Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1906-06-30
LOCKED IN TOMBS
Slayer Of Stanford White Goes
There in Handouts.
INSANITY MAY BE DEFENSE
Alienists Said TO Have Found Traces
of Incipient Paresis-District
Attorney Scouts This.

Attorney Scouts This.
New York, June 27-Insanity. it is
sand. is the only legal plea by which
Harry Kendall Thaw eau be saved
from the electric chair for killing
Stanford White. famous architect. but
Ihaw's friends have been quick TO as.
sert that the shooting was an act of
Justice under 'the unwritten law
and that a jury may easily be persuad-
ed that the slain man got his deserts.
The three shots fred by Thaw ON
the Madison Square Garden roof Mon
iay night were i'll ringing in the
airs of the hundreds OF pleasure seek
ers who witnessed the crime, when
~apoloGists for the young man pressed
forward to applaud him. On everv
side efforts were made to besmirch the
dead. to uphold the acts Of a living
heir TO millions.
lawyer fiocked forward to y otect
Thaw and took hurried steps 20 siff
his recent career for conduct that
could be construed as an evidence of
insanity. as however strong the "un-
written law may be in au appeal to
the jury. proof Of mental alteration
must be submitted to the court, or
Thaw must be convicted.
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. the pivotal
figure in the murder, took her hus-
bands lawyers late yesterday after.
noon a sheaf of letters. which are ex-
pected to show u direct bearing upon
the motive OF Thaw for shooting
White. Included in the bundle Is a
certain letter which Stanford White
wrote within the last few weeks 10
Mrs. Thaw-a letter which the de-
Tense will claim made a lunatic of the
jealous young husband when he learn
ed Of it. and sent him to the roof gar.
den on his crazy GRAND OF vengeance.
AS she left the offices of the attorneys
after depositing this silent. yet elo-
quent, evidence with them, Mrs.
Thaw made the first statement given
out bv her since the tragedy. With
her handkerchief to her eyes. she
said:
1.-THE incident OF last night is toa
painful for me to discuss. / am not
a fugitive from Justice. i am here
with my LAWYER, and will not try to
get away. ! hope poor Harry will
soon be ont of his trouble. did no,
think ne would do it. AS she spoke
Mrs. Thaw broke down and wept.
Why Harry Thaw should have lived
for over a year in apparent happiness
with his chorus girl bride, and wher
! suddenly within less than a month
discover that White had ruined hi
life is the missing link for which the
police are searching in their effort t.
clear up the murder. The develop.
ments tend to show that the event,
which turned Thaw from a pleasure.
loving, indolent clubman into a vi,
cioas, murderous plotter must have
been OF recent occurrence. 1t is be.
lieved that EVELYN Thsw has supplied
the needed sequences Of facts.
Under the name of Miss Wilkins
the wife had heen secluded all day in
the rooms OF her friend, May McKen.
| zie, the actress. in the apartment
house at las West Forty-ninth street.
She had been there ever since she fled
from the roof garden after the killing
| CT her theatrical sponsor by her young
husband.
Friends believe Thaw to be crazed
| by ~brnoding over his wrongs. Bot
| when seen bv a correspondent In the
Iombs last night. the prisoner was
srill in a condition OF mind which left
him able t. free his conscience of all
responsibility for the outcome Of the
tragedy. which the Pittsburger be.
lieves was forced upon him. He said
"Only nut yourself in my place.
and what would you have done?
Fled? I'm no coward. Fight? I'm
no match physically for that big
scoundrel. Go TO law? Not for me.
There was only one course open to
me, and that was to put that fat
scoundrel where he could on longer
iniure women. He deserved what he
got, and, while | shall suffer. / shall
not squeal. for | have done what any
man would have done under the same
circumstances.