THE THAW TRIAL.
AN AiLAZL.SU UEFENCE. j One of tlio most striking figures in tlic Thaw murder case is tile smaU k.'f'ii f.\civl man who Is acting at Thaw's leading counsel. Mr Delphine .Michael Delmas has Inul a rem;!rk,«l)U' career. I'ur many years 111' Uiiil all insignificant practice in San .'lost', anil lit' was pvac-iit-ally an unknown man when lie moved to San Francisco onlj a few years ajjo. There his name heiMi.ie famous for tinsensational oratory anil methods V which ho repeatedly snuti-lii'.l away til" most. desperate criminals anil oH'cmlT'. against iloiui'stii- molality from 1 lio vengeance of the law. A writer in if.A.l'. tells ail amazing stoiy of tin 1 eU'routerv ami brilliant rcsom'ci'fiihicss which won for him his first important case, and caused his name to he on everybody's lips. Belnias was defending a young man named J'cl"r White, who was accused of murdering Ims best friend, one Henry Wiikins. The chain of circumstantial evidence against White was so si run;;' at every link mat a .iefenc. 1 i;f any kind >eenieil hopeless. lint Delmas, ris!l\jE perfectly undismayed, as-l-Hiiiileil Hie entire Ci-art bv his ivipiest to I'ie crier to call as a witness llcnry iVilkinS. "Willi! Till' murdered .man?" exclaiiivd til" judge. ".file alil mnrilereil man. • replinl ]lelma«, Mie .jury must decine thai, vonr honour." "Ail right, call your wilness." said 111" judge, and ihe Imsheil aurlieucc Icani (lie voice echo three lime:; through the corridors —'Mlenry Wilkiits, come 'into Court I'' Naturally there was no response, and TMmns, making the most of ihe dramatic moment. ordered the name to he cried oil's more. This done, still without response, and in the. midst of an oppressive stillness Mums addressed the jury in these words:— "Gentlemen, the one mail whose voice coiud have proved the, ' innocence of the prisoner is now bevrflid (he hearing of tilts assemblage. Tie, could tell you, were he here, that his dearest friend was not his assassin. 1 Could he respond to our call, he would lie here standing before you at this moment. Alas! That cannot be. Benicinber, gentlemen of the jury, he is our only witness, anil his lips are sealed. He 1 has responded to a higher eali limn ours, ' and ihe unfortunate prisoner at the bar ' has no one else to I ell lis all that he is ' the vicjiin of as foul a concatenation . f concocted circumstances as the mind ' of man could conceive. Are you going ' (o leave this innocent man to be done to ' death merely because his only -witness has passed beyonil earthly reach? No! Tiather wib you make the twelve wit- '' licsses yourselves in his behalf. You > will take the place of that absent, friend • whose voice is still, and by you ju*t and ' righteous, your human verdict, supply • the missing evidence which will send ' this man free to mix with his fellows ' once more. (ientlenien. in all confi-denc-c f leave the .case with you." Against the most conclusive evidence
the jury, hypnotised by the dramatic -een(\ returned a verdict of not guilty almost without deliberation.
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 20 April 1907, Page 4
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512THE THAW TRIAL. Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 20 April 1907, Page 4
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