Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1911-08-31
Egan Speaks Before.
Judge On Motherhood

dress, which Mr.. Egan delivered in
Judge Trips Court at Yankton, In
support Of his motion for a continue.
ance in the murder trial of Millara
]. Limpo. Mr.. Egan urged his mo-
ton for a continuance on the grounds.
of the delicate condition Of the de-
fendant's wife and when the counsel
for the state opposed the motion, Mr..
Egan presented the following thots in
defense of his position and the Hon.
R. B. Trip, at the conclusion OF the
address promptly continued the case
| until October.)
May it please the COURT did not
| think it would be necessary for me to
speak in behalf of this motion, be-
cause did not conceive that it would
be seriously opposed hence confess
myself surprised and taken unawares.
But as l see and hear the determin-
ed opposition Of the very able coun-
sci for the state, am confused and
honored court stand as stood yester-
| day, and look, as l looked, into the
sad and melancholy eyes, the tear
stained face of that young wife, soon
to be a mother, one glance would
have been more eloquent than any
words of mine, and more effective
than any periods that ever fell from
Grady's lips of gold.
She called to me, as l did leave her
to her sorrow, for her days are all
accomplished, please, Mr.. Egan,
please, put off the case until may
stand by his side, and all will be
well.' Forgetting, as woman always
forgets, herself, even in her saddest
and most terrible hour, she pleads
for him, her lover, with a tenderness
and sympathy that fits woman always
as a garment-Will this court hear
her not?
l reverse the call-"Please, honor
ed court, please, put off this case
until he may stand by her side and all
will be we'll"
She needs him more than he needs
her in these awful hours--Will this
Court hear her not?
Did l heed her not, in her sad con-
dition, and permit my client, her all
n all, to 60 to trial, until I had op-
posed with every effort and my
strongest word, such outrage
would be guilty of criminal negli-
gence, and this information coming
to her sisters, thus afflicted, they
would cast imprecations on me as
deep and bitter as the curses the Ro-
man matrons heaped upon the heal
of Sextus Tarquinus, he Who wrought
the deed of shame.
Is, ask your honor, South Dakota,
SO hungry for gore that she must
thus endanger the life of this young
mother and the unborn child, as the
undisputed record before this court
shows the denial Of this motion to
DO? l deny it, sir! I deny it in the
name of that justice and gentleness
for which our people are so far-famed.
1 deny it, sir, in the name of the abe
prosecutor for the state, and l say to
him that if he had ever held the hand
of a virtuous woman as she went
down into that valley, where no man
can go with her, to give the republic
a son or daughter, he would be first
before me to plead that my motion
might prevail. May I say to him that
should he force my client, from his
young wife's side into trial for his
life or liberty the tears of gentle mo-
therhood in this great state would
float a larger boat than ever rode the
bosom of those treacherous waters
that beat against the gates Of this
city.
Motherhood, that sacred and awe
inspiring word-before it the gentle
Joseph Wept in that famous manger,
while kneeling with the spouse of
God; and inspired by it all the COOL
and great who have lived and died
made us their debtors in this glorious
hour.
Motherhood-the charm and fas4
cination of that noble word! sThe
greatest writer of the human tofigue, |
when weighing all the nouns and
verbs and adjectives that swarmed
about the shining pathway of his glo.
rsous pen, declared that in all the
language known to the heart Of man
the noblest word is mother.
! Mother in motherhood! What a |
picture and painting the suggestion
calls to the mind of every living
man! To me it suggests all that is
dear and sweet and soft and kind in
life's uneven ways. To me it paints
fbn niofYra9 the urnrdoef 49,.