Ticket to the GUITEAU TRIAL

Unissued ticket to the trial of Charles Guiteau, 6”x3-1/4”, printed in black on red stock. This pass was to be issued in January 1882 and is titled “GUITEAU TRIAL. Trial Commenced November 14, 1881.” Fine condition. The murder trial of Charles Guiteau began on November 14, 1881, following his assassination of U.S. President James A. Garfield, and quickly devolved into a chaotic public spectacle. Led by his brother-in-law George Scoville, the defense argued that Guiteau was legally insane, driven by a delusion that God commanded the shooting to heal a rift in the Republican Party. Guiteau heavily undermined his own counsel by frequently interrupting the court, insulting the judge, dictating poetry, and even singing "John Brown’s Body" during closing arguments. While the defense also blamed Garfield's death on medical malpractice rather than the bullet, the prosecution successfully argued that Guiteau was merely a vain, disgruntled office-seeker seeking fame. On January 25, 1882, the jury took less than an hour to find him guilty, and Judge Walter Cox sentenced him to death, leading to his execution by hanging on June 30, 1882.