The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-11
Declares Thaw's Deed Cold
blOOded Murder.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY SUMS UP
Prosecutor Brands Evelyn's story IA
Faise-DepIOres Exclusion of Evil
denee Material to case-Defends
Whites Name-DerIdes So-cuIIed
"Dementia AmerIeana.p

was spoken sincerely, and he held the
crowded courtroom from beginning 10 end
TO an attention that never faltered for a
moment
There Were times in the course Of the
district attorneys speech when everybody
in the courtroom sat up straight and
grasped the arms of his chair. OF the
back OF the chair in front of him.
such moment arrived when Mr. Je-
rome conjured up a vision of the spirit
of Stanford White begging Evelyn Thaw,
since his own lips were sealed and the
law forbade him any champion, to say a
word III his behalf. other occasions like
this came when he assailed the picture
that Mr. Delmas had drawn of Thaw as
the champion OF virtue. the modern ST.
George Staying the dragon that preyed
on human virtue. The district attorney
the ''Dementia Americana" de-
tense of Mr.. Delmas. lie strove 10 show
that there was only one point at issue,
and that was whether Thaw was sane or
insane when lie fired the shots that killed
White, and he solemnly warned the jurors
that they were under oath to decide the
i9oAN vi mat anu On llal alone.
He ridiculeG the brain-storm theory and
called the California lawyer Or" Del
mas. title he conferred on him by virtue
Of his discovery Of 'Dementia Ameri-
cana" This shaft stirred even Mr.. Del
mas 10 smiles. which he tried to hide by
averting his face from the jury.
Jerome Threatens HummeI.
The district attorney attacked Evelyn
fhaw's story with every resource at his
commend. He admitted that the Hummel
affidavit was not entitled to any con-
iideration unless 1t was supported by
ior-oborative evidence. He said that nc
low had Hummel where he had wanted
lim for years; that he had convicted him
# felony; that he hoped soon to land him
n prison. and that be would keep him
here as long as he could.
After maTshaling all the facts of the
-ase In review. he declared that il was
eally the simplest case in the world
1t is a common, cheap. sOrdid, Tender
DIN murder he said, "and if the prin- |
lpals IN 1t had been obscure and poor
'ersons instead OF man of genius and /
Millionaire, the orain-storm would never
ave been heard Of"
Justice Fitzgerald took his seat upon
he bench At ll;35 o'clock. and Harry X. /
'haW was called 10 the bar.
jerome Begins speech.
Gentlemen Of the jury. said Mr.. Je- /
ONE. arising when the court had opened /
from all Z can judge from the reports-I 4
avihg been absent-you have been wan /
ering through a mere field of romance i
or two days. The life of a human being 1
not to be judged on such premise. !
he issues here cannot be determined by
uotations from the Scriptures. You have
cen enjoined by the court TO make ID i
our verdict solely from the evidence.
The attorneys for the defense have had
he responsibility of d human life resting
pom them. But there has been d respon-
0ilty equally grave upon the prosecu-
on.
The law is not cruel law. 1t does not
lnish for the mere sake of punishment (
p ialshes 10 protect those who live
ndeI H.
Act Not Justified.
important as it is that no human life
Mould be put out unjustly, it is equally
lportant TO the community in which YOU
nd I dwell that the law shall be Justly
oheld- On the evidence / will try to point
1t to YOU that this defendants crime was
)t justifable or excusable, ami that he
iould be punished.
You are not entitled to say that this
an IS guilty because the grand jury in
cted him for murder in the first degree.
II YOU are entitled to consider that on
eir oaths they said the unexplained evil
nee JUSTIFIED them In charging him with
uTder in the 5Tst degree
If you md that this defendant was in s
me when he killed Stanford White it
your duty to say so in your verdict. II ,
u do not say so. it is because YOU believe {
at this killing was justifiable Justifiable /
res not mean 'dementia Americana II {
cans self-defense; but when a man sits }
tn his head in his hand and is delibeT-
ely shot with a pistol held so close TO
m that after the shooting the victims y
gn brother-in-Iaw did not recognize him. {
can hardly be called seit-defenss east y
the Mississippi River.
One of Four Verdicts.
There can be logically but one of four
rdicts returned by you-murder in the | I
st degree, because there was not only Y
sign, but Dremeditation; murder in the
c0nd degree. because there was design
t no generalization: manslaughter. be- 4
use there was neither design nor pre- ?
but merely the heat of pas :
m; or lastly, not guilty because of in
nity.' q
on the subject of insanity, you Jurors =
re carefully examined" said Mr.. n
rome n
You swore YOU would not inject any Il
sas of your own into your judgment "
{ take the law as 1t was laid down to l
u by the court You swore you would r
eept only that form of insanity which d
prives a man of the knowledge of the =
ture and quality of his act or that il is
ong-that is, against the current mo-
ity of the community. You did not
ear TO bring this 'dementia Americana II
o the case" q
Zach mention of 'dementia Americana" 81
S uttered by Mr.. Jerome with sar- =,
sic infection -
Dementia Americana, men" he said !"
As no place in your verdict. You swore 10
take no higher law than the law of NJ
lr State e.
Dementia Americana. What is this
nentia Americana which waits and n;
res at its enemy for three years and to
n kills? 1t waits three long years and DE-
Tvs bitter, and then strikes. IT
Dementia Americana-that fiaunts the Ia
man for whom it kills through the II
'itais of Europe for two years as its M
stress Is that the higher law? le
NO, gentlemen, the higher law does not
e itself under the hem of a woman's sa
TT. II
Dementia Americana-is that the law a
lch puts woman up To tell of her ",
me-or misfortune, as the case may W,
10 all the world in the hope it win ca