The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-08

TINS utJtIiNB IN lue IFiI or her husband
for the murder of Stanford White. and
entered upon the recital of her extraord-
mary story.
It turned out 10 be more sensational
than could well have been imagined.
Young Mrs Thaw was oR the stand
four hours. In the course of that time
she described in detail her acquaintance
and relations with Harry X. Thaw and
Stanford White
Under examination by Mr.. Delmas. OF
counsel for the defense. the witness told
how she met Stanford White. how he got
her mother to SO to PittsbUrg. leaving her
in his care, and how he arranged various
lmcheons. suppers. and dinners at his
apartments, in the tower of Madison
Square Garden, and in the West Twenty
fourth street apartment. She also told
how she posed at a Photographic studio
i'm East Twenty second street when Mr..
White was present. All these occurrences
took place. she testified. in August and
September, 1901, when she was a few
months less than seventeen years old, and
stin Wore her dresses only to her shoe
tops. and her hair down her back.
Young Mrs. Thaw further told the jury
when she met Harry X. Thaw. how mis-
interest in her grew, how he followed her
10 Paris in 1903, and there asked her TO
marry him. All the things she told the
jury she sWore She told to Harry X
Thaw. She and Thaw. she said. sat up all
night talking the matter over She de-
scribes in detail the effect Of her story
on the man who afterward married her
This effect she described as terrible
Admitted After Controversy.
All the details of this recital were ad-
mitted in evidence only after prolonged
controversy between Mr.. Jerome and Mr.
Delmas. in which the district attorney
made it clear that evidence of this char
acter was admissible only because of she
plea of insanity and as being intended %
account for the unsomd state which it
was C0ntCnded Thaws mind had reached
on the night when nc killed stanford
White
Ihe truth of the statements made by
Mrs. ThaW 10 her husband cannot. under
the rules Of evidence. be c0ntroverted by
the district attorney. it being held that
the only material points are whether she
actually told it TO Thaw and whether he
actually believed it. There is, however.
nothing to prevent the prosecution from
attacking her creditability, and doubtless
vigorous attempts viii be made 10 do SO.
both on her cross-eXaminatiOn and by the
introduction of evidence in rebuttal.
Should these attempts fail of their pur-
pose il was generally admitted to-day
that the story told by Evelyn Neshit
Thaw in court is certain 10 be a most
potent factor i'm the efforts her husbands
counsel are making To save his life.
Mr.. DeImas succeeded in having several
letters accepted i'm evidence. They were
all written by Thaw. One OF them was
addressed to Frederick ". LongfeIloW,'
who was then ThaWs lawyer. in Novem-
ber, 1893. In this letter Th2w wrote Of,
THE. row about the wedding saying,
''The more rows the better" He added
The matter OF being married is most
secret, as if there should be a suit for
kidnapping il must not be mentioned
This probably refers 20 Thaw's first mar
riage TO Evelyn Nesbit abroad
In the same letter ThaW speaks Of her
wretched mother, and frequently of the
''Blaggard," apparently meaning White.
There is also "a reference to Miss Nesbit
as having been poisoned at 15a4 Thaw
also writes of provision to be made for
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw. IF / die or ia I am
killed
The direct examination of Mrs. Thaw
viii he continued tomorrow morning,
and it Is expected that it viii take her
about half the day TO finish her story.
There are more letters written by Thaw
10 br read and then Mr.. Jerome viii take
mp the cr0ss-examindtion of Mrs Thaw.
The task before him is not am easy one.
Jurors Impressed.
Evelyn Thaw Nesbit proved a witness
that will long be remembered in the Grim
nal Courts building She told her terrible
story-more terrible than can be imagined
5y any who did not hear it, and more ter
rble than any type can make it appear
for the most part in "a clear, sweet, level
voice that redched every ear in the court
room Only once in the long wretched
story did she break down.
There is no question that her story pro-
duced the deepest impression upon both
jurors and spectators. None Of the jurors
wept openly, but Mr. Brearly blew his
nose frequently, and the other eleven wore
an aspect of extreme solemnity. Some of
the spectators were not SO undemonStra-
tive. and were seen 10 wipe their eyes fur
lively while nearly all the women in court
wept frankly and quietly.
A more girIish figure than that which
came silently i'm through the door and up
behind the jury box when Clerk Penney
called the name of Evelyn Nesbit Thaw
could scarcely be imagined. Perhaps an
impartial observer might be pardoned for
suspecting that no mean theatrical skill
had been employed TO achieve the effect
Of youth and innocence that now con
fronted the crowded courtroom. Harry
Thaw's young wife wore a loose jacket
Of dark blue such as many IA schoolgirl /
wears a dark hat of childish cut deco
rated with a bunch Of violets. About her
neck she wore "A wide turned down collar
of a modified Little Lord Flauntleroy de- /
sign, and a soft lawn tie OF black tied in /
bow Her hair. while not hanging
loosely down her back. was half caught /
up and tied with "a black ribbon in a /
sort of puff at the back of her neck
Positions Realized.
As she came out from behind the jury /
box and placed her hand upon the Book /
to take the oath, her husband sitting at /
the table with his lawyers glanced i'm 4
her direction. The next instant his eyes
felA He knew too wei what was before
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