The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-06
TO WHICH CLIMAX WILL napoleon
DELMAS ARRIVE At IN THAW TRIAL
Defeat at Waterloo at Austertz Early Career and
Later Attachments Which Have Made Him Leader
of California Bar.

GlOUe-D6luOCTdI. Tears ago III tuc
little sunny town of San Jose, in Cali
fornia, a schoolgirl one day passed
a fiippant note to her boy lover. The
note fell into the hands of the teacher
and the girl was dismissed from the
normal school for conduct "unbe-
coming lady," Then there was
trouble and all tongues were set a.
wagging in San Jose. The guardians
of the girl-for she was an orphan
sued the school principal for defama-
ton of character. They won the case,
and the girl was reinstated. She is
now prosperous matron, and her
self school principal.
To this little tempest in a far dis
tant teapot, Dolphin Michael Delmas
today owes his great chance of con-
Quoting the defense of Harry X. Thaw,
now on trial for his life. Delmas was
the lawyer who won that libel suit
in San Jose, and who reinstated that
girl as pupil in the normal school.
He was induced to take up this by
H. c. McPike, the boy lover in the
case. His only consideration was
friendship. He certainly Won that
consideration. Ever since the day
when that schoolgirl was INDICATED
young McPike has worshipped Del
mas. He considers him one Of the
greatest lawyers not only of Californ-
ia, but of America.
Now it happened that Mr.. McPike,
who has since then become a lawyer
himself, was travelling in the east at
the time when Thaw shot White in
Madison Square roof garden. Nc
Pixies father was a warm friend of
one of the associate justices of the
United States supreme court. The as
sociate justice was friend of Thaw's
father. Young McPike told the justice
that he thought of Delmas as fawy-
er. The justice knew Delmas already,
for Delmas has appeared on several
occasions before the United States SUI
preme court as pleader, and when
ever he has so done he has appeared
to advantage. 1t was Delmas who
argued and Won the great case Of the
California railway tax suits before
the United States supreme court, af-
ter contest that had lasted over
thirteen years. The associate justice
is said to have advised Harry Thaw's
family to engage Delmas in his de-
Tense, as "one of the ablest lawyers
in the country" Such an opinion was
bound to be all potent. Mr.. McPike
telegraphed to Mr.. Delmas in Cali
fornia to come on to Pittsburg and
New York. Delmas came Since then
he has been the leading attorney of
counsel for the defense in Thaw's
case, and Mr.. .McPike has been en-
gagged as junior counsel. Both lawy-
ers have opened legal offices in New
York together.
Apart from Delmas' native ability
and the genius which he himself would
define as hard work, he owes his high
position as the leader of the California
bar largely to the character of some
of the most prominent cases which he
has tried. Delmas is the only big
lawyer in California who has con-
stantly espoused the cause of the peo-
pie against the Southern Pacific rail-
road, and who has beaten the rail-
road people to standstill. The
Southern Pacific railroad, it should
be explained, is the worse-hated cor
poration west of the Rock mountains.
When Frank Norris pilloried this cor
poration as "the octopus" he merely
voiced the feeling OF all the people
about him. Delmas, from the time
that he fought Leland Stanford, Char
les Croker and Coils P. Huntington
in the great case of David S. Colton's
widow against those railroad barons
Of the past, down to the present day.
has persistantly championed all man
ner of legal suits, big or little, provid-
ed they were brought against the
Southern Pacific. The most annoying
thing to the railroad is that he has
mostly won these suits.
A former law partner of Delmas,
who is now engaged in litigation with
his former chief, told me that Delmas
had standing offer from the South
ern Pacific of a 100000 retainer, pro-
vided only he would handle no more
damage suits against the railroad.
"Delmas is such fool" said his form
er partner, that he never would take
this offer, and yet he was always head
over cars in debt. Delmas would
sacrifice anything for the sake of
friendship, or good haterd. AS for
women, he sees them all in a golden
haze.
Delmas is a Frenchman by birth,
having been born in France, the son of
French parents. He himself pro-
nounces his name "Delmah," and in
his early days resented any other pro-
nunciation. He is proud of his like
ness to Napoleon, and for this reason
prefers to let but one portrait of him
self get abroad. This is photograph
which was taken many years ago in
San Jose, showing stray curl over
his forehead, after the manner of a
certain famous portrait OF Napoleon.
Delmas' people came to California in
the days of the gold rush and settled
In the Santa Clara valley. In the town
OF San Jose street bears their fam
lily name. Delmas was educated at
the Jesuit college of Santa Clara, one
OF the best classical colleges of Am
erica, land was graduated from 1t with
the highest honors and received a gold
medal for his proficiency in the class
es. Only one other man in California
holds the mate to this medal, and that
Is the president OF the college. Del
mas, according to the college authori-
ties was the brightest pupil ever
graduated from Santa Clara, After