If He's Not Crazy, He's a Great Actor
On June 30, 1882 (129 years ago today), Charles Guiteau, the assassin of President James Garfield, was hanged at Washington, DC. Guiteau had a history of mental illness, but despite this, his lawyers' efforts to have him found not guilty by reason of insanity were unsuccessful.
If Guiteau wasn't looney-tunes, he certainly put on a good act during his trial. He frequently swore at and insulted the judge, most of the witnesses, the prosecution, and even his defense team. He presented his testimony in the form of epic poems and he would solicit legal advice from random spectators in the audience by passing notes to them. He dictated his autobiography to the New York Herald, and ended it with a personal ad for "a nice Christian lady under 30 years of age".
Guiteau argued before Judge Cox that President Garfield was killed not by the bullets but by medical malpractice , stating "the doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him. " He was probably correct about that, though on a technical application of the law, that offered him no defense.
After the guilty verdict was read, Guiteau stepped forward, despite his lawyers' efforts to tell him to be quiet, and yelled at the jury saying "You are all low, consummate jackasses!" He uttered a further stream of curses and obscenities before he was taken away by guards to his cell to await execution. While being led to the gallows, Guiteau was smiled and waved at spectators and reporters, even dancing on his way to the gallows. On the scaffold as a last request, he recited a poem he had written during his incarceration which he called "I am Going to the Lordy." He had originally requested an orchestra to play as he sang his poem, but this request was denied.
All of this makes me look forward to Candace Millard's new book about the Garfield assassination, called Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. It's due out on September 20th of this year. Millard is the author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey.
If Guiteau wasn't looney-tunes, he certainly put on a good act during his trial. He frequently swore at and insulted the judge, most of the witnesses, the prosecution, and even his defense team. He presented his testimony in the form of epic poems and he would solicit legal advice from random spectators in the audience by passing notes to them. He dictated his autobiography to the New York Herald, and ended it with a personal ad for "a nice Christian lady under 30 years of age".
Guiteau argued before Judge Cox that President Garfield was killed not by the bullets but by medical malpractice , stating "the doctors killed Garfield, I just shot him. " He was probably correct about that, though on a technical application of the law, that offered him no defense.
After the guilty verdict was read, Guiteau stepped forward, despite his lawyers' efforts to tell him to be quiet, and yelled at the jury saying "You are all low, consummate jackasses!" He uttered a further stream of curses and obscenities before he was taken away by guards to his cell to await execution. While being led to the gallows, Guiteau was smiled and waved at spectators and reporters, even dancing on his way to the gallows. On the scaffold as a last request, he recited a poem he had written during his incarceration which he called "I am Going to the Lordy." He had originally requested an orchestra to play as he sang his poem, but this request was denied.
All of this makes me look forward to Candace Millard's new book about the Garfield assassination, called Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President. It's due out on September 20th of this year. Millard is the author of The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey.