The Trial of Charles Guiteau

By

I wish I could find who posted a link to this on Twitter, because I’d like to thank them publicly. All I know of Charles Guiteau is that he’s the man who assassinated President James Garfield. I know even less about Garfield. But this transcript of the cross-examination of Guiteau at his trial is mesmerizing. He strikes me as a religious madman from his testimony, and as someone who wasn’t quite as smart as he thought he was. The prosecutor, retired Judge John. K Porter, spins Guiteau in circles on multiple occasions, but Guiteau never backs down from the idea that the Deity is the one who pushed him to “remove” the President. Really interesting stuff.

Brian Spears's first collection of poetry, A Witness in Exile, is now available through Louisiana Literature Press, and at his personal website. He is the Poetry Editor for The Rumpus, and teaches poetry at Drake University. More from this author →