Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-05
WADD|NGTON IS FREE
End of the Sensational Brussels
Murder Trial.
KILLED SENIOR BALMACEDA
Acquittal Was Based on the Unwritten
Law.
BETRAYED SLAYER'S SISTER
ALI Parties to the Affair Were
Prominent in European Diplo-
matic Circles.
BETRAYED SLAYER'S SIsTE

BRUSSELS. July 5.--Carlos Wadding-
ton. son Of Louis Waddington. who was
charge d'affaires of Chile at Brussels.
was today acquitted of the charge Of
numbering Senior Balmaceda, secretary Of
the Chilean legation. on February "a.
1905.
Balmaceda was engaged to be married
to Carlos Waddington's sister, and on the
morning of February "a called on Mime.
Washington and announced his decision
to withdraw from the marriage admit
ting. it was charged. that he had behaved
improperly toward Mile Waddingto ton. but
accusing the young woman OF having
mlsbehaVed before he met her. When
Carlos found his mother Frustrated as a
result of her interview with Balmaceda
he drove to the home of the latter and
after quarrel shot and killed him. The
I Balmaceda family commended that the
WaddlngtonS tried to force the marriage
upon young Balmaceda, and that upon his
refusal they resolved to get rid OF him.
Never before In all Belgium has a law
yer so passionately excoriated the character
OF a girl young enough to be his daughter
as did Special Counsel Bonnevie in his
final argument for the prosecution. Ac-
cording to Maitre Bonnevie. Mile. wadding-
ton was a modern Phryne.
Audience Groans at Bonnevie.
The audience frequently groaned while
Bonnevte was vivisecting the character Of
the prisoners sister, who sat below The
prisoner was deeply touched by his sisters
grief. but RETAINED from crying out at Bon
nevie as he did on previous days.
A strange and impressive incident oc-
Cured While Maitre Bonncvie was pre-
senting the virtues Of Balmaceda and the
wickedness Of Mile. Waddington a white
pigeon fiuttered in at the open window OF
the courtroom. Bonnevie was first an
noyed. then disturbed. When the pigeon
flew in the fifth time and settled on the
couch exhibited as that whereon Balmaceda
sat when Waddington shot him the super
stitious audience became highly nervous.
and this reached elimination when =
woman exclaimed: 1T is the soul Of Bal
maceda!''
For a moment there was a dead silence
and then the cry Of relief as the futtering
bird few out of the window.
Bonnevie then resumed his summing up.
but the pigeon incident had marred the
pathos of his peroraton.
Crime One Of Fermentation.
Throughout his speech Bonnevie endeav-
ored to convince the court that Waddington
had not murdered Balmaceda in the sudden
heat of passion upon learning Of his sisters
degradation. but that he had premeditated
the murder days before the crime
When Bonnevie concluded hand or
voice applauded the long argument which
was characterized throughout by extraor-
binary bitterness against the prisoner and
his sister. ..' --f8.
Maitre Servais, the public prosecutor,
summed up for the state. Servais declared
the chief question was whether Bama-
ceda's murder was justified by the Belgian
laws and the code of morals.
THE Defense, Servais continued. al
leges that 1t was voluntary homicide with
the full intention Of staying. but justified
by great provocation and an invincible i'm
pulse which the prisoner could not resist.
The law admits two conditions under which
man may be esponsible-insanity and
the domination of an Irresistible passion"
Servais asserted that it was his belief
that the charge of generalization had been
proved. He dismissed the case for insan-
ity contemptuously.
I'VE may admit" he said. that Wad-
dington underwent a severe mental strain
and that false notions of honor existed In
his young mind. but human life is sacred
Although his zeal for his sisters and fam
ilys honor is pardonable, that cannot be
accepted as an excuse for murder" The
public prosecutors speech was also inter-
rupted by the flying in Of the white pigeon.
which then huttered out with something in
it's beak.