The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-02-15


brought into the limelight of metro
politan life for the first time last
week.. says the New York Times, when
he assumed active charge of the de-
tense of Harry K. Thaw. Everything
seemed to be against him. He was
called upon to stem the tide of adj
verse circumstances that was jeopar-
dizing the life Of the young Pittsburg
millionaire. Mr.. Delmas was strang-
er to many details of the practice in
the New York courts. First he showed
his daring by ruthlessly casting aside
the debris of Thaw's case and arrang-
In ga campaign of his own. Then he
won point and surprised District
Attorney Jerome by introducing testi-
mony tending to show that Stanford
White had threatened to kill Thaw.
His skill as trial lawyer was mani
fest, especially as Mrs. Thaw told
her story The narrative was punctu-
ated with points of emphasis, like so
many legal mill stones.
Resembles Napoleon.
Mr.. Delmas is a Napoleon" of the
west in more senses than one. Those
who know him best say he rather
prides himself on his resemblance to
the Corsican conqueror. There is a
suggestion of Napoleon in the poise
of his head, his profile and the shape
of his temples. His facial resemblance
to Napoleon is emphasized by his
habit of wearing a pointed lock of
hair over his forehead, like that seen
In the portraits o fthe French en-
peror. His friends in San Francisco
have twitted him on a story that he
was, indeed, descendant of Napol-
con. Some Californians even believe
that, Mr.. Delmas being of French ex-
traction, there is some kinship be-
tween the two men, When the story
is mentioned to him, the lawyer as
sumes an air Of gentle depreciation.
The most striking of his manner
isms are his flowing gestures and a
habit of looking at a witness or into
the jury box with his head bent for
ward and his eyes cast upward. He
has a habit of holding his eyeglasses
in his hand while gesturing. AS he
throws forward his head and turns
up his eyes he raises his glasses hori-
zontally and looks across them, form
ing picture that Is distinctive and
striking.
Career as Lawyer.
Mr.. Delmas is So years old and
practiced law in California for thirty
odd years. Most of his practice has
been in civil cases, and some con-
slider him at his best in that branch
of his profession. The suit which
carried his fame all over the country
was the contest over the millions of
the late Senator Fair. He represented
the contestant, Mrs. Craven, and met
one of his infrequent defeats. He also
defended libel suit against Claus
Spreckels, and was recently sought
for the position of general counsel
of the Southern Pacific railway, but
declined.
While he never posed as a criminal
lawyer, some of his greatest victories
have been won in such cases. He has
had sixteen clients accused of homi-
eide, and all have been acquitted. He
defended D. J. Arnold, who shot Gran
mis- after a street fight in San Fran
cisco. Another noted criminal case in
which he acted as advisory counsel
was that of Truxton Beale, formerly
in the diplomatic service, and one of
the witnesses to the killing of Stan
ford White. Beale was charged, with
Thomas H. Williams, of killing Fred
erick Marriott, the editor of the San
Francisco News Letter. The case had
some startling parallels with that of
Harry K. Thaw. Marriott was said to
have made an insulting remark re-
garding the woman who afterwards be-
came Beale's wife, The defense was
carried to a successful issue by re-
course to the "unwritten law"
These trials, however, hardly hint
at the personality of Mr.. Delmas. He
belongs to the Chesterfieliian type of