Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-29
THAW ANSWERS
QUESTIONS AND
APPEARS SANE
No Effort Is Made to
Call Witnesses
Attorneys for Defense Well Satisfied
with Proceedings So Far, the
Prisoner Apparently Being
Perfectly Rational
BY Associated Press.


NEW YORK, March 2S.-Harry X.
Thaw for two hours today submitted
himself to a running fire of questions
from the three men appointed by
Justice Fitzgerald as commission in
lunacy to determine his present state
of mind.
The examination was conducted be-
hind closed doors, and when few
minutes before o'clock this afternoon
an adjournment was taken until 10
o'clock Saturday morning, no one con-
nected with the hearing would discuss
the details of the inquiry.
,Thaw went willingly and con1-
IDENTIFY before his judges, and when the
two hours secret session was con-
cluded his attorneys appeared with
smiling faces and declared they were
more than satisfied with the course of
the proceedings. District Attorney Je-
rome hurried away from the criminal
courts building, declining absolutely to
say one word about the commissioqs S
work.
The most important feature of the
days proceedings was the decision of
the commission to limit the scope of
it's inquiry to the exact language of
the statute to determine whether
Harry X. Thaw is able today to under
stand the nature of the court proceed
ings against him and is able to advise
his counsel in a rational manner"
District Attorney Jerome announced
to the commission that all of the legal
experts he had employed in the case
had advised him that Thaw is suffering
from a typical case Of paranoio, a dis
ease of the mind in which the recover
les are limited to two or three per cent.
Testimony Not Wanted
He offered to adduce testimony to
support this statement, but the COM
mission waived it aside, saying the
purpose of the inquiry was very SIM
pie one and had to do, not with any
classification of mental diseases. but
with the prisoners present state of
mind as judged by laymen.
In laying down this decision the COM
mission confronted the district attorney
with the very position he has main
tanned in putting Thaw on trial for his
life.
Mr.. Jerome contends that Thaw was
suffering from paranoia on the night
of June % last when he shot and killed
Stanford White, but he added. that
paranoiacs often had knowledge Of
what they were doing, and that Thaw
knew the nature and quality of his
act in killing White and knew that the
act was wrong. Thus while medical
experts may determine today that
Thaw is still suffering from paranoia,
the question to which the lunacy COM
mission has decided to confine itself
deals solely with Thaw's knowledge as
to the proceedings against him and his
ability to advise his lawyers.
Lose No Time
The commission got under way with
q rush this afternoon and plunged at
once into the personal examination of
the defendant. District Attorney
D Tz,- k.1 of GV.-f hot I,
not able to proceed, saying he would
like to have his medical advisers pres
ent.
He finally stated that he would have
no objection to the examination going
forward provided he was permitted to
reserve his cross examination. The
commission forthwith settled the mat
ter of the presence of experts by eX-
eluding them from the room along with
every one except the defendant and his
counsel, the district attorney and AS
siStant District Attorney GarVan. AS
to the examination by the district at
torney the commission said that the
matter would be taken up when it is
reached.
1t is said that during most of two
hours ThaW was before the commission
the notes and letters he has written to
his counsel since his trial began were
thoroughly at ease the commissioners
addressed their answers to him in
conversational tone and in a casual
manner. as though he were in confer
ence with them and asked him from
time to time to explain Incidents in the
trial which had called forth certain
OF the letters placed before the COM
mission by ThaW's attorneys.
Answers Questions Calmly
1t was said that he answered these
questions calmly and went into lengthy
explanations of some of the notes he
had addressed to Mr.. Delmas while his
trial was in progress.
The notes and letters were made a
part of the affidavit filed by Mr.. Del
mas with Justice Fitzgerald when
Thaw's counsel were opposing the ap-
pointment of commission.
Thaw's examination was not conclud-
ed today and he will appear before the
commission when it meets Saturday
morning, no session being scheduled
for tomorrow-Good Friday.
The Saturday session will be held be-
hind closed doors The commission did
not decide whether or not physical ex-
animation was necessary. There was
an intimation, however, that the men
who are to report as to ThaWs present
condition would content themselves
with an observation of him during his
mental examination.
One commissioner is a physician and
an expert in mental diseases-Dr. Leo
pold Putzel. If the commission should
decide that a physical examination is
necessary DIR. Putzel probably will
make 1t.
The commission began its general in
quiry today with an open session called
TO order shortly after o'clock in the
room where the Thaw trial has been in
progress since January %.
Thaw in Good Spirits
.Thaw appeared to be in excellent
spirits and sat unflinehingly under the
steady gaze the c ,mmissioners turned
upon him. In the big court room there
were only the newspaper reporters and
three of the prisoners family his wife,
Evelyn Nesblt Thaw, who never missed
an opportunity to be near him since he
was placed on trial, and his two broth
ers, Edward and Josiah Thaw.
District Attorney Jerome protested
against an examination behind closed