Evening star., 1932-05-01
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

| While all the forms Of law were
. strictly observed and all the pre-
cu;4.,. negatives of appeal were
uUlteau granted, the case of the
Appeal. ohar1as Ghi1ed states e;,,..sg against 9S
the murder of President James A. Gar
field was not permitted to drag unduly.
The Star of April "a, 1882, records that
on that date the Court of General Term.
which was then the appellate court of
| this jurisdiction, set the earliest date
! possible for the hearing of Guiteau's
| appeal from his conviction and death
sentence. The bench consisted of Chief
Justice Cartier and Justices Cox and
James. Guiteau was represented by
| Charles H. Reed, in succession to the
| prisoners brother -in-law, George SEQ
| vile, who had withdrawn from the
! case. Mr.. Reed asked for the longest
| period possible for preparation and
| presentation of the case. Chief JUS
tice Cartier said that two weeks should
suffice and set the appeal for two weeks
! from that date, May 8. He stated that
/ he had received a letter from Mr.. SEQ
| vile, but declined to present it for pub
! lication, although later he permitted
the publication Of such portions as dealt
alone with the writer's reasons for
withdrawing from the case. In this
letter Mr. Scoville said:
/ II desire to withdraw my appearance
| as counsel for defendant in the case of
United States against Charles j. Gui-
| teau In doing so upon the eve of the
| argument of the appeal it is proper
| that show to the court the grounds of
/ such action. With my conviction as to
the mental infirmities of the prisoner
and his consequent responsibility, 1
| have endured and would suffer yet
longer his ingratitude and abuse were I
| able to give further time and service to
| his defense. The imperative cause of
my withdrawal is my inability, without
| absolute ruin to my family and myself,
| to give further time to this cause away
| from home. 1t is a source of some sat
| isfaction, however, in leaving the case
| at this stage to know that the record is
| complete and the appellate court can
review the proceedings and rulings Of
| the court below with absolute certainty
as to what transpired.
II do not wish to obtrude my per-
sonal affairs upon the court, but can
not refrain from saying that my un-
| fortunate and reluctant connection with
| this case has been the source of untold
trouble to me. Guiteau says that he
| regrets that his relatives had not all
/
have been better for himself and for
the world, at least for the late Garfield
and Scoville portion of mankind, if he
had never been born
After every war the District has been
made to bear a special burden in the
form of the compulsory
veterans as preference for places on
n, the police force of vet
1olA0eh1en' Grams of the military
| service Such preference was eX-
pressed by law after the Civil War, and
| Is wears after it had ended an effort
was made to remove this stipulation
| from the law, but without immediate
effect. The Star Of April 25, 1882, says:
THE House has, in providing for the
! much-needed increase Of the police
force, voted to maintain that clause OF
| the law which requires the appoint
ments on the force to be made OF dis
charged soldiers and sailors. The Dis
trict Commissioners have earnestly
recommended the modification of this
provision SO as to give them discretion
ary powers, on the ground that the per-
| emptory requirement restricted the Sc
| lection of policemen to too narrow a
| field The Senate once passed the mod
| ification, but the House defeated it. As
a rule the men who served in the Army
during the rebellion are getting too old
now to make efficient policemen. Why
this restriction in the appointment Of
policemen should be fastened on Wash
| ington any more than other cities would
probably puzzle the members of Con-
gress who yesterday voted for its main
| tenance. On account OF the large ex-
tent of territory to be patrolled here
and the paucity of the force, it is i'm
peratively necessary that the police
should be composed of active, able
bodied men. The Commissioners should
have the power to select the very best
men procurable for the service and not
required to make appointments from q
class past the prime Of life