Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-29
HIS ATTORNEYS ARE PLEASED.
Commission Limits Its Inquiry To
ThaW's Present Mental COndi=
tiOn===PriSOner Confident.

! New York, March 2S.-Harry X.
! IhaW, for two hours today, submitted
! himself to 4 running fire Of questions
from the three men appointed by JUS
| ti2c Fitzgerald as a commission in lu-
macy to determine his present state Of
mind. The examination was conducted
/ behind closed doors and when a few
| minutes before ) o'clock this afternoon
an adjournment was taken until 10
| o'clock Saturday morning, no one CON
nccted with the hearing before the com
! nisSiOners would discuss the details
| of the inquiry. Thaw went willingly ana
| confidently before his judges. ANA when
| the two-houcs' secret session was con-
| cluded his attorneys appeared with
| smiling faces and declared they We're
| more than satisfied with the course Os
| the proceedings. District Attorney Jer-
4 ONE hurried away from the criminal
| courts building, declining absolutely to
| discuss the commissions work.
The most important feature Of the
| days proceedings was the decision Of
| the commission to limit the scope Of its
| inquiry to the exact language Of the
| statItc-to determine solely the uues-
| ii n as to whether or not Harry ThaW
| is able today to understand the nature
| Of the court proceedings against him
ard IS able to advise his counsel in a
rational manner.
| District Attorney Jerome announced
| to the members of the commission that
| all Of the experts that he had employed
in the case hal advised MIN that Thaw
| is suffering from Il typical case Of para
| nCia--a disease of the mind III which
| the rccovericS are limited to two or
| three people. He offered to adduCc tcS-
| tilnony to support this statement, hut
| the commission waived him aside, say
| ing that the purpose Of the inquiry
| was a simple one and had 10 do not
with any classification Of mental dis
| care. but with the prisoners state of
| mind as judged by laymen-
| In laying down this decision the COM
| mission confronted the district attor-
ney with the very position he has
maintained in putting ThaW on trial for
| hi life. Mr.. Jerome contends that ThaW
| WIS suffering from pnranoia on tn"
night OF June - last, when he shot
ami killed Stanford White, hut he add
cd that paranoiacS often have knowl-
edge Of what they are doing and that
Thr-y knew the nature Of his act in
IkiIIino White and knew that the act was
wrong. Thus while medical experts
| mIy determine TO-DAY that ThaW is still
| uffering from paranoia, the question to
| which the lunacy commission had de-
| cided TO confine itself deals solely with
| 1hav's knowledge as to the proceed
| Jugs against him, and his ability to adj
| wise his lawyers.
| The commission got underway with
a rush this afternoon and plunged at
once into the personal examination OF
| the defendant. District Attorney Je-
rome protested at first that he was not
able to proceed, saying he would ike
10 have his medical advisers present
| d,;rine Thaw's examination. He finally
| stated that he would have no objnc-
tions to tie examination being follow
Cd provided he was permitted to re-
| serve his cross-eXamnatiOn. The COM
| mission forthwith settled the matter OF
tho nresence of the experts by eXclud-
| ;np them from the room along with
| everyone else except the defendant ana
his counsel. the district attorney. ana
| Assistant District Attorney Caravan.
As 70 the cross-eXamination by the
| district attorney the commission SAID
tho matter would be taken up when il
was reached.
It was stated that during most Of the
two hours Thaw was before the COM
mission this afternoon the notes ana
letters which he has written to his
counsel since the trial began we're I'M
der consideration. To put Thaw thor
ouehIv at ease the commissioners ad-
dressed their questions to him in con-
versational tone and in casual man.
ner. as though he were in conference
with them: asked him from time to
time to explain incidents in the trial
which had called forth certain OF the
letters produced before the commission
by Thaw's attorney. 1t was said that
Thaw answered the questions calmly
and went into lengthy explanations OF
some of the notes he had addressed &c
/ Mr., Delmas while his trial was in prog
| ress. These notes and letters were
made part of the affidavit filed by MI
Delmas with Justice Fitzgerald when
Thaw's counsel were opposing the ap-
pointment of a commission.
Thaw's examination was not con-