Synopsis

The date was July 2, 1881, and in the lobby of the Baltimore & Potomac train station in Washington, D.C., Charles Julius Guiteau shot President James A. Garfield, inflicting a wound that proved fatal. While the act itself captivated the nation, Guiteau's subsequent trial stretched over three months, evolving into a highly publicized contest concerning the nature of insanity. The court grappled with questions of inheritance and outward signs, attempting to discern whether madness resided within a