The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-01
THAW ANGERED BY
JEROME ISSUES
HOT STATEMENT
CONTINUED FROM PAGE IL

| CONTINUED FROM PAGE IL
| convened and his cross-examination was
| resumed by Mr.. Jerome. When court
| adjourned last evening Dr. Evans was
| given copies of the letters which are in
| evidence, we'll as the will and codicil,
| that he may be prepared for cross-exan-
| ination on his theory that the documents
| contain evidence of an unsound mind.
Mr.. Jerome spent twenty minutes in
! an effort 10 have Mr.. Evans say he had
Carefully read the documents. He
would only go as far as saying he had
| done the best he could. Mr.. Jerome told
| him to go ahead and read them again,
| and the witness proceeded to do so.
| DR.. Evans finally stated that several
of the letters bore addresses and
| WERE therefore, of little use in his at
| tempt TO discover whether the writer
| was of sound mind.
"Do any of those letters show that
| the writer was insane?" asked the dis
! trict attorney.
Mental Instability.
"some of them. in my opinion, show
signs of mental instability
by mental instability do you mean in
| sanity?'
mot insanity in the sense that he
| would remain permanently insane"
Dr. Evans went into a long explana-
! ton of the reason for his theory that
| the letters showed mental instability.
| letter written by a lead pencil by Thaw
| to Miss Nesbit showed lack of a sense of
the proprietes, loss of the aesthetic
sense and various other things which
| the doctor believed showed the writer
was of unsound mind in view of the
| environment of wealth and luxury, in
| which he had been reared.
| DIR. Evans also said some of the let
| ters We're addressed to the girl for whose
| hand the writer was suing.
"Would the fact that the writer had
| been travelling through Europe with the
young woman as man and wife. though
not married. have any effect on your
| opinion@'
BY Hoier Ties.
NO" replied DIR. Evans, "for a man
! under those circumstances may love the
| woman just as much as though she were
| bound to him by holier ties"
| Does that letter, taken alone and
| entirely separate from everything else
| in the case, show pathological condi-
| ton on the part of the writer?' asked
| Mr.. Jerome
| 1t took nearly half an hour and many
| questions to secure the wished for an
swer. Dr. Evans finally said that If the
| letter had been handed to him without
| his knowing who wrote 1t or any of the
| circumstances he would not be able to
| form any opinion regarding the patholo-
| gical condition of the writer. =
| DR. Evans was asked to describe the
| term pathology of the mind" and spoke
| for fifteen minutes, declaring that gen.
| orally speaking, it was a diseased condi-
| ton of the brain. DIR. Evans was explain
| ing the effect of mental medicine when
District Attorney Jerome interrupted.
Il will be Short said the expert.
| Evans Goes Into Explanation.
| "If we can get anything short said
| the district attorney, "go ahead.
! DIR. Evans went on at some length, and
| Mr.. jerome asked the stenographer to
| read the previous question. In a loud voice
| the stenographer read:
IF we can get anything short, go
| ahead"
Not that one" said Mr.. jerome, amid
general laughter.
! The question had to do with what path
illogical conditions were suggested by GER
| tain of tine defendants letters.
| DR. Evans again examined the letters
! closely. Mr. Jerome then selected a letter,
handed it to the witness and asked;
Does that letter. excluding all else
| show that the writer was insane?'
| Il am of the opinion that he was men
| tally unbalanced when he wrote that let
| ter"
WAS he insane?"
Was Insane.
1t took a dozen repetitions of the ques-
| ton to secure an answer which satisfied
| Mr. Jerome. but DIR. Evans finally an
| swered in the affirmative.
what is there in the letter that leads
you to make that conclusion?'
| I'm the first place, broken-up end of
the writing. That Is. breaking in the
! continuity of thought"
| "Then there are further indications In
the writing on the margins and the curv-
ing at the ends of the lines" continued
| Dr. Evans.
THE undermining on another page is a
| very common sign of mental disorder.
| None of these things is in itself of great
Importance. but taken together they lead
| to my conclusions
In this letter the word 'blaggard" APP
| pears, and Mr. Jerome and the witness
had little tilt over 1t. Mr.. Jerome at
| tempting to induce the doctor TO express
| an opinion as to whether cultivated peo-
pie used that spelling, but did not sue
coed in getting an answer.
Two other letters were shown DIR.
| Evans in one of which he found evidences
| of an unsound mind The other he said,
did not, taken by itself, show such evil
| dences. OF another he said:
I'm my opinion. there are evidences
| here that the writer was not mentally
| balanced"
Thaw Inattentive.
Thaw paid little attention to the testi-
| mony today, but sat in his usual place
| reading letters and chatting with his law
| yers.
Mr. Delmas sat close to the witness box.
| wrapped in a large overcoat, and spoke
only once or twice during the morning
DIR. Evans was still on the stand when
| luncheon recess was taken
The first letter handed to DR.. Evans
when court reconvened after the luncheon
! on
| to express an opinion. saying it was too
| short to enable him. leaving all else out
| of the question, TO determine the mental
| condition OF the writer