Evening journal., 1912-06-05
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Man Unaffaid
By Holland

President Chester A. Arthur. afted
the conviction of Guteau for III
assassination Of President Garfield
was in such doubt about the mentaH
or moral responsibility OF Gutea
that he appointed a commission, couA
posed Of the ablest experts upon id
sanity, and requested it's members Il
make a careful expert of Guiteala
Among these experts was DR.. Georg2
NJ Beard, who had gained higG
reputation as an alienist, and VIII
was the first physician Of the Unite
States to make a careful study 4
nervous diseases.
l met DR. Beard shortly after thI
physicians had finished their examf
nation of Guiteau. My acquaintanc.
with DR.. Beard had begun some year!
earlier, and | used occasionally II
call upon him and spend an hour o;
two with him in his study at hi
home in New York For this reasoII
] presume. Dr. Beard felt justified il
talking freely although confidential,
ly, with me about the case of Guiteall
The commission" he said. "wiI
undoubtedly report that Guiteau
now, and was at the time OF the al
sassination of Garfield, mentall|
sound enough to know what he wal
doing. I do not know that disagre|
entirely with the commission AMI
yet / have very grave doubts abod
the mental or moral responsibility 4
the man. l am satisfied that there i
some brain lesion and that Of Guitea|
is executed an autopsy will disclose
IT,"
! said that knew at first hand thd
II would be a source of gratificatioI
10 President Athrur II the commits
sion were TO find that Guiteau were
paranoiac. Or. Beard looked at nj
for a moment in surprise, not unde1
standing my meaning. ! explained 1
him that il seemed to President A1
thur that it was a crime of suc
enormity 10 assassinate a presided
or any ruler that for the sake of htl
man nature it would be we'll if
could be always established that sue
a crime was not committed by any on
in possession of a sense of moral rd
sponsibility.
We'll" said Dr.. Beard. Il mysel
doubt whether in country like our
and in a time OF peace a person VIII
Is morally and mentally fully respor
sible will assassinate or attempt to al
sassinate a president It would, how
ever, require high degree Of coui
age for a president to commute tn
sentence of one who had assassinate
his predecessor, even though ther
could be no doubt that the assassi
we're insane"
Would you do that if you wer
president" / asked DR. Beard.
Il certainly would" he replied. a,
ding modestly: Perhaps It is becaus
have never known what persona
fear is and 7 believe I have no NOR;
cowardice. At any rate I am certai
that II I we're upon by dethbed an
had my senses I should be so FIRE
from fear that I would be able to r.
port my experience as a dying man
A year later Dr. Beard was stricke
mortally IN with pneumonia. II wa
one Of the volcanic cases. He suffere
the greatest distress. yet he demor
strated the truth of what he had tol
me. that he had never know physic;
fear and had no moral covardice.
feeble and half choked voice
called for a pencil and pad; he III
derook to set down In technical lar
guage such as physicians would III
derstand, what his progressive dyin
sensations we're and his physician
knew that he did that in the intere
of humanity. He might record son
sensation which would give
physicians a clue as to the treatmel
Of pneumonia.
At last, Dr Boards hand failed. +
was passing into uncons3iousness
he whispered TO the attendant
should like to report all my sens
tions in the interest of science unit
deoth comes. but it is impossible.
And with this parting regret D
Beard closed his eyes and passed in
Inconsistencies and little lat
died.
Copyright, 1912. by E. j. Edward
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell
The Literary Celebrity Who Refuse
nFf1r1