The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-24

Thaw declared, could prove the date of
the letter. Thaw also desired President
Potter of Princeton Theological seminary
to be called as a witness with regard To
the letters Thaw had written him. One
of Thaw's notes, handed to Mr.. Delmas
in court said:
Advice to Delmas.
DO not permit Jerome before the jury
to ask When and how he shot Stan
ford White, this is neither in fact nor
in evidence"
Another was as follows:
81 am informed that in the last 10000
cases detained in the Tombs, not one
has suffered from his wife being sub
poenaed duces tecum to produce his let
ters. To counterfeit effect of Jerome $
hbellous arguments, it may be we'll to
| force my letters of j. ID. Lyon after June
25, into evidence. They explained the
! Matchmaking, etc.
: Wonderful Memory.
! Attorney Gleason, in his affidavit. de-
! clared Thaw's memory to be wonderfully
accurate In his Investigations of mat
tiers reaching over a number of years,
he Aas always found Thaw's statements
as to facts to be correct.
I.
that Thaw throughout the trial, has
been treated as "a man in possession of
a rational and healthy intellect and with
out any suspicion or doubt as to his
mental responsibility.
Clifford w. Hartrdge and A. Russell
Peabody complete the list of counsel who
file affidavits. The alienists who declare
Thaw capable of understanding the pro-
ceedings against him are Doctors Britain
d. Evans, Charles Wagner. c. NJ. Ham
mond and S L.. Jellffee. The physi-
clans also relate at length many Incl
dents of the trial and many of the daily
conversations they have had with Thaw.
Mrs. Thaw's Affidavit.
Mrs William Thaws affidavit which
was made public during the late after
noon is confined wholly to family history,
and begins:
THE move by the prosecution for an
inquiry into the ACCESSIBILITY of a lunacy
commission for my son affords me the
LONG desired opportunity of giving all
facts in relation to the so-alleged hered-
ity, epilepsy and insanity, stripped of
all verbiage which malicious misrepre-
sentation and gross exaggeration have
thrown around them.
First, / wish to explicitly state in the
dro-t line of descent for four genera
tons, If we include that of the defend
ant himself. there is no trace of either
epilepsy or insanity"
Brilliant Uncle.
Continuing Mrs. rhaw says with re-
gard to the alleged insanity of Josiah
Copley, Jr, a brother of Mrs. William
ThaNF, that he had a most brilliant mind
and was class day orator at Amherst
college.
His Grafton" says Mrs. Thaw. ''im-
pressed the faculty as n man so pro-
round in its erudition that they injudic-
ioua.y decided not to limit him as to
time with the result that it's close con-
fnement and study. was immediately fol-
lowed by brain fever, which shattered for
u time his nervous system"
osiah, Jr., was discharged after seven
months. enlisted iQ1the civil war. was
a prisoner in LibhyVprison, and accord
ing to the affidavit "is now In vigorous
health and sound mind at three-score
years and ten"
1.-The other case of arrangement" Mrs.
Thaw's affidavit continues 'is the one
brutally referred to by medical experts
for the prosecution as being 'imbeclle
from his birth. On the contrary Henry
w Copely, uncle of the defendant. was
until years of age. in perfect physi-
cal ana mental condition. In the dusk
of a summer evening two boys trespass-
ing on our place, disguised with masks.
; pursued him until he fell with scream
of terror in my mothers arms.
Let me say once for all there is no Sc
cret to be guarded or family skeleton to
I be hidden on either side OF the family
of the defendant"