Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-04-17
OUT ALL NIGHT; UNABLE TO
REACH VERDICT.
JEROME ASKS FOR DEATH
Declares Defendants Act an Q binary,
Premeditated TenderIoin 'icmicide
Evelyn Denounced as Lying
Girl Without Truth or Vif-
tue.

down as the most trying day ne ever
experienced From the opening OF
court until the jury retired, the fates
dealt numerically with him. Begin
ming with District Attorney Jerome's
final argument and throughout the
judges charge Thaw had to listen TO
a scathing attack upon his character
and to narrative drawn from the
evidence, which was meant to strip
his deeds of the halo of chivalry
glory which his own attorneys had
thrown about them.
The judges charge. lasting about
an hour, was a concise outline of the
law
The district attorneys summing up
was a comprehensive and forceful
review of all the evidence adduced.
He declared at the outset that ro-
nance and sentiment did not enter
into the issue; it was not question
of Whites character or Evelyn
Thaw's sufferings, it was plain
matter of fact homicide.
jerome dealt mercilessly with Eve
iyn Thaw, to whom he referred as
the angel child" and to Thaw, whom
he termed alternately st George"
and Sir Galahad."
Ordinary Tenderloin Murder.
Jerome declared in the course of
his address that "there is in this case
every element of the simply vulgar,
every day tenderloin homicide
'If the defendant were any person
but the rich Harry Thaw of Pitts
burg; If he we're the son of padronge
in Elizabeth street; if Stanford White
were not a leading architect, but a
Chinaman in Mott street; if this girl
were a chorus girl in a bowery thea
ter; how long would the brain storm
or paranoia theory be listened to?
There were two ordinary men in
this case, and between them was a
tigress urging them on. With ThaC
she was seduced by White; with
White, she was the victim of Thaw's
perversion. Why, men, there are the
same old elements here that have
made criminal history ever since the
world began.
This angel child comes here and
weaves a web of lies like this to fool
you-to induce you to acquit cold
blooded; cowardly murderer on a de-
tense of 'dementia Americana
"She herself tells you she was CON
stantly urging him on. She told him
that Stanford White was trying to get
her back; that he had followed her;
that May Mackenzie had told her
things White had said In Paris she
received letters from White. After
she returned from Europe Thaw him
self accused her of having resumed
relations with White.
why should not he hate Stanford
White? Why shoul not he fear him
Why should not he be angry when he
talked about him?"
Referring to Thaw's sanity, Jerome
said he knew enough to automobile
all through Europe with Evelyn Mes
bit and knew enough to write to his
attorney to see the girl through the
custom house when she landed. He
ridiculed Thaw's alleged decisions on
various occasions, and declared that
OH IJle ulSuI OI me lnuihCI LbCAc W as
not in any of the facts one thing that
shows a lack of appreciation of what
he was doing.
Judge Charges jury.
Jerome finished his closing address
for the prosecution shortly before 4
o'clock. After a short recess, Justice
Fitzgerald began his charge, saying
in part:
1T now becomes my duty to give
70 you such instructions upon the law
as are necessary to enable you 20
perform Your duties as jurors and tc
define to you the legal duties by
which you are to be governed in con-
sidering the evidence and reaching
your concl Isions
Let me impress upon you the i'm
portance of the issue you are to de-
eide The life of a citizen within the
protection of the law, it is charged.
had been taken by the defendant anc
the defendant is here to answer to
the law for that
You must take the law absolutely
from the court-of the facts you are
the sole Judges
"A defendant in a criminal action
is presumed to be innocent until the
contrary is proved. and in case of a
reasonable doubt that his guilt Is
not satisfactorily shown he is entitled
to acquittal"
Justice Fitzgerald then entered upon
a minute definition of the law cover
ing homicide and the various degrees
as set forth by the statutes.
The plea of not guilty" said Fitz-
gerald is a denial of every material
allegation charged against the de
PENDANT, and such evidence may b.
presented as will Offset these allega-
lions and establish his insanity at the
time of the commission of the act.
The law presumes that sanity is the
normal condition of man and where
insanity is the plea as a condition
of the mind of the defendant at the
time of the act, that becomes the
crucial question Of the jury to decide.
Insanity as Defense.
IF there existed in the mind OF the
defendant an insane Illusion it is not
an excuse unless the Illusion is Of
such a character that if true Il would