The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-06-29
INTEREST IS GREAT

Oe committed Tor contempt OF court.
She may refuse to answer question
on the ground that her answers nigh
tend to degrade or incriminate her ant
also she has the right to refuse to an
swer questions on the ground that tn
answers might tend to convict her o
crime.
1t is also understood that Mrs. ThaN
told her husband when he called upor
him in the Tombs yesterday that sh,
woul dobey the subpoena OF the grand
jury so far as calling at the grand jury
room was concerned but that under nc
circumstances would she permit any
body to question her, and that if the
Acting District Attorney insisted on
putting questions to her she would
positively refuse to make any reply to
them.
The legal question of what testimony
a wife may or may not give against
her husband is important in Thaw's
case. Under the old common law a
wife could not be compelled to give any
evidence against her husband but the
revised penal code of the State of New
York, modified this absolute barrier.
Section 7l5 provides as follows;
THE husband or wife of person in.
dicted or accused of crime is in all
cases a competent witness on the ex-
animation or trial of such person; but
neither husband nor wife can be called
to disclose confidential communication
made by one to the other during the
marriage.
At the proceedings in the grand jury
room are secret no announcement of the
testimony in today's examination IS ex-
pected.
Only witnesses sufficient. to establish
the fact of a crime and who committed
it will be called, the district attorneys
office not wishing to disclose its whole
hand, either at the inquest or in grand
ju'y inquiry. l
The district attorneys office completed
the examination of the more important
witnesses so far discovered yesterday
and it directed its attention to the in
vestigation Of the relations existing be-
tween Evely Nesbit and Stanford White
prior to the girls marriage and the
attitude assumed by Thaw after he had
made her his wife.
Il am investigating every story re-
garding the life and designations of the
parties to the tragedy" Mr.. Mott said.
There are many of them. get new
tale every minute and so far neither
the police nor the force of this office
has been able to substantiate one of
them.
"The report that White made an in
sulting remark about Mrs. Thaw on
the night of the shooting, which was
overheard by her husband is groundless,
so far as | have been able to learn.
Il am perfectly satisfied that moth
ing that happened Monday night had
to do with the shooting. The
deed was planned before ten. That
White talked about Mrs. Thaw after
ler marriage is heard on all sides, but
have been unable to run down single
specific instance in which her name was
by him in a derogatory man
1er. never knew of a case in which
there were so many rumors which were
without a grain of truth.
Mrs. Thaw seems to be living on the
Of the moment. 1t is said
1t the Lorraine, where she is staying
that she sleeps little and every possible
moment of her time has. so far, been
taken up with consultations with her
friends and with the lawyers employed
by her husband. She looked even more
,areworn yesterday than on the day be-
fore.
There was an interesting incident in
Ihaw's interview with the alienists, who
called on him to examine him. After
some trivial conversation he turned to
DR.. Hamilton and asked:
Doctor will you prescribe cigar?"
eyes" answered DR.. Hamilton, hand
ing him one. He lit it, took a few
deep puffs, and then looked at DR.. Mae
Donald and exclaimed:
81, 81 suppos you are too wise to smoke
loo much?"
II try TO do such things in modera-
tion," returned Mr.. Macdonald.
"And you think people are superior