The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1907-03-19

DCLL4h hSAb1
inch of the way, District Attorney
Jerome today secured from Abraham
Hummel his complete story as to the
affidavit which it is alleged Evelyn
Nesbit Thaw made in the lawyers
office in 1903, charging Harry K. Thaw
with beating her when she had told
him that the statement tat Stanford
White had drugged and ruined her
was not true. The Hummel testimony
came during the afternoon session of
the trial today and Mr.. Delmas, first
Directing broadly to all Of Hummels
testimony, offered a specific objection
to each question put by the prosecutor
Justice Fitzgerald OverIuled every OBJ
lection and Mr.. Delmas had exceptions
to the rulings noted on the records.
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw was called to
the stand in the effort Of the defense
to keep HummeI silent. She declared
she had called upon Hummel in his
professional capacity and to seek his
advice as a lawyer. Stanford White
had taken her to the lawyers office
with that end in view. Justice Fitz-
gerald declared that admitting the
proposition of counsel and client, Mrs.
Thaw had herself waived the profess
sional privilege by taking the stand
,early~in the case .and giving her YER
sion OF what transpired in Hummels
office. The bond of secrecy once re-
moved could o be re-established.
Unsuccessful in blocking Hummel's
testimony Attorney Delmas, in cross
examining the witness, brought from
his own lips the fact that he had
been convicted in December, 1905, on
"a charge of conspiracy in the same
court room in which Thaw is being
tried. He further admitted that two
indictments for su5Ornation of perjury
are pending against him and that one
OF these indictments charges him
with having caused a false affidavit
to be made.
Mr.. jerome protested against the
witness being dragged through the
-humiIiating details" of his trial. but
Justice Fitzgerald declined to inter
ifere.
Nj. DelRlas asked Hummel il he
had not =. heard the speech made by
District Attorney Jerome when SEN
~stence was ABOUT to Do imposed; when
MI. Jerome urged the court to pass
the longest and ..haaviest sentence
Within it's power upon Hummel, as
he had been a menace to the com
immunity for twenty years" Justice
Fitzgerald finally sustained an objec-
ttion to this and HuD1mel was not
eompellex1 to. answer.
Mr.. De5mas wanted to. know if Hum
mel had recent business transactions
with the district attor1sy, and asked
in Jerome was pressing the charges
against him.
HE certainly 49," said the witness
: With spirit
Hummel's te%stiEGony YVES to the eff
fest that Evelyn Nesbit toGd him that
ThaW had beaten her when she re-
fused 10 sign papers he ha0 prepared
charging Stanford White with her
betrayal: that he had dictated a
statement to a ~steHographer in the
presence of Miss NesDit and Stanford
White; that Ire V the affidavit to
two of his clerks ts take to Miss
NesbiS, aud that the next day the
paper was returned to him with
, Evelyn Nesbit's signature attached.
He kept the affidavit until Miss Mes
~foit called one day and demanded i.
ALE refused to give it to her and turn
etl it over to Stanford White advising
him to have a Photographic copy
made. Hummei first said that he him.
self arranged the phOtOgraPhing afh~
dawit and that the photographer came
to his Office. A few minutes later,
however, he completely c0ntradlcted
himself on this point. saying he did
not make the arrangements; that the
photographer did not come to his Of
fee and that he had not SO testified.
After Stanford White had the COPY |
made he. returned the original of the !
affidavit, the Photographic negative |
and the prints made from the mega !
tive 10 Hurnmel, who swore today that !
he subsequently, delivered the original
affidavit to Miss Nesbit and has not
seen it since.
Abraham SEydecker, one Of Hum
mels clerks was called and said he
took the affidavit to Mr.. Whites rooms
and handed it to the woma pointed
out to hin as Miss Nesbit. She kept
the affidavit for five minutes and then
returned it, saying she had read 1t
through.
At the conclusion OF this testimony,
District Attorney jerome asked per-
mission to introduce the carbon and