Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-26
DENUNC|AT|ON OF
UNWRfTTEN LAW
Justice Stafford's View of Plea
in Murder Trial.
DECLARED TO BE BARBARIC
Address Last Night at Vermont Asso-
citation Sugar Fest.
JUSTICE BREWER PRAISES STATE
2 ssumes Relation of Son-in-Law-
Capt. Potter Pledges Good Service
for Battleship.
DECLARED TO BE BARBARIC
JUSTICE BREWER PRAISES STATE

Justice Wendell Phillips Stafford
oil the District Supreme Court, in an
address in National Rifles Armory,
last night, denounced in no uncer-
tain terms pleas of the unwritten
law and temporary insanity in de-
tense and justification OF murder:
and declared communities which al
lowed and supported such doctrines
to be barbaric.
Justice Stafford was the valedictorian of
the toast list at the annual sugar party
given under the auspices of the Vermont
State Association. He followed Justice
David j. Brewer of the United States Su-
preme Court, Capt. William P. Potter,
U. S. NJ and Interstate Commerce Commits
sioner C. A. Prouty.
In the course of his address, in which he
paid many compliments to Vermont
state and the citizens of the common
wealth, Justice Stafford said
Justice Brewer has spoken of the 10y
atty of the citizens OF Vermont to the law,
and | also have word to add on that sub
ject. We never heard of the unwritten
law in Vermont A state may boast of it's
colonies; may be either north Or SOUTH
care not what its lineage or it's boasts may
be-When 1t allows citizen to. go out and
shoot down another deliberately and per-
mts him to come into court and say I
am justified on the unwritten law: l have
taken the law into my own hands; 1 am
judge and jury" then that state belongs
with the states of barbarianS. And yet l
have heard lawyers right here in this
community have heard persons here
quote judge in support of this doctrine.
THE unwritten law gives the man Killed
no trial. Isn't that a manly thing to do
silence a mans lips in death and then
plead the unwritten law, refuse the dead
man trial, but demand a trial and JUS
tification for himself?
The Insanity Plea.
Next to the unwritten law, among bar
barrie customs, is that of pleading tenn
porary insanity 1 have a. great respect
for the man who, for the sake of a great
principle and to uphold a great cause,
goes out and defes the law. Such man
was John Brown. He knew it was treason
to continue his campaign at Harpers
Ferry, and he knew it was death But he
acted for the sake of the black race of
the south. And when some one suggested
at the trial that Brown was insane. he
quickly rose to his feet and showed that
the others in the trial room Were no more
sane than he. Put that man beside the
southern gentleman who shoots down an
other and who asks the jury to justify his
crime because ne mad q DralnStOrm.
The cutting satire in this last sentence
was emphasized in the speakers voice.
Justice Stafford concluded that part of his
address by stating that he had not in
tended it as part of his speech, but that
the matter had been suggested by some
thing Justice Brewer had said.
The Sugar Fest.
Every one in National Rifles Armory last
night had sweet tooth. The seventh an
nual mamie pf "a
State Association was the occasion of a
gathering of over 800 persons most of them
from the Green Mountain state After all
the guests had gathered in the hall they
adjourned to the first floor, where many
long tables, accommodating fully 800 per-