The San Francisco call., 1907-02-08

the girl, the girlish fascination OF a
voice of softest quality, yet ringing
clear in enunciation, Gle courtroom lost
view of the prisoner. But when there
came a halt in the girls fight against
the tears the people, who had gazed un-
ceasfngly at her, lowered their eyes, as
II the relief from their stare might
bring her the composure she finally
won.
Harry Thaw, with his whole frame
shaking, sat with his head buried in his
hands, a handkerchief covering his
eyes. Where the defendant sits he is all
but shielded from the jury. Bent over
the table as he sobbed, he could not be
seen at all. Thus Thaw sat for many
minutes, and when he finally lifted his
head his eyes were red and swollen.
Even if they could have seen, the
jurors would have had no eyes for the
prisoner. They, too, had turned their
gaze from the witness as the tears
came to her voice as well as her eyes,
and each man of the twelve seemed in
tent upon some object on the floor be-
fore him. Justice Fitzgerald looked
out through the long, grated windows.
The scene and the story marked new
precedent in the history of criminal
proceedings in New York.
Mrs. Thaw was still on the stand, her
direct examination uncompleted, when
the day was done. Once during the
afternoon she was excused for an hour
while Lawyer Frederick Longfellow was
sworn to fix a date of certain letters
written to him by Harry Thaw subse-
quent to the revelations Miss Nesbit
had made to him in Paris.
The girl had identified the writing,
but the court held that the date must
also become a. matter of competent
evidence Mrs. Thaw seemed to ap-
preciate the relief this incident af-
forded, although during the hour and
half recess for luncheon she had re-
covered from the fatigue of the two
hours spent in the witness chair during
the morning. AS she left the stand for
the recess she walked unsteadily and
passing back of the jury box ran the
fingers of her left hand along the wall
as a blind person might.
LETTERS ARE CORROBoRATIvE
The letters, which eventually were
offered in evidence after much object
ing by Jerome and a flood of argument
~ opposing counsel, are regarded as
corroborative of Mrs. Thaws testimony
today, which she often declared, in re-
sponse to objections of the District At
torney, was a repetition of the reasons
she had given Thaw for refusing to
become his wife. They also were Of
fered as tending to show the state of
mind of the defendant just after he
had heard from the lips of the
girl he loved of her relations with
the man he claimed he killed as a re-
suit of insanity inherited in part and
induced by stress of circumstances.
The letters were written by Thaw
to Longfellow as his attorney: He told
of his coming marriage to Miss Nesbit
and of the row they want to raise"
Disconnected and jerky, jumping from
subject to subject, they nevertheless
show the love he bore the girl and
wanted among other things that pro-
vision should be made that in the event
of his death all his property should go
to her. The letters constantly referred
to that blackguard who poisoned her
as GIRL" and said that her name was
falsely connected with two others be-
sides that blackguard."
Only two of half dozen letters Of
fered in evidence were read during the
afternoon session. The others prob
ably will be presented tomorrow when
Mrs. Thaw is again called to the stand.
The completion of the direct exam
ination of the prisoners wife will pos
sibly require all of tomorrow's ses-
sions.
WHISPERS THE NAMES
Mrs. Thaw was not allowed to state
the names of certain persons, but by
consent of counsel for the defense she
gave them In whispers to Jerome, Sin
order" as Delmas said, that the prose-
cution may have the fullest possible
opportunity to refute any of her state
ments If 1t can
While most of the afternoon session
was given over to the argument as
to the admissibility of letters writ
ten by Thaw to Longfellow, Mrs. Thaw
continued at length the narration of
0nRanElnAIENrE