the JUS
LITIGATION for the course taken with the Chicago
Anarchists. The ethical principle holds
for crimes committed by drunken men, and
those who give way to violent anger aud pas
sion. Moral depravity is not necessarily inSan-
ity The prompt execution of the law In such
cases strengthens the will of these badly
ranged minds, who frequently combine
telIectual vigor with infirmity of moral purpose.
Self-conceit, self-will. disappointment. cOwardce
political partisanSblp, religious decisions, desire
of gain, love of notoriety and praise-all may
prompt to crime, but they are not necessarily
expressions of insanity. Society must protect
effectnal way than to hold them legally respon-
Sible for their actions.