The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-04-10
FINAL END
DRAWS NEAR
Delmas, Eloquent, Invokes
"Dementia Americana"
EVELYN'S SACRIFICE.
Long Sustained 0ratoricaI Effort
Ends-Pictured Slayer as a
Knight Of Old.
EVELYN'S SACRIFICE.

NEW YORK, April 10.-After speak
Ing upward Of seven hours Dolphin MI
chael Delmas, chief counsel FOR Harry
Thaw, ended his argument with a
scrlptural quotation.
Just before he closed Delmas de
scribed Thaw's insanity as "dementla
Americana" the sort that makes Amer
leans defend the sacredness of their
homes and their wives and children.
."True." he said. "tho learned alien.
lists have not given a name 20 the spe
cies OF insanity which Harry Thaw
had. But will tell you. II Is a spe-
cies OF insanity which is recognized In
every court OF this land. II Il the spe
cies OF insanity which makes n man
believe his home sacred. that the hon
or Of his wife Is sacred. that the honor
OF his daughter 10 sacred"
Opinions are so divided over the
master effort Of the famous California
barrister that Il Is hard TO arrive AT
the general prevalent conclusion OF
those who heard his plea for the life
OF Stanford Whites slayer. Practical
ly all OF the experienced reporters and
lawyers who listened Ia the speech
agreed that the westerner's EFFORT fell
In a measure short OF addresses which
some OF the old time giants n the bar
have delivered under similar tragic
conditions In the same criminal courts
building.
With the exception OF the moments
when he was reading from testimony
Mr.. Dclmas speech was one OF sus
tanned oratorical effort. lie threw
about the form OF Harry Thaw the
cloak OF chlvalrous knighthood. why.
be shouted. should we who admire
the chlyalry Of the knights OF the mid.
die ages who went about rc,lrcssing
wrongs and rescuing maidcns In dis
tress withhold our sympathy from this
brave manY
bitterly the attorney again assalled
Stanford white. lie declared White
sought 20 play with the glrl - long A.
her beauty remained and then would
have thrown her away like a dirty
rag 20 noat down LIES sewers 20 n
grave In the rottcrs field" Again he
said. Harry Thaw had snaiched the
girl frnm the old lechcr who saw In
her but a toy 90 crafty n moments
lust aud then he cast aside 10 20 her
way down the paths u fallen women"
With dramatic emphasis Mr. Dclmas
cried ont that when Harry Thaw be.
held Stanford white on the Madison
Square roof garden tho story OF his
wife's wrongs 0vercame him. lie pic
tured in an instant-as n dying man
may picture his past life oil that
Stanford white had done-"the ruin he
had wrought. aud he struck: struck A.
the SIgress strikes In defense Of her
young: struck for the home: strucg for
American womanho0d: struck for hu.
manlty. and Stanford white fell.
"Ah. gentlemen" the advocate went
on. ~ Harry Thaw believed he was
the instrument Of Providence. who will
say he was Mistaken
Mr.. Delmas discussed hut briefly the
testimony Of the expert witnesses. de
ciaring that whatever weight might
attach 20 their utterances was on the
side Of the defendant. lie declared
the burden Of proof as 10 Thaw's san
fly NJ the time Of the homicide rested
with the prosecution. which had failed
TO make out IFS case.
~ was IN discussing Thaw's mental
state that Mr.. Delmas came nj last "a
the ''unwriitcn law" lie declared the
experts had been at a loss 20 classify
the form Of insanity from which Thaw
suffered.
II will suggest its name" he dc
clared. II would call II 'demcntla
Americana II Il q species Of insanity
which has been recognized In every
state Of this Union. II Il that species
Of insanity which makes the American
man believe his home. his wife. his
daughters. are sacred and that whose
ever stains the virtue Of his threshold
violates the highest Of human laws"
Mr.. Delmas quoted briefly from the
speech OF District Attorney Jerome
when Abraham 1Iummcl was up for
sentence AZ that time Mr.. Jerome
urged the maximum penalty Of the law
on the ground that Hummcl had been