Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-03-07
Told Of Grief Of Son After His
Return fran Europe and His
Confession to Her.
PATHETIC SCENE IN A CHURCH
Harry wept While Choir Rendered
l<lplins's Recesslonal as HIa
Thoughts Were on Woman He
Lovca-oistrict Attorney Was Elk.
.ttemely consldcrate of Mrs. Thaw
tBv Assoclatcd Pre-. !

CIV Associated PREF
NEW YORK. March G.-Another
dramatic chapter was added to the
history of the trial of Harry X. Thaw
for the murder of Stanford White to-
day when the mother of the defend.
ant took the witness stand to contrib.
ute what she might toward saving
her son from the death chair which
menacoa him.
Mrs. Thaw's stay before the fury
was brief. When Mr.. Delmas hnd
Ideftly limited her examination to the
change She had noted in her sons
Icondition following his return from
Paris In 1903, after Evelyn NesbIt
had told him her life story, and when
District Attorney jerome had with
great consideration conducted short
lhhd lnetfectnal cross examination,
line mother love welled strong In
i9lrs. ThaW and she felt she had not
done her alls She was louth tpleave
| tho witness chair.
There is, question OF iieredfty. &
lsne protested when both MIR. Delmas
step down, e
"A have asked VOL. madam all that
/ IS cons Tered neg essnf ). s. =. gaijf jrhaw,s
,attorneS With the titniosEs d ference,s u
+, Mrs. 2Thaw half rose. hesitated, anil
was about to sitdown again when the
leading counsel for the defense offered
her his hand to assist her from the
stand. Twice during the recital of the
events which had caused her TO Tenr
mat ell was not right with her son.
MIS-. ThRw broke down end was I'm.
able 10 proceed. Her face flushed
and she made m effort to speak. hlt
me words would not come. After n
rev moments Justice Fitzeerald asked
soilcifousiy it abe felt able to procoed
ana Mrs, Thaw. evidently much che.
grlned that her great grief had over
come her strong viii of resistance.
hnaarh In the affirmative. She dc.
chned class of water made mn Of.
,orV once more to proceed hut failed.
Justice FITZGERALD thon interposeh n
relief for which the ELDERLY woman,
must have heen deeply grateful MANY
of the witness remarks were uttered
in low voice, and IT. was necessnrv
to have the atenngrapher read all her
testimony Up to TINT time to the
jury. When the reading was ended
/ Mrs. Thaw had rnsained her canpos
IRE and was able to proceed 10 tho
end Of her narrGtiva
Harry Greved for Evelyn.
She said that when Harry came
home in 1909 he seemed depressed
and apparently had lost all interest
in life. He passed slcepless nights
and would leave the table at meals
and go in tho parlor to play upon the
piano, the music growing softer and
softer until 1t finally died away. She
told in motherly way of her solicit;
tllde for the boy.
he told me wicked man--proD.
ably the wickedest man in all New
York-had ruined his life. 1t was not
until some time after he had Offered
this explanation of the change in him
that She learned the story of the
Young woman who was to become her
daughter-in-!aw. Mrs. Thaw told of
her son breaking down at church in
pittsbnrg and afterward explaining
that 1t was all because of sorrow
which prevented the young woman he
loved being at his side. Mrs. Thaw
told of coming to New York to meet
Evelyn Nesbit and of giving her con.
sent to her sons marriage-the one
condition being that the girls past
life In New York should be a closed
book, never to be referred to in any
way.
jerome Very Considerable.
Mr. Delmas ended her testimony all
ruptly. The district attorney was
taken by surprise and began to cross
examine Mrs. Thaw in a very low
voice. He asked the conditions sur.
rounding the increase in her sons
allowance, but MIR. Delmas objected.
He asked what the sons income
amounted to. Mrs. Thaw said it was
moderate and nothing like the sum
the newspapers have SO often report
ed. Mr.. Jerome next treaded upon
what he must have Ieit was the thin.
nest of ice lest he put himself in the
altitude of attempting to harass the
pathetic figure in black on the wit
ness stand. He asked the mother
what she knew Of her sons relations
with Miss Nesbit before she became
his wife.
Her Story Deeply Impressive.
me district attorney seemed com.
pletely baffled and speedily brought