New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-24
Mrs. De Saulles's Mind
A Blank, Is Her Defence

| term he had talked rapidly but easily.
Sometimes an inner fervor showed IN
! his voice, but only as he came TO drive
home a telling point.
an this case" he began, "the de-
fence is founded on q question OF re-
sponsibility. The shooting OF John
Longer De Saulles on the night OIL
August 8. 1917, is not disputed. Buy
| you mustn't think that shows the quit
Of the defendant. Her offence is eX-
| cused because the law recognizes
! justifable and excusable homicide.
81 want to say right here that TINS
| defenced oesn't consist of any theory
| of~brainstorm or emotional insanity or
unwritten law.
/ ave will prove this defendant inno-
/ cent under the written laws OF thlS
/ state, under Section 1920 Of the penal
/ law. which says that no person shal
| be convicted Of an offence committed
when the offender is in such a mental
! state as not to know the nature or
I quality of the act or not TO know II is
/ wrong. That doesn't mean that the
/ offender must be a raving maniac,
! wild beast, 10 deserve acquittal we
| intend to prove that on the night OF
/ tho shooting the defendant was not re-
| sponsible within the meaning OF the
Z
| law. e,
"Of course things don't happen with
| ont a cause. In this case we must go
back mary, many years.
Met De Saulles at Sixteen
"Blanca De Saulles is just twenty
three wears and seven months ola. Sne
was born in the city Of Santiago. Chile
a descendant of family that has
/ given two presidents to thc republic
Her father died when she was a year
old. In her mothers home IN Nlna del
Maro-the Vineyard by the Sea-she
got a careful religious and secular
education until she reached the age OF
eleven. Then she was sent TO con-
vent in England. At fourteen she re-
turned to Chile. 1t was when she was
sixteen that she met John Longer De
Saulles for the first time.
think that first meeting was at the
races at Vino del Mar De Sau!les was
introduced to Mrs. Blanca Errazurlz
and her two daughters. That %as IN
February. 1911. No doubt De Saulles
had a specifically attractive manner
He made a favorable impression, aho
was brought TO the Errazu'iz nome as
guest. Along about August he tolu
Mrs. Errazuriz that Blanca was q
trump. that he loved her and wanted
to marry her. He SAID ne wouiuh I
take her away, but was ready TO give
ND his own country and live there IN
a house on the Errazuriz estate,
lifetime neighbor.
"As soon as he became engaged
there was a change. He didn't want
Mrs. Errazuriz to go TO the united
States. She had projected trip up
the coast to New Orleans, thence to
New York and on to Paris. He told
her she didn't know the United States,
that people there would be rude TO
women travelling alone. He said he
would follow to Paris, and that there
he and Blanca would be married.
Married in Paris
"On December IS. 1911, they were
married before the Mayor in Paris.
Next day there was religious cere-
monv in the English chapel.
Following out their plans the couple
returned to Chile. They reached there
in February, 1912.
"Then the cloud came over the life
of Blanca De Saulles. The executor OF
her fathers estate turned over to her
the securities and title deeds which
were her inheritance As a matter Of
course. she placed them in the hands
of her husband. He examined them
carefully.
"'Why. they amount to practically
nothing he said. It's absurd to call
you an heiress.'
"Then he got her TO write letter TO
her mother, who had remained in Paris.
asking for money to buy an estate IN
Chile. Il the money was not forth
coming. she was told. he would 20 back
to the United States and she would not
see Blanca for a long time.
MRS. Errazuriz replied that she did
not have the money available.
Took Her Back to Paris
Blanca de Saulles was already in a
condition when the cruellest of men are
kind to women. Yet on receiving this
reply her husband dragged her away to
Paris.
"They came TO the United States
some time in August, 1912. That year
a Presidential campaign was on. De
Saulles, who had no private business
TO engage his attention, became inter
ested. lie took a small cottage in
Larchmont. Il was then he gave her
the pistol with which he was killed He
told her he would be away much OF the
time, and il would be better for her TO
have the weapon for protection. She
got into the habit of carrying it when
out at night outside the big cities.
'ln the latter part of November,
1912, De Saulles took his bride with a
trained nurse. 20 his fathers home in
South Bethlehem, Penn. He left and
returned TO New York. He already had
sold $4,000 worth of her stock in the
gas company at Santiago, and now he
sold shares to the value Of another
$4,000 He was with her when the boy
was born, and after few days went
back TO the city. From that time on
his course was one of cruel, If not
studied, neglect.
Called an Intruder
"The old people didn't want Blanca
and didn't hesitate TO say so. They
considered il an imposition that their
sons wife should intrude into their
home. De Saulles spent most Of the
time in New York City. Occasionally
he spent his Sundays in South Bethlc-
hem Often he telephoned 20 say he
was coming. and then didn't appear.
zone witness, Mrs. O Neill, will tell
you how Blanca De Saulcs crept back
home from a disappointing wait at the
: railroad station one day, put her arm
about the baby and cried: 'Oh. TooGles
. daddy doesn't love us any more
II lay stress on these instances
in South Bethlehem, because it was
there this woman's heart was broken
Practically all the correspondence be-
b tween her and her husband was de-
stroycd al the time Of the divorce trial
, but By a freak Of fate we have some
letters written at this time in one
} Of them Blanca De Saullcs's single com.