The San Francisco call., 1907-02-25
THAW IN FEAR
Of TESTIMONY
Of HARTNUTT
Whites Former Secretary
Is the Prosecutions
Star Witness
WILL GO ON STAND
Gives Telltale Letters of
Evelyn Nesbit to Dis
trict Attorney
WILL GO ON STAND
PRISONER IS NERVOUS
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
NEW YORK, Feb. 24.-The
trump card held by District Attorney
Jerome is Charles Hartnutt, who was
secretary to Stanford White for sew
eral years preceding Whites murder.
Hartnutt is dreaded more than all else
by Evelyn Nesbit Thaw and the law
yers for the defense. He has turned
over to Jerome the most valuable evi-
dence for the prosecution. 1t was he
who armed the District Attorney with
the telltale letters written by Evelyn
Nesbit from Paris. 1t was he who
told of a hundred things that have
proved helpful in the hard task of de-
stroying the effect of Evelyn Thaw' s
wonderful story. At the end of this
week. or maybe early next week, Hart
mutt will go on the witness stand and
tell the jury many things that may
and may make Evelyn Nesbit Thaw
look far worse than she has yet ap-
peared.
Hartnutt has turned over to Jerome
the letters and notes that Evelyn Nesbit
wrote in the two years following the
drugging episode in the West Twenty
fourth street house. It is declared that
these notes are proof in themselves that
Evelyn old not look on Stanford White
as a man who had despoiled her of her
virtue and honor. but as man who
had been a friend and benefactor and
for whom she entertained fond re-
gard.
COMPLETE ALIBI FOR WHITE
From Jerome's office there came re-
port yesterday to the effect that the
prosecution will be able to make abso-
even in New York at the time when
Evelyn Nesbit Thaw says she was
drugged by him. There has been hint
of this before, but it had no color of
positiveness until yesterday. when 1T
was stated that the prosecution was
able at last to establish a complete
alibi for White.
Harry Thaw is in no sssy frame of
mind concerning the possibility of his
sanity being examined into. For more
than an hour he argued the matter with
Attorney Hartridge today and insisted
that the District Attorney had planned
some coup that his counsel knew
nothing of.
It is known that Thaw attempted sew
eral times to check Delmas as the latter
was adducing in court testimony tend
ing to show that the defendant had in
herited insanity and displayed evidences
of it in his childhood. 1t is stated he
foresaw then the possibility of the
District Attorney using this testimony
against him, and recent reports that
this was Jeromes intention have caused
Thaw no little worry.
One report today was that Mrs. Will
liam Thaw, mother of the prisoner,
went to Jerome ten days ago and ex-
pressed her willingness that commits
sion in lunacy be appointed. Her own
horror of being subjected on the wit
ness stand to the fire of questions
which Jerome would ask her and the
testimony already wrung from her
daughter-in-law contributed. 1t was
said. to bring her to a condition of mind
in which she was ready to accede to
any proposition that might end the
present course of the-trial.
After reading all the newSnanerS this
morning, Thaw attended religious SER
vices in the Tombs chapel The SER
vices were conducted by. Rev. John A.
Wade. Episcopal chaplain.
THAw GROWS NERVOUS
Following the services Thaw paced
up and down his tier and refused to
return the greetings of his fellow
prisoners. 1t was evident he was suf-
fering from nervousness to an unusual
extent. and this was ascribed to the
publication of reports of the District
Attorneys intention to have his pres
ent mental condition examined into.
Some. credence was given a rumor to-
day that DR.. Deemar and DR.. Binga-
man. physicians of the Thaw family
in Pittsburg. would be recalled to the
stand at the opening of court tomor-
row. 1t was pointed out, however, that
Jerome would find it inadvisable to In
terrupt the cross-examination of Mrs
Harry Thaw for the introduction of
other testimony, and it is believed gen.
orally that the District Attorney has
not nearly finished questioning the
prisoners wife.
While the District Attorneys posi-
ton was clearly defined in open court
last week when he declared he would
drop the case at once If he became con-
vinced that Thaw was now insane it is
known that he does not wish to take
any drastic action which might be con-
strued as showing him in the least un-
certain as to his ability to secure a
verdict against the defendant. 1t is ex
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