Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-21
AND WILL
HELP WOMAN HOLD
FORT IN DWELLING
Della Fitzpatrick Ties Up Traffic
on East Ninth Street Until
Police Assume Offensive
THINK SHE is INSANE

Classic literature tells MS MI about
certain Romans OF old holding 2 bridge
against desperate odds, and the story -
rcckonci mighty good one. But u
hasn't ANYTHING on the tale concerning
Della titzpatricks holding tho fort
Yesterday afternoon AT 62b last Ninth
street. rs narrated IN City Court tins
morning before Judge ChurChman hy
Della herself and witnesses, rs well ~
later hv the police who rushed 70 the
scene as though the whole cast side
were in q blaze Of trouble.
Ns n garrison Della demonstrated her
complete efficiency She bad put herself
in the house and she intended 10 stay
nut. although the man who had Just
purchased the place wanted to move IN
She was plcntifully supplied with anger,
cxpostulation. language. bricks. muscle
and will besides The good old fighting
spirit Tor which her mother sod Ireland,
has l,crn sung in prose and verse ever
since little apples were made or sham
rocks grew green.
The only trouble about Il All ~ that
Della $ mind seems unbalanced The tale
Is funnv-vcrv funny but the soman
apparent mental uphcaSaI gives II n
tinre of sadness AS wCll-whIch possibly
is like everything else in the world 10y,
gladness, humor, the good things OF liic,
cankered by evil, sorrow or misfortune.
Della was prisoner this morning IN
CITY Court. she's rotund, gray-haired
Irish woman Of middle age, with voice
like the peerless Bill Bryan. flow OF
words built on similar lines and wealth
Of widc-armcd gesture.
The charge against her was trcSpaSs.
and no sooner had she been arralgncd than
she unlimbcrcd her cloqucnce TO tell the
court all about the matter OF her arrest,
which act 1T first blush was put down 70
the volubiltv Of lonG-reprcssed anger
breaking forth though later rs cause was
indicated aS something decidedly dli-
fcrcnt
The chief witness was Anthony Przyly-
lck. who sand he had Just bought No.
GO East Ninth street and yesterday
started TO take possession ard move IN
DELLA OF THE JOB
But when he and the movlng-wagons
cot there thcv found Della very much on
the lob in the otherwise empty premises
Would she let them IN? Not by . Iugtul
The hous, was hers. she sad she had
$3.50 n cash money IN IT, she was IN II
herself and in II she meant TO stay.
The new owner insisted on getting IN,
ouickness and dispatch The movers
tired their 'uck. but Della found shock
troops tactics Just 10 her liking REFUSING
the offensive with FIRE OF bricks
1t took the Juvenile population OF the
neiChborhood abou, there shakes Of q
dogs hind leg To find out there were lively
dongs at 626 and much fun and merit
to be gained by seeing And when the
adult population scented the sensauonlt,
too. ioined IN the speCtatOrlal gathering
outside Inside of ten minutes there were
az least 300 persons, big and small, young
and old acting as supes for the hlg show,
while traffic was tied up two NandeVer
avenue trolley ears stallIng IN the crowd
Meantime, the owner and would-be
occupant was trying TO get IN with his
furniture Nothing doing Diplomacy
was tried Still nothing stirring. save the
patter and shuttle Of more feet being
added TO the crowd.
Then somebody thought Of the police
Captain Wardle, up Al the police sta
ton. was appealed 10, and he dispatched
Policemen Barr and Robinson III the
patrol wagon to the scene When they
al found out what was gong on and
heard that Della possessed a good am
Dunition dump of bricks and seemed 10
nave tWteiiclt istllEt anu UtA''t4S ~ :
expected trouble
But 10, and behold Della surrendered
lock. stock and barrel, rs soon a the
con>tabulary uniform hove in sigh +
though her tongue waggcd at terrific
rate when She was bundled into the wagon
} and motored UP to tho station
This morning PTzylyek told hS story
III court, Della interrupting often to tell
her She said The house was her :
that she had $50 in it. that the prosecut-
ing witness came there yesterday and
wanted to put her out and put a spell
on her
And then the light broke When Della
said, Yes, sir he put spell on me, I"
that settled the matter
'tThe case will be continued until to-
morrow morning said Judge Church
man and in the meantime the prisoner
will be examined as to her sanity.