El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-04-26

VINAlu uOuIo III UNIV nAAW Va yOftA0liIN
with O man somewhat under the IL
fuence of alcohol ct the steerinI
wheel, that the real condition of tn
driver OF the car Is a~scertained? H,
had been driving the a for hour
Hand then crashed into something
;. causing a wreck. ] will ask you, how
/ many persons have you not known
Z who have done this same thing ans
escaped injury?"
Jury the Judge
"A Once during his speech, MI. Rene
, han referred to the position Of Blan
oett, not while he was in Denver, OF
; Las Vegas, or in Albuquerque, or un
der arrest In Friday Harbor, but al
he stands at this moment in the dist
riot court OF Santa Fe county, saying:
Here he stands before you, as Judges
who shall say whether he shall live
Tor die. Yeu are the judges who hold
in your hands the God-like power OF
preserving or destroying life"
Mr.. Renehan was still speaking at
l10:30 last night, and as he had more
to say, adjournment was taken until
1880 a. m. today, when he resumed
argument, finishing shortly after 10
O'clock. Thereupon, Mr.. Crist, dist,
riot attorney, began his address to the
jury, making the last OF the three
speeches In the B~lancett trial.
Speaks Over Six Hours
Mr.. Renehan concluded his speech
shortly after II O'Clock this morning,
when the court took a brief recess.
He had spoken in all 6 hours and Is
minutes, beginning yesterday after
noon. speaking again last night and
starting in afresh at $3.50 a. m. to.
day.
A feature of the closing part of his
speech was his adoption of the phil
osophical dissertation of a learned jur-
ist of this country on the theory Of
suicide, arguing that suicide is rather
a sign of innocence than OF guilt of a
crime. Mr.. Renehan used this point
to prove that the attempt at suicide
or Blancett, the defendant, should not
serve to prejudice the jury against
him and make them believe that Blans
cett murdered Armour and then, to
escape the vengeance of the law, that
he tried to kill himself.
zone who seeks to commit suicide
seeks to avoid no punishment" Mr..
|Renehan said, quoting the jurist,
whose name he did not use, 'for he
deliberately seeks the highest punish
ment the law could effect-death.
Hence the presumption of guilt from
fight is also wanting in the a of
attempted suicide"
The authority quoted gave 1t as his
opinion that many a suicide seeks
rather to avoid the disgrace of a pub
lie trial, and lacks the nerve to face
a disagreeable situation, or the act is
due to a wild, untamed nature that
rebels at being confined. Whatever is
the motive for suicide it is not a desire
to avoid punishment the lawyer ar
gued.
Emotional Nature
While admitting his inability to en-
ter the thoughts of another, saying
that the human mind is SO wonderfully
and yet so delicately constructed that
it is idle for any n person to pre-
tend to interpret the mental attitude
and reveal the hidden motives Of an
other mind. Mr.. Renehan declared
the conduct of Blancett, the de-
PENDANT, was largely actuated by inn
pulse. He cited evidences Of this inn
pulsive nature, saying that when be
arrived in Santa Fe Blancett went TO
the Bank saloon and ordered whisky,
Il want a whole lot of IT."
then he went to the Kerr barber shop
End stated that he believed he would
walk away with one Of Kerr's bird
dogs; that he entered a gambling
game, dropped 5000 in cash and left
The table, owing $500 more; that he !
asked almost every strange man he
met On the street to go hunting with
him; that he told a manufactured his
,ory of bis life to Assistant u. S. Dis |
.rict Attorney Charles r. Easley and /;
70 J. Howard Vaughn without their
'equest or suggestion; that he 'ran
,ff at the mouth when dining with
strangers; that he went to Blossoms
garage and asked that the night man
accompany him on a joy ride;
hat he picked up a party of strangers
It the Montezuma hotel and drove I
hem in a motor to Tesuque; that he (
picked up another party OF utter [
strangers and drove them to Albu- [
.luerque; that he walked into a saloon '
Ind gave a check book and wallet to s
. stranger; that he scattered money t
{
"All these facts show that the de. {
'endant was of a highly emotional
md not of a heartless nature" MI. g
aenehan exclaimed, las has been de- {
,icted here" 9
In concluding, Mr.. Renehan admit 9
ed he had talked to the jury over six I
hours and said it was the longest |
ipeech he had ever made. He added 9
4 was also the longest trial he had /
wen been. in, lasting two weeks the t
lay after tomorrow. He said there t
lad been much to cover from the
middle west to the Pacific coast, from
Denver to Albuquerque, and now he s
lad arrived at the end of his journey; v
le had reached the end Of his road. t
de- referred g0od-naturedly to the fact c
hat the state will close and said that 1
.fter him would come "the howitzer OF t
district attorneys Office"
The lawyer closed with an appeal L
9 the jury to weigh carefully the EVIL d
lence and bear in mind that criminals G
re not fools; he said criminals do
lot carry on the way the testimony |
Blancett had carried on in I
Vew Mexico. He fired a parting shot q
W. =