WEBVTT - Introducing: History on Trial

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<v Speaker 1>In July eighteen eighty one, a man walked into a

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<v Speaker 1>train station, pulled out a gun, and shot the president

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<v Speaker 1>of the United States, President James Garfield didn't die right away.

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<v Speaker 1>For more than two months, he lingered between life and death,

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<v Speaker 1>eventually dying in September eighteen eighty one. The American public

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<v Speaker 1>was a heartbroken and furious. They called for Garfield's assassin,

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<v Speaker 1>a man named Charles Getteau, to be punished, to be

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<v Speaker 1>thrown to wild dogs, to be burned alive, to be

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<v Speaker 1>shot like he had shot Garfield. But as the government

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<v Speaker 1>began to prepare for Getou's trial, a problem emerged. Getaux,

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<v Speaker 1>many medical experts believed, was insane. If this was the case,

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<v Speaker 1>was he responsible for his actions? And if he wasn't responsible,

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<v Speaker 1>how could the public get the closure or the vengeance

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<v Speaker 1>that they longed for. In the end, many wondered could

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<v Speaker 1>the justice system truly deliver justice in a case like this?

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<v Speaker 1>This was the question at the heart of Getou's trial.

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<v Speaker 1>The country had never seen a trial like it. The

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<v Speaker 1>crime was so great, the evidence was so compelling, and

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<v Speaker 1>yet the defendant was so troubled, telling the court that

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<v Speaker 1>God had told him to kill Garfield. Americans watched with

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<v Speaker 1>bated breath as Guetou's trial unfolded in the fall of

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen eighty one, each moment more shocking than the last.

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<v Speaker 1>Would Getou be set free, would Garfield be avenged? What

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<v Speaker 1>would the verdict mean for the country. Though Getou's trial

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<v Speaker 1>was extraordinary, it wasn't unique. Throughout American history, important trials

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<v Speaker 1>have always raised questions, questions about good and evil, about

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<v Speaker 1>truth and justice, and about who we are as a nation.

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<v Speaker 1>My name is Mira Hayward, and I'll be diving into

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<v Speaker 1>the stories of these trials in my new podcast, History

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<v Speaker 1>on Trial. Every episode will cover a different trial from

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<v Speaker 1>American history, revealing the real people behind the headlines, and

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<v Speaker 1>examining how the legal battles of the past have shaped

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<v Speaker 1>our present. To hear these astonishing trial stories, listen and

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<v Speaker 1>subscribe to History on Trial, out February eighth, on the

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

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<v Speaker 1>favorite shows.