The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-03-05
MOTHER NEXT
Will Take Witness Stand In Sons
Trial For Murder.
TWO ALIENISTS EXAMINED.

Jerome Completes Questioning of Or.
Evans and Also Asks Dr. Wagner
About Prisoners Mental Condition,
Evelyn Thaw Completes Testimony.
New York. March 5. = Harry X.
Thaw's devoted mother will be the
next witness to take the stand in the
trial of her son for shooting Stanford
White. She will endure an ordeal she
is said to dread greatly for the pur-
pose, it is understood of relating pre-
natal influences which might have OPP
Grated so that the unbalancing of her
sons mind by delusions was a logical
sequence. Her examination will sue
coed at once the departure of DR..
Charles Il. Wagner, the alienist, from
the witness chair
With Mrs. Thaw's testimony in the
defense will practically have complet-
ed it's case, and it seems likely that the
states case in rebuttal may be begun
before the end of the week.
In his testimony Or. Wagner declar-
ed that Thaw was made insane by
Evelyn Nesbit's story, related to him
in Paris. and the alienist resisted the
district attorneys efforts TO make him
qualify or change this statement.
Says Thaw Was Insane at Wedding.
Again at the time he was welded to
the young woman in April, 1903, Thaw
was insane, as he was also at the time
he shot Stanford White, on June %,
1906. DR.. Wagner said.
In his earlier testimony the alienist
had admitted that Thaw's insanity
might be of the progressive sort, but
he would not say positively if 1t was
or was not
Thaw had a certain knowledge, but
was irrational when he fired the first
of three shots into Mr.. Whites body,
the expert believed. He ascribed the
exact cause to be a 'brain explosion
when Thaw saw the architect, just as
DR.. Evans had sworn.
Mr.. Jerome, in referring to the wit
ness statement that Thaw had been
made insane by the story told to him
by Evelyn Nesbit, said that he thought
1t safe to assume, from Mrs. Thaws
statement, that Thaw knew of the
friendship between his wife and the
architect.
'Now, l ask you again." said Mr.
Jerome, do you think that Thaw be
came insane after the story was told
to him or was it beforeY
DR.. Wagner stuck to his original
statement that he thought Thaw had
become insane after he heard the
story.
DIR. Wagner thought that when
Thaw fired the first shot 'he had q
certain knowledge" of what he was
doing. He believed, however, that il
was questionable when the mental
storm which developed when Thaw
saw Mr.. White and went toward hin
was one of such violence as TO deprive
the defendant of "A realizing sense OF
what he was doing.
Knew Revolver Was Deadly.
During the half hour Thaw sat with
his wife before the shooting, according
to the opinion of the expert, he prob
ably knew that the exploding of 8
loaded revolver into the body of a per
son would produce death.
Or. Wagner" said Mr.. Jerome
twill you kindly describe in as few
words as possible the kind of insanit,
this defendant has or had?a
In replying Or. Wagner created
something of a stir by using the pres
ent tense.
"In my opinion, he said, ''this man
has symptoms allied to a Oppressive
form of insanity and others allied t.
dementia praecox."
Whether DIR. Wagner used the pres
ent tense Intentionally or not did no
develop fof the point was not caugh
up by any of the attorneys.
Mr.. Jerome, however, made use of il
for in low voice he repeated the doc
tors answer by beginning.
Then you say, doctor, that this maj
is suffering from symptoms allied t
two forms of insanity"
DR.. Wagner listened intently and re
piled, Yes"
DR.. Wagner then repeated the stor,
that Thaw told him in the Tombs t
the effect that he had not wanted t
| kill White, but that Providence hal
stepped in and that it was probabl,
for the best, for If White had bee
sent to prison he would perhaps hav
succeeded in getting out and woul'
| hax-a raS,1unad his course
Or. Evans Leaves Stand.
A long stride forward in the tria
was taken when Jerome announce
that his exhaustive cross examination
Of DR.. Britton d. Evans. one Of tn