In July eighteen eighty one, a man walked into a train station, pulled out a gun, and shot the president of the United States, President James Garfield didn't die right away. For more than two months, he lingered between life and death, eventually dying in September eighteen eighty one. The American public was a heartbroken and furious. They called for Garfield's assassin, a man named Charles Getteau, to be punished, to be thrown to wild dogs, to be burned alive, to be
shot like he had shot Garfield. But as the government began to prepare for Getou's trial, a problem emerged. Getaux, many medical experts believed, was insane. If this was the case, was he responsible for his actions? And if he wasn't responsible, how could the public get the closure or the vengeance that they longed for. In the end, many wondered could the justice system truly deliver justice in a case like this? This was the question at the heart of Getou's trial.
The country had never seen a trial like it. The crime was so great, the evidence was so compelling, and yet the defendant was so troubled, telling the court that God had told him to kill Garfield. Americans watched with bated breath as Getou's trial unfolded in the fall of eighteen eighty one, each moment more shocking than the last. Would Getou be set free, would Garfield be avenged? What would the verdict mean for the country. Though Getou's trial
was extraordinary, it wasn't unique. Throughout American history, important trials have always raised questions about good and evil, about truth and justice, and about who we are as a nation. My name is Mira Hayward, and I'll be diving into the stories of these trials in my new podcast, History on Trial. Every episode will cover a different trial from American history, revealing the real people behind the headlines, and examining how the legal battles of the past have shaped
our present. To hear these astonishing trial stories, listen and subscribe to History on Trial, out February eighth, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.