Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1907-03-14

was lOatn 70 loaVo tho Wlthc1b chaii
There IL the question Of heredity,
she protested, when both Mr.. Delma
and Mr.. Jerome told her she Nigh
step down.
Il have asked you, madam, all tina
Is considered necessary" said Thaw'l
attorney. with the utmost Difference
Mrs. Thaw half rose, hesltated ant
was about to sit down again whei
the leading counsel for the defense Of
fered her his hand to assist her from
the stand.
Twice during her recital, Mrs. Thav
broke down and was unable to pro
coed.
After a few moments. Justice Fltz
gerald asked solicitously II she fell
able To proceed, and Mrs. Thaw, evi
IDENTIFY much chargined that her great
grief had overcome her strong will Of
resistance, nodded in the affirmative.
She declined a glass Of water. made
an effort once more to proceed, but
failed Justice Fitzgerald then inter
posed a relief for which the elderly
woman facing him must have been
deeply grateful. He said that as
many of her remarks had been ut
tered in a very low tone, 1t would be
necessary to have the stenographer
read all her testimony up to that time
to the Jury. When the reading was
ended Mrs. Thaw had regained her
composure and was able to proceed.
She said that when Harry came
home in 1908 he seemed depressed
and apparently had lost all interest
in life. He passed sleepless nights.
would often leave the table at meals
and go into the parlor to play upon
the piano, the music growing softer
and softer until 1t finally died away.
"He told me a wicked man-prob-
ably the wickedest man In all New
York-had ruined his life"
1t was not until some time after he
had offered this explanation of the
change in him that she learned the
story Of the young woman who was
to become her daughterin-law.
Mrs. Thaw told Of her son breaking
down In a Pittsburg church and ex-
planning that 1t was all because of
the sorrow which prevented the young
woman he loved being at his side.
Mrs. Thaw told Of coming to New
York to meet Evelyn Nesbit and OF
giving her consent to her sons mar
one condition being that
the girls past life in New York should
be closed book, never to be referred
to in any way. Then came the story
Of the marriage In PIttsburg in April
1905, the honeymoon trip and then a
happy, placid summer spent at the
mothers country home In the noun
Iains.
Mr.. Delmas ended her testimony
abruptly. The district attorney was
taken by surprise and began to cross
examine Mrs. Thaw in a very low
voice. He asked the conditions sur
rounding the increase in her sons al
owance, but Mr.. Delmas objected,
He asked what the sons income
mounted to. Mrs. Thaw said 1t was
moderate and nothing like the sum
he newspapers have so often report
ID. Mr.. Jerome next treaded upon
THAT he must have felt was the thin
lest of Ice lest he put himself In the
ttitude Of attempting to harass the
athletic figure in black on the wit
ess stand. He asked the mother
that she knew Of her sons relations
nth Miss Nesbit before she became
is wife
Nothing" she replied without hes
ancy.
The district attorney seemed COM
letely baffled and speedily brought
Is dissemination to q close. II
Mrs. Thaw's story was deeply i'm ,
resslve in Its simplicity and brevity.
II Harry Thaw,s fate Is thrown In I
, the hands OF the twelve men IN the
Try box who Wednesday heard the
Iother's story. there seems little
oubt that what she said WIN carry !
onderful weight. But Mr.. jerome I
ove the impression that he might I
10 the mothers testimony as q .
eapon In another direction-in his 9
ght to have q commission appointed
test the present state Of mind Of I
Ie defendant. '
While the elder Mrs. Thaw was on
10 stand, the district attorney en-. q
ICED in a wordy war with Mr.. Del b
as during which he uttered publicly !
r the first time the threat of lu. '
ICY commission. Mr.. Delmas was In a
king the presumption Of law that I
haw, declared insane in 1908, re- Z
aimed insane In 1904. This was to q
liable Mrs. Thaw to state CONVEX D
tions with her son during the lat q