Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-18
STATUS OF THE CASE
MOST EXPENSIVE CASE NEW
YORK HAS HAD.


trial of Harry K. Thaw was halted sud
denly last Thursday because Of the death
of the wife of Joseph B. Bolton, the elev-
enth juror the case had not been more
than half finished. The time that will be
taken in the direct examination and cross
examination of Thaw's witnesses, and the
time necessary to present testimony in re-
buttal and in sur-rebuttal Is purely con-
jectural. From last Monday until the
postponement the stenographers had re-
corded between $4,000 and $4,000 words
of testimony, exclusive Of the rulings Of
the court and the controversies between
counsel. The total number of words taken
to date is 100000.
incurred by Thaw's family in retaining
counsel, and in the expenditures neces-
sary to obtain and hold witnesses in
readiness, has been. before the trial is
half over, greater than expenses similar
ly incurred for the entire trial of Roland
B. Molineux, which cost his father be-
TWEEN $4,000 and 100000, and the
county, of New York $4,000: By the
time the Thaw trial is finished, if Juror
Bolton is able to continue, the approx
mate expense for the defense will fall
lawyers will receive s200,000-D. NJ. Del
mas taking 100000 as his retainer, and
the remainder being divided in accordance
with private agreement.
Detectives a Heavy Expense.
Fifty thousand dollars will go for the
services of out-of- town detectives, 10000
for local detectives, and between $4,000
and 100000 for the preparation Of the
case and incidentals. The expense bill
of the county will be in the neighborhood
| Of S125,00O, or $4,000 less than in the
Molineux case, and $4,000 more than the
| two trials Of DR.. Kennedy
| No other trial for murder in the first
degree in this county has been marked
| by such a Kaleidoscope series Of sensa-
| ming with the threatened disruption OF
| the forces of the defense on the irst day
| the amazing recital of the defendants
| wife on the witness stand, and then com
dent of the United States seeking to hav.
1 the Post Office Department bar from thu
mails the newspapers that published in
| full the report of the evidence.
! 1t is the first murder trial in the United
| States where the court house has beer
| connected directly with a transatlantic
| cable and special correspondents have come
| from the principal capitals of Europe to re-
| port the proceedings. London. Paris and
| Berlin are represented, and from each Of
| these centers hundreds of thousands OF
| words have been wired to the larger cities
| of Europe and the continent. At conserv
| alive estimate the story. day by day, has
been read by a multitude throughout the
| world which exceeds the entire population
| of the United States. One London newspa
| per alone has devoted from five to six col
| umns a day to the trial. which Is greater
than any American newspaper ever gave
| to the Dreyfus trial, and which is the only
trial abroad with which to draw a compari
son. No trial for murder ever was accord
ed half the attention.
| Mistrial May Result.
The time consumed thus far, and the in
timation at the beginning by one of the
counsel for the DEFENSE indicates that the
| case will not go to the jury before the
| early part of March, even on the assump
ton that juror No. II does not prove dis
| ability. Under the laws of the state hi.
| withdrawal from the jury box would NEAR
| eleven jurors the drawing of new pane
| and the same wearisome process in filling
| the jury box over again.
| A lawyer who has practiced in the Grim
| I'M courts for twenty years expressed the
| opinion yesterday that in view of the amaz
| ing publicity given the case and the famil-
| iarity with the proceedings by almost every
man in the community able to read, II
| would be impossible to select second sci
| of twelve men who had not formed al
| opinion already adduced, and that applica
| ton for a change of venue would be in.
| evitable should Juror Bolton become
| through grief incapable of continuing ir
| his place in the box.
| The drawing of the jury did not take as
| much time as was expected because Of he
| special jury law, by which the commission
| er Of jurors Sits out all prospective jurors
! who are opposed to capital punishment, OF
| who do not understand or believe in cir.
| cumstantial evidence. At least that Is the
| province of the CO. missioner, but ever
! after the sitting process was over the ma
jority of the talesmen were subjected t.
some sort Of questioning. The twelve mer
| who took their places in the jury box were
| selected from two panels of two hundred
each-that is to say, four hundred names
| were placed In the box, but the actua
: number that formed the double panel was
| three hundred and twenty-six. The remain
| der either did not respond and were fined
| or gave valid reasons for. inability to serve
and were excused.
The defendant was arraigned for tria
Monday January %. before Justice Fitz
| gerald He was represented by d. M. Del
| mas of California, John B. Gleason Clifford
w. Hartridge,- A. Russell Peabody and
Daniel O'Reilly, all of New York. vii
| liam Travers Jerome, district attorney. and
| Francis F. Caravan. assistant district at
torney, appeared for the people. The pros
poets for speedy filing of the jury DO,
were blight on the first day, but as tn
examinations went on counsel on each sid
grew more wary. and one talesman afte
another was ruled out until the first pane
was within six of being exhausted. Judg
| Fitzgerald ordered the drawing of a secon,
panel and from this the list of twelve wa
made complete.
Il =