One hundred years ago, in July 1881, President Garfield met his death by assassination. The trial of the murderer, Guiteau, and the controversy about his mental state, were extensively commented on in the Journal of Mental Science between July 1882 and January 1883. First there is a lengthy editorial (an ‘Occasional Note of the Quarter’) in which the Editor gives his own opinion as to Guiteau's sanity and responsibility, and in later pages there is a full report of the Judge's summing up in the case. The October issue contains a detailed account of the post-mortem carried out on the body of the murderer after his execution; and lastly, in January 1883 the Editor replies to letters and criticisms he has received. The following is a condensed version of the first editorial.