The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-02
Jerome EndeaUors to ProUe
 Harry ThalU Is NolD Insane.

rereivea a second packet of letters from J. D. Lyon, the Pittsburg banker. who until November last had custody of Thaw's will. Tho letters received today were writ- fen 10 Mir. Lyon by Thaw while in the Ton,bs and all bear dates subsequent to June 25 last Mir. Lyon first sent on only letters written prior to the root garden tragedy MT. Jerome was very Anxious to have the later letters, ana they were sent on by consent or nav attorneys. The letters are held subject to the courts order.
 pr. Brftton D. Evans was recaiieo as soon as the letters from Pittsburg had been examined by counsel ana MT. Jerome continued his cross examlna- ton of the alienist. srTaking all the letters you have reao in the light of all you know about the case. what is your opinion as 70 'ne mental condition of this defendant at the time he wrote these lettersF was Mir. Jerome's first question.
 MT Defmas promptly objected on the cround that the question assumed that the witness had knowledge that was uot evidence
 Mir. Jerome withdrew the question and asked the witness If he had any krcwledve of acts that have not been testified.
 An argument was the result. MT. Je- rome claiming that the only point in the case was whether or not the ae- fendant was insane when the homicide was committed He was anxious' ne said, to bring out all the facts
 Dr. Evans was allowed to answer and said that so far as he could recall ne had told all of importance that he could remember of what he heard ana saw on the first three visits to Thaw in the Tombs
 state of Mental Instability.
 ssTaking everything that you nave testified to Into consideration, what, Tn vour opinion, was the mental condition of the defendant when ne wrote 'hose letters?" asked MT. Jerome.
 eHe was in a state of mental insta- biiity.' m
 DO you mean he was insane?
 Not necessarily. He was in state of mental unsteadiness.
 Mir. Jerome handed the witness copy of the letter Thaw wrote to An. fhonv Comstock complaining that adens of vice" were maintained by Stanford White and other rich scoun- dreis." for the ruin of young girls
 After Dr. Evans had examined the paper some twenty minutes. Mir Je- rome asked him if anything in the let ter suggested the mental state or the writer
 .Tt shows" said the expert, that hf~ mind seemed to be running on young women and their supposed wrongs"
 Anything else"
 If indicates a delusive state in the writer's mind"
 Were the delusions Of an exaiteo of depressed natureT'
 n don't think there is enough in the letter for anybody to say as to that, pr Evans attention was called to Thaw's will and codicil and he stated that the ideas and delusions indicateo in those documents were oiLs Iatters @Are not the Ideas or delusions shown tn the will and codicil more concen- trated than in the lettersE asked NIT Jerome.
 yes this is my opinion" was the The will and codieil were written nnvne years after the letters and pr p.vans answer would indicate that m his opinion Thaw's mental disease changed in form and became more ser Ious. q. n,mber. and began asking the wit rese if in his opinion, considering al other things in the case, the writei was insane when the letters were writ ten. 4. Yesterday Dr. Evans was obliged t' state his opinion on ehch ASNS0i' cluding everything else.
 ssThis letter shows an unsteady stat' of mind" said the witness regarding the first letter, He would be no mor' definite.
 What would you have treated hin forT'
 Evans Gets Bright.
 sT don't know. I don't think I eve treated a patient by letter"
 Was the unsteadiness normal or aO pr. Evans refused to even attemp to classify the unsteadiness, sayint that it often took months to classh. case when under close observation and 1t was impossible to try to d on the strength of a letter.
 Then you cannot say what was tn form of the mental instability" asked Mr. Jerome.
 Tt was no particular form.
 MT. Jerome next had the witness talk m each one of the nine letters in turn asking an opinion as to the state O mind of the writer at the time of tn rvr,tinp. taking into consideration everything connected with the case, in cluding Mir. Delmas' long hypothetical question.
 sAs to exhibit "A" said Dr. Evans T would say the writer was borderinl on insane instability-that he was owe the Dot0ef' ,, Al,
 aThere's only one way over," sail pr. Evans. lover into insanity"
 you mean he was moving towar' insanity
 He was further over than whei sone of the letters were written"
 As to exhibits B., C., and D., DI Evans declared they showed delusiv state of mind-that the writer was no perfectly sound-mentally unsteady
 Exhibit F., he said, threw no lish on the mental condition of the writer eThis letter shows state of menta uneoundness in the writer at the tim it was written" said Dr. Evans in re ference to exhibit G.
 aAt last we have got a letter whic shows the defendant was insane asked Mir. Jerome.
 'In a degree, yes"
 ''What sort of insanity was it?
 Can't Diagnose By Mail.
 q can't diagnose 1t from letters no man could"
 You cant tell what form of insani ty it was?' There are indications that 1t migh show one of several kinds"
 Explain what kinds.
 well. there might be a temporar state of acute mania. there might als be indications of simple melancholia.
 "Did you ever know a person suf fering from acute mania to write letter.?
 "Yes. many"