Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-05
THAW'S IDEA.
He Thought That Stanford White
Had Wrecked His Life,

NEW YORK, February 5.-The fun pur-
pose of the defense was disclosed after The
Star went to press yesterday, and Mr.. Glea-
son began to dwell upon the subject He
declared that it would be shown that Thaw
believed he was acting upon dispensation
of Providence when he shot and killed STAN
ford White. 1t would also be shown that
the defendant had suffered from temporary
or emotional insanity for years.
Mr.. Gleason declared further that it would
be shown that Thaw acted in self defense
and without malice believing threats had
been made against him by Stanford White.
Mr.. Gleason asserted that Thaw did not
| know the nature or quality of his act at the
time he committed it.
1T rests. with you and you alone' con-
tinued the attorney addressing the jury,
ito decide whether or not Thaw was sane
when he killed Stanford White. You must
apply to yourself the test of your ability
| to decide truly and wisely. 1t is for you
| to reach out with that human spirit which
| says to any man, no matter how degraded:
| Look up and be of good cheer; /, too, am
man and would have done the same thing
/ had l been placed in your position When
| you have heard all the testimony in this
case and come to judge this defendant am
sure you will be Of the opinion that the
| defendants act may have been one of in
sanity. but not one Of crime:
"Thaw believed that Stanford White had
| Wronged him. The defendant was suffer-
| ing from an hereditary insanity which we
| find existed in his family. When we show
this insanity in the family and then show
you this mans act you will say it was the
act of an insane man.
Question Of Heredity.
"You, gentlemen, will understand this.
You will understand better then than the
experts. You will put yourselves in his
position, and then you have it within your
selves to say what you would have done.
You will understand the stress. The hered-
ity will be proved.
"Heredity and stress are the two great
causes of insanity. This defendant suf-
fered from a great stress of mind. Certain
things kept revolving over and over again
in his mind, until his brain was in a whirl
of madness, and he felt impelled by Provi-
dence to act in the way he did.
I'VE will not rest the evidence of in
sanity upon any single act, though eminent
SPECIALISTS on brain diseases have long held
| that insanity may be defined by single
act s.a>
Wife Suddenly Insane.
| Mr.. Gleason told of how. the wife of a
friend of his suddenly became insane and
! killed her three children Before the act
she was perfectly sane and afterward was
overcome by the enormity of the deed and
could not explain it.
This, Mr.. Gleason said, was an illustra-
ton Of temporary, or emotional, insanity,
due to the elimination Of a condition Of
constant stress.
AN insane man." continued Mr.. Glea-
son, may express the utmost adherence
of all crime and admit, that murder is
| wrong, yet when the insane impulse comes
| it separates the act contemplated from the
general idea of crime and the general con-
seriousness that murder Is wrong does not
enter into the act at all.
sour law declares that a killing is muir
der when the man who commits the act is
| of sound mind-of sound mind, remember
| and when there Is malice aforethought,
either expressed or implied.
"A man who is crazy cannot know right
from wrong. The human mind Is Hike that
| glass of water you see before YOU The
water IL clear now, but drop single bit of
| coloring matter into it and the whole mass
becomes tinged.
Mr. Gleason was discussing the testimony
which might be introduced In rebuttal,
when Mr.. Caravan objected on the ground
that no such testimony was in evidence.
Justice Fitzgerald sustained the assistant
district attorney. and Mr.. Gleason took up
new lead.
Thaw's Attitude.
That sat with his left cheek resting upon
his left hand during Mr.. Gleason's address.
The greater part Of the time his eyes were
downcast. It was only occasionally that he