The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1907-02-05
Says Thaw Was Insane
When He Shot White
DR.. c.. c. Wiley Alienist, From Pittsburg and Thaw
Family Physician Gives Sensational Testimony
in Prisoners Behalf

New York, Feb. 5.-Experts on in
sanity and handwriting witnesses and
jurors came to the Thaw trial today
muffied to the eyes in great coats and
furs. The severe snow storm which
began early last night continued today
with unabated fury. The order for
the exclusion of all witnesses which
yesterday drove Mrs Harry Thaw and
Mrs. William Thaw from the court
room, remained in force Josiah.
Thaw was the only member of the de-
fendant's family in the court as the
morning session began.
Dr. c. G. Wiley OF Pittsburg, Thaw's
family physician, and who is connected
with the Dixmount insane asylum,
was called as the first witness for the
defense. DR.. Wiley in response to
questions by John b. Gleason of
Thaw's counsel, said that Thaw was
suffering from insanity when he shot
White.
Under cross examination by District
Attorney Jerome 1t became evident
that DR.. Wiley had answered the hypo-
thetical question of Attorney Gleason
in which he said Thaw was insane
u
answer on his knowledge of Thaw's
behavior in Pittsburg and what he
knew of the case Jerome moved the
question and answer be stricken out
and the court so ordered. The ques-
tion was then put in another form,
based on the insanity laws of New
York, and the witness said the act
was one of an insane man. Jerome
then took the witness through a maze
of questions ON all subjects, evidently
with the intention of dissipating the
influence of Wiley's answer on the
jury. He asked him whether he was
a Mythologist or a Christian Scien-
tist and Wiley said he was not a be-
lever in Christian Science. He said
their conclusions might be right, but
their premises We're wrong.
The defense of Harry Kim
ball Thaw. charged with the
murder of Stanford White, was
begun today when DR.. C. c. Wiley, the
alienist from Pittsburg, took the stand
and testified that in his opinion Thaw
was ins - the night of the Madison
Square roof garden tragedy.
He based this opinion on the mans
action on the roof garden and the fact
that he had witnessed an act by Thaw
in a Pittsburg street car which ira-
pressed him with the belief that the
young man was not of sound mental
ity.
District Attorney Jerome put the
witness through the most severe cross
examination ever heard in a New York
court room.
The prosecuting officer seemed to
have every medical authority at his
finger tips. The care with which he
had prepared to meet Thaw's plea of
insanity was evident in his every
question and at times the witness hes
itated in his answers as if completely
baffled
DIR. Wiley was still under fire when
luncheon was ordered.
Are you nearly through" inquired
Justice Fitzgerald of the district at
torney.
"No, indeed, your honor" replied
Mr. Jerome. I'm just getting inter-
ested in the subject"
Jerome SO fiercely pressed Wiley
with questions that the witness was
unable to answer them.
He asked Wiley after the noon recess
with whom he had talked Wiley adj
mitted having talked with the doctor,
but didn't know his name. The doc
| tor told him the Romberg treatment
was a. test for locomotor ataxia Jer-
| ome asked Wiley il the cardiac nerve
| connected directly with the cerebel-
lum and the witness hesitated. Jerome
asked If the pneumogastric nerve join
ed the spinal column in the lumbar
I,ef, Ia tn, l,or
witness said the dorsal, but he could
not say where the dorsal region was,
not having read much on that He
said pneumogastric and cardiac might
be the same thing. In answer to Jer-
ome the witness said he had read two
works ON nervous diseases but could
| not remember anything in the Ian
guage of the books.