The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-20
DEFENSE WILL CLOSE
 IN THAW CASE TO-DAY
EVELYN NESBIT THAW TO COM BAT TESTIMONY OF ABRA-
 HAM HUMMEL.

Night--Chances Are, However, That
 Half Days Session To-day Will be
 Long Enough to Conclude Testimony
 Poll of Newspaper Writers at Trial
 Shows Overwhelming Opinion That q
 Disagreement Will Result.
 New York, March 19.-By prolonging his examination of one of the seven alienists introduced by the de- fense to testify that Harry K. Thaw was insane when he shot and killed Stanford White, District Attorney Je- rome made it impossible for the de- fense to close its case to-day.
 When adjournment until tomorrow was taken there was pending only the matter of the admission of letter written by Thaw to J. Dennison Lyon, a Pittsburg banker, which MT. Delmas said would fix up the young mans state of mind before the roof garden tragedy, and the likelihood that Evelyn Nesbit Thaw will be called tomorrow briefly to combat the testimony of Abraham Hummel District Attorney Jerome hinted this afternoon that an important witness for the prosecution might reach the city tonight. The chances are, however, that half days session tomorrow will be sufficient to conclude all the testimony that is to be offered by either side.
 An adjournment then will be taken until Thursday morning, when MT. Del mas will beginning his summing up speech. He will have all of Thursday to himself and MT. Jerome will reply on Friday. Justice Fitzgerald may charge the jury that evening, or he may for the first time hold court on Sat- urday in order to conclude the case be- fore the week ends,
 As an interesting indication of the drift of sentiment at the trial a poll of the newspaper men who have been daily in attendance was taken thls afternoon It shows an overwhelming belief that the long drawn out trial, now in its ninth week, will finally lead no farther than disagreement by the jury Of the forty or more newspaper writers who have been engaged in the court room since the first day, one ex- pressed the belief that there would be verdict of guilty; two believed that the verdict would be not guilty. and all the others look forward to a disagree ment.
 The strain of, the trial is telling more and more upon all those connected with it as the days drag by. It was generally noted to-day that number of the jurors appeared extremely tired and pale Thaw is holding up remark ably well, but said to-day that he, too, was beginning to feel completely tired out, He asked permission to-day to retire for five minutes and when he reached the corridor leading to the prisoners pen lighted a cigarette, and walked briskly up and down. During the oss-exanination of one of the ex- perts at the afternoon session Thaw's prison guard created much amusement by falling fast asleep in his chair. He slumbered on for several minutes, with his chin on his breast, before one of the court attendants gave him a sharp nudge. The guard rubbed his eyes, and looked sheepishly about. He stood up during the remainder of the ses- sion.
 With the exception of the last few minutes of the afternoon session, the entire day was given over to expert testimony. MT. Jerome occupied all of the morning session with his cross-ex- animation of Dr, Smith Ely Jelliffe, who said he believed Thaw had been insane for more than two years and a half preceding the homicide During the afternoon Drs. Charles w. Pilgrim, Mtnas Gregory, Charles G. Wagner and Britton D. Evans, answered the prose- cutions Hypothetical question for MT. Delmas, and gave it as their opinion that Thaw's reason was 50 defective when he killed White that he did not know the nature or quality of the act, or that the act was wrong
 When pr. Evans, the hast of the ex, perts, stepped down, Mir. Delmas ask ed permission to introduce in evidence one of the letters sent on from Pitts burg by Dr. Lyons. MT. Jerome ob- | jected unless all the letters were ad- mitte1. The point was still being ar gued when adjournment was taken fif- | teen minutes later than uSunI