The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-11-19
MRS, DE SAULLES
GOES ON TRIAL
Killed Her Divorced Husband
and Must Defend Herself
in Court Of
Justice.
NO KNITTING ALLOWED
Special Deputies Handle the Crowd
Gathered to Hear Most In
terestlna Murder
Case.
NO KNITTING ALLOWED
[By Hugh BafI1ie. United Press stan
Correspoudent.1

LBy Hugh BafI1ie. United Press stan
| CorrespondentJ
| MINEOLA, L. l., Nov. 19.-The CON
cluded chapter Of an international 10
nance rivalling fiction. had its begin.
ming here today when Mrs. Blanca
Desaulles, beautiful Chilean heiress,
| went to trial for the killing OF her di-
vorced husband, John Longer DeSau1-
les.
Mother-love will play leading part
in the trial.
There will be no plea Of "unwritten
law" or Justification"
Instead, the defense will plead that
driven to the verge Of temporary in
sanity when her child was denied her.
Mrs. DsSaulles shot and killed the
man who kept her five year old boy
from her.
She was not responsible for her acts
at the time, it will be claimed. The
same instinct that causes the jungle
mother to fight for her young, over
powered the beautiful, cultured Chill
can women, and the wealthy clubman
and former Yale football star who had
followed her half around the world to
win her, paid with his life.
Nine. ErraZuriz .Vergara, of SAINT
iago, Chile, mother of Mrs. DeSaulles,
was in court when her daughter was
called to trial She had travelled the
thousands Of miles from South Ameri-
ca to aid the beautiful girl who left
her home and country to be the bride
of the dashing young American she
killed. In another part Of the room,
icily ignoring Mrs. DeSaulles, sat the
relatives Of the murdered man. They
were dressed in deep mourning.
There is no denial that Mrs DeSaul-
les fired five shots at her former hus-
hand, as he stood with his back to her,
after having scorned her, flat1y re-
fusing to give up the little boy, Jack.
five. in response to her demand Flout-
ed by the man in the presence Of his
relatives, refused possession Of her
child, believing the man was poisoning
its mind against her,--s1e fought.
The defense, according to present
plans, will not drag into the case
DeSaulles' private life, which led to
the separation. Temporary lapse OF
responsibility is the plea.
The prosecution believes it has
dead open and shut case" They will
show that Mrs DeSaulles with her
maid, deliberately took revolver and
motored to her husbands country
place-The Box-with the intention of
killing. If there is conviction for
first degree murder, the electric chair
is the penalty.
Justice Manning has fixed firm rules
for the conduct of the case. Special
deputies handled the crowd today.
There was to be no knitting and
lunching in the court room. Offlcers
watched the judge carefully. He has
received threatening letters.
Little Jack, the innocent cause Of
1t all, is not expected to be in court.
He is In custody of his dead fathers
people.
Demand Death Penalty.
,[By Hugh Baillie, United Press Staff
Correspondent
MINFOLA, La, Nov. 19.-The death
penalty for Mrs. Blanca De Saulles,
beautiful Chilean heiress was de-
manded by the prosecution today at
the opening of her trial on a charge
Of numbering her husband, John Long
er De Saulles, former Yale football