The Globe-republican., 1907-02-07
PLEA IS INSANITY
Harry Thaw's Attorney Tells the
Jury His Client Has Been
Insane for Years.
STATES TESTIMONY BRIEF
Assistant District Attorney Occupied
Less Than Ten Minutes In Open
Ing Address-Eye Witnesses
Tell of Killing.

|
New York. Feb. 5.-The case of
the people against Harry X. Thaw
charged with the murder of Stanford
White, was presented to the jury Mon
day in less than two hours, and
Monday afternoon Attorney John B.
Gleason made the opening address for
| the defense, in which he declared UNI
equivocally that the defense would rely
upon the claim that Thaw when the
murder was committed, was irrespon-
sible because he was a victim OF emo
tional insanity.
Assistant District Attorney Francis
P. Garvan occupied less than ten min
utes in narrating in a conversational
tone the events on the night OF the
tragedy. He did not go beyond the
occurrences Immediately preceding
the shooting.
Mr.. Garvan declared that Thaw's
act was deliberate, premeditated, in
CentlOnal murder.
District Attorney Jerome secured
from the court, with the consent OF
Thaw's counsel, an order that all wit
nesses except experts, should be ex-
cluded from the room. 1t became
known for the first time that Mrs.
William Thaw, the prisoners mother.
will take the stand in his behalf
and will probably tell some OF the es-
capades of his youth,
The woman hesitated for moment,
then arose and left, followed by Mrs.
Harry Thaw and May Mckenzie.
Thaw flushed vivid red ss Mr.
Garvan in a loud voice called the
name of the first witness, the 19-year-
old son of the dead architect. As the
youth stepped to the witness chair,
Thaw cast his eyes upon the table
and did not lift them during the brief
examination of the young man.
The other witnesses for the prose-
cution were eye witnesses to the
tragedy and added little to what is
already familiar to the public
1t was 2:05 p. M, when Mr. Gleason
began the opening address for the de-
fense.
"Disabuse your minds, gentlemen OF
the jury" he began, "of any idea or
impression that the defense will rely
upon any thing but the constitution
and the laws of the imperial state OF
New York. You must dismiss all idea
that we are to import into this case
any so-called higher or unwritten law.
We will rely only upon the defense
that the law allows.
zone. of the laws on trial here is
the law as to insanity"
Mr.. Gleason declared that 1t would
be shown that Thaw believed he was
acting upon a view of Providence
when he killed White and he had suf-
fered from temporary or emotional in.
sanity for years. Also that 1t would
be shown that Thaw acted in
self-defense and without malice, be-
lieving threats had been made against
him by Stanford White.
Mr. Gleason said that Thaw did not
known the nature or quality OF his act
at the time he committed it.
Addressing the jury, Mr.. Gleason
said:
"When you have heard all the tes
timony in this case and come to judge
this defendant l am sure you will be
of the opinion that the defendants at
titude was one Of insanity and not OF
crime.
,'Thaw believed that Stanford White
had wronged. him. The defendant
was suffering from an hereditary in
sanity which we find existed in his
family. When we show this insanity
in the family and then show you this
mans act you will say it was the act
of an insane man. You, gentlemen,
will understand this better than the
experts You will understand the
stress. The heredity will be proved.